This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In the free-for-all known as the Salt Lake City mayor's race, it's all about the memories.

With a pack of 10 politicians jockeying to replace Rocky Anderson, the candidates have to distinguish themselves somehow. For some, their history in office could be problematic; others have no record at all. So campaigning this year has become an exercise in creative résumé-writing.

"People are puffing up their credentials a bit," said Utah House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, after a debate Monday among eight of the candidates at the University of Utah's law school.

Here's what they don't want you to know:

Becker, a Democrat, hopes voters remember him railing ineffectually against the machine, fighting the good fight on Capitol Hill. Of course, he talks less about getting squashed like a bug by the Republicans year after year.

Dave Buhler, one of three conservatives in the campaign, is betting residents will forget he ran for mayor once before - losing to Democrat Deedee Corradini 16 years ago - but remember him as a moderate state senator and city councilman. He never said the word "Republican" in the debate. "I prefer bipartisan," Buhler said. "Obviously, I'm not hiding it."

Having apparently learned the error of his ways after two terms on the City Council, Republican Keith Christensen hopes Salt Lakers will forget some of his decisions. He didn't like putting light rail on Main Street, suggested renaming Pioneer Park to allow wine to be poured in nearby restaurants and voted twice against protecting gay city employees from discrimination. The mayor named Christensen his heir apparent, but the candidate did not boast that Monday, instead urging voters to weigh his experience against his opponents'.

"I haven't sought office in a partisan way. I can't think of a thing that [all the candidates] wouldn't basically agree upon," Christensen said. "Now, we have to focus on the qualifications."

Meghan Holbrook is asking left-leaning Salt Lakers to focus on her thankless, six-year job as chairwoman of the state Democratic Party and disregard the fact that now she's a lobbyist for Zions Bank.

Perennial candidate John Renteria believes residents won't count how many times he has been a loser at the ballot box - running unsuccessfully for mayor against Anderson eight years ago, for Becker's seat in the House and twice for state Senate. To complicate matters, he has switched his party loyalty between the Democrats and the Greens.

Nancy Saxton, a Democrat, wants voters to forget about her financial troubles and spats with Anderson and some of her City Council colleagues. "No one's ever accused me of being one of the good ol' boys," she said.

Jenny Wilson is the nostalgia candidate, banking in part on her name - her father is beloved former Democratic Mayor Ted Wilson - to propel her into office.

And J.P. Hughes - a proctologist, Grand Old Party member and one-time candidate for Congress and the State Legislature - is going against the grain, hoping Salt Lake City voters will be charmed by his role as the affable jester in the race and vote for a Mormon Republican with no political experience.

So Monday's debate progressed as expected, a study in careful word choice and obfuscation - in another word: spin. The Republicans didn't mention their party. The Democrats hitched on to Anderson's love for the environment and distanced themselves from his "impeach Bush" protest tour.

And Wilson reminded the crowd: "You may know my father."

We do.