The Salt Lake Tribune asked the four leading Salt Lake City mayoral candidates for brief answers to several questions. Candidates were asked to keep their answers brief and some responses were edited for space.
Q: List three things you would do to help rejuvenate downtown?
Becker: Establish a strong 24/7 population by helping establish a range of housing types. Achieve action steps of 2007 Downtown Rising Plan and 2007 Downtown Transportation Plan by bringing together the city, county and the private sector. Work with our City Council to revise ordinances restricting the location of restaurants, bars and similar businesses.
Buhler: Work with the business community and public to make sure that during the City Creek project construction the rest of downtown remains open for business, addressing needs, such as access and parking. Encourage more housing by streamlining the permitting process. Work with Salt Lake County, arts groups and others to develop a workable plan for an entertainment district and then make it happen.
Christensen: Focus on each block of Main Street, developing their unique character. Work with the City Council to craft new tavern ordinances that allow more than two taverns per block. Improve transit and mobility options along with parking.
Wilson: Support building a world-class performing arts and film center in the heart of downtown. Partner with the state, county and developers to build an environmentally friendly center where young creative industries can set up shop. Bring a key education partner to the city's center.
Q:What would you do to preserve the unique character of capital neighborhoods?
Christensen: Greater focus on enforcement of zoning and better master plans. Safe and livable neighborhoods, with walkability and bikeability, are key. Preserving and expanding our open space availability will be a top priority. It will never be cheaper to save our "last great places."
Wilson: Implement the citywide historic-preservation plan. Update area master plans by involving community councils and neighbors. Oppose inappropriate development. Make neighborhoods more bikeable and walkable.
Becker: Make sure that our neighborhood plans and ordinances are consistently applied to assure compatible development occurs in our historic neighborhoods. I've detailed my approach, including a "Fix by Six" neighborhood plans update on my Web site.
Buhler: Put additional emphasis on historic preservation, which is why I supported (on the council) a citywide historic-preservation survey as well as studies in several neighborhoods. Work with the neighborhoods and council to implement. Support our public schools to keep them open as they are a focal point in every neighborhood.
Q:What would be the first two things you would do to mend relations with the Legislature?
Buhler: My election will be a significant first step since I am already well-known and well-respected on both sides of the aisle in the Legislature. Second, I will personally meet with key legislators to begin an ongoing dialogue.
Becker: As an 11-year member of the Utah House, I would use my mutually respectful relationships and detailed knowledge of the legislative process to forge a new, constructive era. Follow up on the legislative site tour visit this summer and meet with legislative leadership. Fight for what's right for the city, avoid personal attacks and treat others with respect.
Wilson: Focus on fighting for policy, not fighting with people. I may also put a bumper sticker on my car that says: I love Davis County.
Christensen: Reach out to the Salt Lake City legislators as well as the leadership on Capitol Hill, since our city's issues often go beyond the boundaries of our city. Use my relationships with my Coalition of Wasatch Front Mayors to speak as a united front about issues we all care about, like education, air quality and crime.
Q:How would you ensure that city staff reflects the city's diversity?
Becker: Build on Mayor [Rocky] Anderson's efforts on nondiscrimination hiring practices. An Office of Human Rights will oversee recruitment and retention of diverse populations in city government.
Wilson: The city's boards and commissions, as well as my hiring decisions, will reflect Salt Lake City's diversity. A strong diversity-affairs director, who will promote opportunities and address unique needs, will oversee this effort. I will not tolerate discriminatory profiling and will expand internal measures to prevent it.
Christensen: Diversity is simple if it is a focus. We will not need to compromise excellence while ensuring diversity. We have wonderful people in our community of every origin and orientation who are prepared to serve honorable and distinguished roles in the mayor's office.
Buhler: Hire the best-qualified people available and my hirings will reflect the city's diversity. Actively recruit job applicants from the minority communities.
Q:Name two things you would do to bolster the city's green campaign.
Wilson: Partner with Salt Lake County to create a large-scale alternative-energy project - likely solar - that will provide clean energy to thousands of city residents.
Buhler: Work with the City Council to create an "Office of Sustainability," bringing together city employees now working on environmental issues into a single office under a director that reports directly to the mayor. Expand the use of secondary water sources for irrigation of west-side parks.
Becker: Fight aggressively to fund additional TRAX lines and increased regional rail service to serve both residential neighborhoods and downtown. Establish a dedicated bike-path system that makes cycling a safe form of transportation in Salt Lake City.
Christensen: First, my Toxic Taxi program, which will offer free pickup and disposal of household hazardous wastes that too often end up in our groundwater. Also, spotlight one community-based business as Salt Lake City's "Green Business."
Q:List three initiatives you would launch to improve the city's west side.
Christensen: Finish the Northwest Quadrant Master Plan, and be vigilant in implementation. Use my decades of sustainable, local business experience to finally bring real and appropriate development to the west side. Keep the streets and sidewalks in good repair, while ensuring better access to transit.
Becker: Neighborhood master-plan revisions: Focus on the siting and development of neighborhood commercial areas, improved facilities and services and equal attention from city government to our west-side neighborhoods. The Jordan River Restoration Initiative: Complete the parkway and restore this gem through our city. Graffiti Gone in 36: Make sure that tagging and defacing crimes are aggressively pursued, and that every incidence of tagging is cleaned up within 36 hours of reporting.
Buhler: Redevelopment of North Temple, including completion of the airport TRAX line but also including quality retail, residential housing and offices. Attract more and better retail to the west-side neighborhoods. Expand and improve youth programs through additional partnerships and expanding outreach to children.
Wilson: Create community developments, such as those in the 9th South/9th East and 15th South/15th East areas. Initiate community beautification projects. Create a multiyear community and economic-development plan.
Q:What is your plan to rehabilitate downtown's Pioneer Park?
Buhler: Make [already-funded] improvements as quickly as possible. Address chronic homelessness and support our police department in efforts to eliminate drug trafficking and other crimes in this park.
Wilson: [This] will require simultaneous and ongoing focus in four different areas. (1) housing and services for the homeless; (2) increased drug treatment and enforcement; (3) park improvements; (4) additional programming around the clock, both evening and daytime.
Becker: It is threefold: 1) Institute a zero-tolerance policy for criminal activity in the park; 2) increase city-sponsored activities in the park; and 3) add a jogging path, historic interpretive area, dog park and other low-impact recreational amenities.
Christensen: "Band-Aiding" Pioneer Park is like flushing money down the toilet. I favor full investment in the park, based on the community-developed plan supported by Mayor Anderson. More police presence, zero tolerance for drug dealers and abusers, a stage for performances and more events like the successful Farmers Market.
- Derek P. Jensen
