This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Soon after pouring some Cheerios for her young son on Sunday, Salt Lake City mayoral hopeful Jenny Wilson opened the newspaper to find what she called "an 11th-hour surprise."
Mayor Rocky Anderson had penned an op-ed column in The Salt Lake Tribune that - two days before the primary election - revived the issue of being both a mother and mayor.
Feeling hurt and personally attacked, Wilson - the only woman in the capital's mayoral field - changed her afternoon plans to campaign at the Greek Festival to respond.
"Is this 1950 or 2007?" she asked on the steps of City Hall, surrounded by nearly 40 campaign supporters - many carrying babies or escorting young kids.
"I just don't believe that a woman can't do this and do it well," said Wilson, who has two boys, ages 5 and 2. "Rocky claims that his charges are not counter to progressive principles. They are. If a woman with kids can't be a mayor, then she can't run a company, be a doctor, be a newscaster or work in the airline industry. This is a very, very dangerous statement."
Jane Marquardt, former chairwoman of Equality Utah and a Wilson backer, agreed and said the mayor "is being sexist." Marquardt also noted that since Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has adopted two young children without public backlash, there appears to be a double standard.
Even so, Anderson's opinion piece does not directly challenge Wilson's ability to be both mother and mayor. Instead, it outlines the job's time demands - ranging from weekend and evening meetings to work-related travel - and notes the stresses those long hours could pose to young fathers and mothers.
"When my son was young, I would not have committed to a job that took me away from home on so many evenings and for many days each year," Anderson writes.
"When asked, I stated clearly that my concerns are about parenting, by fathers and mothers," his column continues, "and that my view is that if people choose to have children, they ought to spend a lot of time with them. (Is this such a shocking view?)"
Editorial material in The Tribune is kept separate from the news side.
Late Sunday, Anderson, who called himself a "feminist," defended his viewpoint. He also lashed at Wilson, calling it "absolutely despicable" for her to "try to make it look like she's the victim of some nonexistent sexist comments."
"This really is a last-minute desperate effort on the part of Jenny's campaign to completely pervert and twist comments I made about fathers and mothers," said Anderson, who is backing Keith Christensen for mayor. "It's absolutely outrageous, but does reflect how low some people will stoop in order to win an election."
A new Tribune poll shows a three-way statistical tie in the mayor's chase. Ralph Becker has 26 percent, followed by Dave Buhler (25 percent) and Wilson (24 percent). Christensen has 11 percent. (The poll has a 4 percent margin of error.) Tuesday's top two vote-getters will advance to a Nov. 6 showdown.
Buhler said Sunday he was "shocked" to see Anderson's op-ed, given the campaign's late hour, and said the mayor ought to stay out of the race.
"He's attacked Jenny; he's attacked me," Buhler said. "He ought to focus on being mayor over the last few months."
Becker said he had no comment on the controversy.
Christensen said he knows Anderson well enough to be sure "he doesn't have a sexist bone in his whole body."
"It's Jenny's decision and that of her family," he added. "I wish Jenny well with her family, now and in the future."
First-term Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, a Wilson supporter and father of three young children, defended Wilson at the news conference.
"I don't think, as a mother, she'll ever change her work ethic or her work attitude," said Corroon, choking back tears while patting the back of his 6-year-old daughter, Sophie. "I certainly understand what it's like to not be home as much as you like. But it is a wonderful experience."
Wilson - who fondly recalled experiencing City Hall as a girl and said she "benefited" from her father Ted's stint as mayor - denied raising the issue for political gain.
When the parenting subject came up this summer, Wilson, a first-term Salt Lake County councilwoman, said she reached out to reporters to counter what she called a whisper campaign over her "inexperience."
"I'm angered that my kids have been brought into this," she said Sunday. "All of our progress is generational."
Wilson also said an effective mayor needs to work hard, but not necessarily 17-hour days. "Rocky needs a lesson in time management and people management," she said. "I'll hire people even better and smarter than me - and I won't fire them."
As the sole woman on the County Council, Wilson notes she frequently encourages young Democratic women to pursue public office. "What now?" she asked. "They'll say, 'Look what happened to you.' "
On the City Hall steps, Wilson supporters held handwritten signs, including, "Rocky should be ashamed." A young girl clutched another: "My mom works and I'm OK."