This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
It could be his legacy.
But since a bond for Salt Lake City's largest-ever public-safety overhaul was placed on the ballot this summer, Mayor Rocky Anderson has been relatively silent on the issue.
No bully pulpit speeches. No public campaign. In fact, Anderson's input can be summed up by his three-sentence sound bite in the Prop. 1 brochure.
"Our resources and facilities are stretched to the breaking point," the mayor writes. "Our need for improved facilities is dramatic and urgent."
So where is the urgency?
City Hall insiders can't explain the mayor's quietude. Meantime, police and fire officials, who avoid public criticism, privately wonder about Anderson's support. The mayor, however, argues that his stance is clear. And he notes he spent substantial time, behind the scenes, working on the proposal. The city desperately needs a new cop shop with an emergency operations center, the mayor says. He also endorses a Sugar House police precinct and a west-side fire-training center, even if the bottom-line bill stirs sticker shock.
"In terms of my advocacy, I think this is something better carried by the police and fire departments," Anderson says. "This is going to signal a fairly significant increase for both homeowners and business owners, and I don't want to see it politicized."
Anderson says he has not been contacted by capital attorney Pat Shea, who has organized a Prop. 1 advocacy group that includes former mayors. It's called the SAFE Coalition. Even so, Anderson says he is optimistic the bond will pass at the polls.
"Even with significant amounts at issue, when you see 52 percent polling even before any significant campaign has started, that leaves one pretty optimistic," Anderson says.
Voters will lay down their law Nov. 6. - Derek P. Jensen