Candidate Becker unveils plan for his first 180 days as SLC mayor

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Posted: 1:18 PM- He wants to promote public education, cradle the environment and create downtown excitement.

So, to highlight those and other platform priorities, Salt Lake City mayoral hopeful Ralph Becker on Monday unveiled a 180-day action plan.

With City Hall framed on the horizon, Becker stood on downtown's Library Square Plaza, where he praised past city leaders for investing in amenities like the Main Library as well as for protecting Wasatch Front mountains and canyons.

Becker, who faces City Councilman Dave Buhler in the mayoral chase, said the city needs that kind of foresight "now more than ever."

"It is time for Salt Lake City to move forward aggressively and progressively to promote our agenda," he said.

Becker was joined by Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, who offered his formal endorsement, as well as two backers from the City Council: Eric Jergensen and Soren Simonsen.

Corroon said he appreciates Becker's approach to environmental protection and planning and lauded the candidate for his focus on education.

Under the 180-day outline, Becker pledges to appoint a first-of-its-kind education-partnership coordinator. If elected, he also would create the mayor's monthly school summit and develop a scholarship program.

Becker wants to build green, complete a capital bikeway system, require a review of so-called carbon footprints and finish work on the Jordan River Parkway.

He also hopes to bolster community engagement and better relations with the Utah Legislature, where he has served as a lawmaker for the past 11 years.

Becker also vows to pass a broader nondiscrimination ordinance and change city policy to allow an employee to name a domestic partner as a beneficiary.

To benefit downtown, the Utah House minority leader hopes for form a cultural district for the arts, create a year-round public market, add bike rentals and lockers at the transit hub and initiate a downtown circulator system for public transit.

More detail on the initiatives promised for the first six months can be found on Becker's Web site: http://www.ralphbecker.com" Target="_BLANK">http://www.ralphbecker.com.

Says Jergensen: "He's captured what needs to be done in the long term."