This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Oops. Nevermind.
That's the word from Mayor Ralph Becker's office less than 24 hours after he blasted a proposed expansion of a federal halfway house in Glendale at a hastily called news conference Tuesday.
Apparently, the mayor was mistaken. There is no plan to expand the facility, according to its operator, Florida-based GEO Reentry Inc.
But the snafu begs the question: Are the dynamics of the mayor's race for re-election to a third term ratcheting up Becker's thermostat to broil?
The mayor took the gloves off at Tuesday's briefing, saying, "We are researching every possible approach to prevent this [halfway house] from expanding."
He said he would call on the Utah congressional delegation to fight it and enlist residents to do the same.
Now, quietly, the mayor's office is explaining that it most likely misunderstood a March 12 letter from GEO. A spokesman for the contractor said the company is seeking a contract extension of an existing facility in Glendale — not an expansion.
The mayor's spokesman, Art Raymond, said the administration had not spoken with GEO or the Federal Bureau of Prisons, but is responding to GEO's statement to news media that it is not seeking an expansion of the halfway house.
"There are no plans to expand the Salt Lake Residential Reentry Center," said GEO spokesman Pablo E. Paez. "GEO is currently pursuing a continued contract for the management of the existing center, and there are no plans for an expansion."
The shoot-first, ask-questions-later news conference opened the door for challengers to take their own shots at Becker.
Jackie Biskupski, a former state lawmaker, said she isn't surprised the mayor got it wrong.
"My initial reaction to this whole deal," she said, "is that our mayor has checked out and has been [disengaged] for three years."
Biskupski criticized the mayor for a recent flurry of news conferences and seeking photo-ops with, among others, President Barack Obama and former NBA star Kevin Johnson, who is now mayor of Sacramento, Calif., rather than paying attention to city business.
"Here's my frustration with Mr. Press Conference. He wasn't available when I called him out on the prison tax," she said, referring to legislation that would allow the city where a new state prison is located to raise local sales taxes.
State Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, also weighed in, saying it's the mayor's job to be aware of details, such as those surrounding the halfway house. He also criticized Becker for neglecting west-side neighborhoods.
"I'm thrilled the mayor took some time out of his busy Washington, D.C., schedule to go to the west side," Dabakis said (Becker actually held the news conference in City Hall). "That's a plus, even if he got it wrong."
And Dabakis wondered aloud whether Tuesday's briefing was "just another press conference for the mayor's campaign. The mayor must be feeling the heat."
A third challenger, City Council Chairman Luke Garrott, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It could be that the incumbent, who waltzed to re-election four years ago, is feeling some pressure, said Matthew Burbank, professor of political science at the University of Utah.
"The fact is, he is an incumbent mayor who has drawn high-profile challengers," Burbank said. "He has the advantage of incumbency, but, for a third term, that advantage begins to fade."
The news conferences, particularly the one on the halfway house, could be a response to allegations that he is more interested in the big stage in Washington, D.C., than he is with Salt Lake City neighborhoods, Burbank said.
But Becker's chief of staff, David Everitt, defended Tuesday's event. He said it still remains unclear what GEO's intentions are for the halfway house.
"Anybody who reads the letter," Everitt said, "would immediately conclude that company is trying to expand its facility in Glendale."
Becker's campaign manager, Matt Lyon, said the mayor's news conferences seek only to keep residents informed of important things happening in Salt Lake City.
"I hope this campaign will be about issues," he said, "and not nitpicky things, like whether the mayor is holding press conferences for political purposes."