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Mayor Ralph Becker, in the throes of what appears to be the political battle of his life, lashed out Tuesday at challenger Jackie Biskupski for campaign tactics he said were "beneath the people of Salt Lake City."

Becker, who is seeking a rare third term, surrounded himself with 100 supporters on the east steps of City Hall to kick off his fall campaign.

If Tuesday is any example, it promises to be a rough-and-tumble affair.

In the Aug. 11 primary, Biskupski captured 46 percent of the tally to Becker's 31 percent. The remaining votes were scattered among unsuccessful challengers Luke Garrott, George Chapman and Dave Robinson.

Becker, who had been on his heels after being pummeled by Biskupski and the others leading up to the primary, flashed some bare knuckles Tuesday and declared he'd had enough.

"I have sat back long enough as I've been accused of not listening and not being collaborative," he said. "My style is not slick or flashy, but enough is enough with that campaign attack."

The mayor also took exception to what he called Biskupski's rhetoric that he said "is misleading, mean-spirited and divisive."

However, in an interview Tuesday, Biskupski, a former state lawmaker, said she has critiqued Becker's performance as mayor but has not been running a negative or misleading campaign.

"We won't go down that road," she said. "We will be focused on the issues, and on the voters and answering their questions."

Becker looks to be more aggressive in the fall campaign, said Matthew Burbank, University of Utah political science professor. With the results of the primary, "Becker may have figured out there has to be more engagement on his part."

The mayor will tout his initiatives, Burbank said, and Biskupski will call for change.

"Incumbents are in a position where it's easy to have detailed plans. That's par for the course," he said. By contrast, "[Biskupski] will want to talk about direction and ideals and what needs changing."

Becker, who is more than halfway through his eighth year in office, has put forth what he calls "A blueprint for a great American city."

Its main tenets are education and opportunity, economic development, energy and sustainability, transportation, and open space and wild places.

Becker slammed Biskupski for berating his record and initiatives while having no detailed plans of her own.

He criticized her for questioning the "Mountain Accord," a sort of master plan for Wasatch Front canyons. "So far, she has distorted this effort and misrepresented the agreement," he said.

On economic development, Becker chastised Biskupski for not having communicated a detailed plan.

"My opponent says I'm not doing anything for business in this city and that she will," Becker said. "How? And what exactly would she like to change about the prosperity we're now experiencing in Salt Lake City?"

The mayor also questioned Biskupski's ability to deal with homelessness in Salt Lake City, noting that he and Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams created a commission that is expected to yield recommendations by year's end. Becker wondered if Biskupski would support those findings.

"If not," he said, "what's her plan for dealing with this complex issue?"

Biskupski said she will present her platforms in the coming days and weeks and said she hopes residents will review them closely.

"Voters will be taking a look at [and comparing] who we are as leaders and what our visions are for Salt Lake City," Biskupski said.

Unlike the mayor, Biskupski said she doesn't plan to kick off her fall campaign.

"We aren't going to relaunch," she said. "We don't need to relaunch."

In the run up to the Nov. 3 general election, Biskupski and Becker are slated to meet in a handful of debates, including one hosted by The Tribune on Oct. 28.