This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I wrote Monday about the double standard of the Larry H. Miller Group, which will get about $22.7 million in tax incentives for its $125 million makeover of Vivint Smart Home.
Several years ago, the late Larry H. Miller opposed a tax-incentive package that then-Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson pitched to lure David Checketts' Real Salt Lake soccer team to Utah's capital, saying tax money shouldn't be tapped for private sports arenas.
Anderson, at the time, brought up the tax incentives Miller got in 1990, when he built the then-named Delta Center for the Utah Jazz. The incentives came via a 25-year bond fueled by a property-tax increase.
The bond was to be paid off in 2015, ending the tax hike.
Didn't happen. That revenue recently was shifted to another project, a pet cultural arts coup led by then-Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker: The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater on Main Street, which will open this year.
So you'll keep paying the tax originally meant for big-time basketball, but now it will bring world-class theater.
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Location, location, location • I wrote recently about state Rep. David Lifferth, R-Eagle Mountain, who responded to a woman's email about education issues by saying, effectively, that she didn't live in his district so he didn't care about her concerns.
He is a member of the House Education Committee and votes on critical education issues relevant to all Utahns.
Well, now let's add U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, to the list of selective representatives.
Midvale resident Flo Wier wanted to express her concerns about mass shootings and the lack of congressional action to address the issue.
She went to Bishop's webpage, clicked on the "contact us" link and, per the instructions, listed her name and ZIP code.
She received a response from Bishop's office that since she didn't live in his district, he couldn't respond to her.
That's one way to weasel out of taking responsibility for a head-in-the-sand-approach to tough issues.
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Restroom rift • Depending on the outcome of Utah Board of Education races this year, schools might want to beef up their metal detectors and security details whenever a board member pays a visit.
Not only guns should be a concern, but also pocketknives, box cutters and nail clippers.
David Sharette, a candidate for the state board in District 8 in Salt Lake County, is steeped in the charter school culture. His mother, Carolyn Sharette, was one of the early founders of charter schools in Utah and now runs several. His uncle, Howard Headlee, was also involved in establishing charters and now heads the state Charter School Board.
Both backed the voucher movement a decade ago that sought to give tax credits for parents enrolling their children in private schools.
Here's what David Sharette posted on his Facebook page — since taken down — after President Barack Obama's executive order that schools allow students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity:
"If I see or hear about a man going into a restroom with my wife or daughter, I'll make sure he comes out a woman."
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Dollar signs? • Sometimes volunteers put campaign signs in illegal places. Sometimes they remove a competitor's signs.
Neither one of those scenarios took place at the corner of 1400 N. 200 East in Logan recently. But what did happen was still embarrassing.
A sign on top of a fence in front of a large lot at that address said "Gary Herbert for Governor."
Right below that, on the fence, was another sign.
It said: "For Sale."