Paul Pugmire has scorched the two-term GOP incumbent on allegations of missing too many meetings, not protesting the Jordan School District split loudly enough and running a campaign that conflicts with a federal law precluding candidates from seeking a partisan office if they oversee federal funds (Jensen doesn't, Unified Fire Authority executives insist).

So Jensen - who has plastered billboards with images of firefighters and the slogan, "fighting for the west side" - has been beating down those flames while spreading his own agenda of long-lasting west-side townships, a toll-free Mountain View expressway and a unified police district.

But in this District 2 race for the county's westernmost region, the candidates' positions are remarkably similar. Pugmire wants permanent townships, too, along with a toll-free Mountain View and a unified police district. The two also back light-rail lines for the west side, reversible traffic lanes and aggressive preservation of open space.

Here's where their views diverge: On how to make the west side's voice heard. And, of course, on which political party should control the County Council, now led by a narrow 5-4 Republican majority.

Although a newcomer to Utah politics, Pugmire has hit the campaign with a lengthy political résumé. He served as a staffer to former U.S. Rep. Richard Stallings, D-Idaho, and past Arizona House Democratic Minority Leader Art Hamilton. He headed up Arizona's sports development office to keep Major League Baseball's spring training in the state. And he sat on the Rexburg City Council when the transformation of Ricks College into BYU-Idaho spurred a building boom.

What pushed him into Utah politics was the recent splintering of the Jordan School District, which he laments that he "watched and waited, and watched and waited," for his opponent to take a more vocal role in urging east-siders to oppose the split.

"I would have been screaming until my lungs fell out," the South Jordan man insists. "But the west-side representative of the state's largest county, with the state's second-largest budget, with one of the state's biggest bully pulpits, sat silent."

That's an allegation Jensen vigorously rejects, noting that he was part of the county coalition to keep the Jordan and Granite divisions from reaching the fall ballot (the Legislature later overturned the council's Jordan decision) and lobbied east-side leaders to join the opposition.

"I was able to convince my colleagues [on the County Council] that it wasn't the right time to move forward," says Jensen, who lives in Magna.

Pugmire's platform includes expanding and improving the west-side Highway 111, reopening Oxbow jail, enhancing the Jordan River corridor, creating more neighborhood parks and ensuring that the west side no longer gets the "short end of the stick" on issues such as arts-board representation.

He also wants to add a fifth, and majority-making, Democratic vote to the County Council to more solidly support Democratic Mayor Peter Corroon.

As for Jensen, he is playing on experience this campaign. After two council terms, he says he has developed a leadership portfolio that will ensure the county's westernmost constituency is heard.

Not only has he served three years as council chairman, but the incumbent, if re-elected, also likely wwould head up the transportation-planning Wasatch Front Regional Council.

That's an influential post at a critical time for the west side, Jensen adds, when plans are being laid for the Mountain View expressway.

As the Unified Fire Authority's deputy chief, Jensen says he also is uniquely qualified to shepherd the creation of a unified police district, which he solidly supports. Why? Because the proposed district closely resembles the UFA.

"No one understands that form better than I do," he says.

While Jensen's platform includes permanent townships, open-space protection and preserving the county's AAA bond rating, the incumbent also recites this bit of west-side trivia on his behalf: He is the only council member who lives west of Interstate 15. Unlike his rival, he lives in an unincorporated area of the county.

But if Jensen hopes to keep his seat, he may have to do what firefighters do best: Keep those flare-ups (political, in this case) under control.

jstettler@sltrib.com

Michael Jensen Age: 42

* Party: Republican

* Family: Wife, Stacie; five children, Mick, 17, Ryan, 15, Josh, 6, Kendyll, 4, and Jake, 3.

* Education: Bachelor's degrees in economics and political science at the University of Utah; certificates in public administration and international relations at the U.; completed four years of course work in the National Fire Academy's executive fire-officer program; graduated from Harvard's fire-fellowship program.

* Occupation: Unified Fire Authority deputy chief.

* Civic/career experience: Three-time chairman of the Salt Lake County Council, deputy chief for the Unified Fire Authority, vice chairman of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, board member of the Central Utah Conservancy District, former board member of the Utah Athletic Foundation.

* Favorite Major League Baseball team: San Francisco Giants.

Paul Pugmire

* Age: 50

* Party: Democrat

* Family: Wife, Brooke; six children Preston, 27, Matthew, 23, Tanner, 19, Madison, 16, Eli, 12, Ashtyn, 10.

* Education: Bachelor's degree in English and communications from Boise State University, graduate-level course work in political science at Arizona State University.

* Occupation: President of Pugmire Co., a corporate-communications firm.

* Civic/career experience: Member of the South Jordan Planning Commission, former president and member of the Rexburg (Idaho) City Council, former vice chairman of the National League of Cities' Energy and Environment Committee, Capitol Hill and district staffer to former U.S. Rep. Richard Stallings, D-Idaho, assistant to the former Arizona House minority leader, director of sports development for Arizona.

* Favorite Major League Baseball team: Kansas City Royals

QUESTION: What is the pre-eminent issue facing the west side?

* Jensen: Townships, without question. That clearly is the No. 1 issue for the unincorporated area. But I would argue that growth, in general, is the issue facing the west side.

* Pugmire: For the north part, it would be extending the township authorization. For the south part of the district, it would be transportation. We simply have to do a better job of moving people on roads and with mass transit.

QUESTION: Hogle Zoo and Tracy Aviary will ask taxpayers for money this election. But even if voters say yes, those groups will have to come up with a private-donation match before receiving any money. Do you favor that approach? Why or why not?

* Jensen: (Yes) I have no problem putting it on the ballot. My issue was always: How do I protect the taxpayers' investment? The only way was to require that they meet and match what they told us they were going to do in private fundraising.

* Pugmire: (No) I really believe in the wisdom of the electorate. If the voters say this is something they support, then they should be allowed to support it without strings attached.

QUESTION: What approach should Salt Lake County take to Kennecott's west-bench development plans?

* Jensen: Salt Lake County better take a proactive approach. It is incumbent on the county to get with Kennecott and plan it out long term and . . . with our municipal partners to make sure the plans coordinate.

* Pugmire: We need to keep the conversation going so we can make sure we are protecting the things the public needs protected, while ensuring that planning is taking place in a way that assures quality of life.