Public trust restored. Public safety propped up. Environment enhanced.

While Corroon insists his political aspirations for a second term didn't shape today's speech, the mayor is expected to distance himself from the scandal-ridden days of his predecessor, Nancy Workman, and focus on how far his administration has come in restoring public faith in government.

"I thought it was a good opportunity to reflect back and remember where we came from," Corroon said. "The message is: 'We're heading in the right direction.' "

Corroon - a once-obscure Democrat who gained popularity with his scuttling of the Real Salt Lake stadium deal (later overturned by the Legislature) - will face re-election in November.

The mayor is expected today to touch on the high points of his administration, including a lengthy environmental agenda aimed at planting a million trees over the next 10 years; speckling rooftops of homes, businesses and government buildings with solar panels; and spreading curbside recycling into the unincorporated county.

He also will emphasize his commitment to criminal justice, noting that the county this year will oversee the bulkiest public-safety budget in its history - a tidbit that comes weeks after Republicans characterized him as soft on crime for demanding a smaller budget bump for the District Attorney's Office.

Corroon's speech (expected to run a little shorter than last year's 3,348 words) likely will include plenty of positives about the county, ranging from a Rotary International convention that attracted 24,000 people to the planning of libraries and recreation centers countywide.

Perhaps more appealing to residents' pocketbooks, Corroon will tout his administration's record of no hikes in property-tax rates.

"We are doing a lot in Salt Lake County," he said Monday. "But we are holding the line on property taxes."

jstettler@sltrib.com