But the ghost of one of the former mayor's accomplishments - or, more accurately, of a plan for an accomplishment - still haunts the County Government Center. Its cry, making more sensible use of the Salt Lake County Jail, should now be heeded.

Last week it was reported that Sheriff Aaron Kennard has again posted the no-vacancy sign at the county jail. Oh, he'll still find room for the serious criminals. But a lot of petty and not-so-petty crooks will now be turned away.

The 2,000-bed jail has basically been full since the day it opened five years ago. Average daily population in March was 2,085 and climbing, so the sheriff starting being more selective about his client le.

It had to be done. But, to institute a system that is even more selective, more cost-effective and more humane, the sheriff will need help.

The blueprint for that help came just about a year ago, in the form of a $130,000 study from the Berkeley-based Institute for Law and Policy Planning. Called the Kalmanoff study, after primary author Alan Kalmanoff, the report calls upon the county's long-standing Criminal Justice Advisory Council to do some serious advising.

With a batch of police departments and judges feeding inmates into the jail, the county must set standards for the sort of suspects and offenders who belong in jail and the sort who belong on pre-trial release, work release or in treatment for the drug and alcohol problems that led most inmates to their criminal behavior in the first place.

The recommendations were praised by all. Then all were caught up in a particularly disquieting year of politics, starting with criminal charges against the outgoing mayor and ending with the election of a new mayor and several new council members. So nothing happened.

Last month, council members were asked by the county's substance abuse office to reopen part of the old Oxbow Jail as a short-term triage center for prisoners with substance abuse problems. That's just the sort of thing that Kalmanoff suggested a year ago. So far, nothing has happened.

It's time to act. Nobody, not even Alan Kalmanoff, wants another study.