But the mayor should pry his own fingers from the tiller of his little ship of state and retire from the quarterdeck with some dignity, rather than trying to influence his legacy by threatening to run for the third term that he renounced a year ago.
Besides, there are other worlds to conquer, other windmills to tilt at beyond the Salt Lake City & County Building. Anderson knows that better than anyone, having thrust himself onto the national and international stage more than any other Salt Lake City mayor in living memory.
So go to it, Mr. Mayor.
But mostly, just go.
When your term ends in January, pass the mantle graciously to your successor in the best democratic tradition.
The mayor's judgment has been clouded of late by his fervent opposition to a proposed sky bridge over Main Street that would link the two blocks of the LDS Church's new City Creek Center. Anderson apparently is convinced that most candidates to succeed him will give the church and its development partner their way with the sky bridge, which he contends would have disastrous consequences for City Creek and the rest of downtown because it would remove pedestrian traffic from Main Street and focus it inside the new development.
The mayor's position presumably is a principled one, and some architects and planners agree with him. As usual, Anderson is passionately convinced that he is right.
But equally principled people on the City Council disagree, and have voted twice, 6-1, to amend the city's master plan to allow the sky bridge within certain conditions. No design for the bridge has yet been presented to city officials, who can insist it be changed if they don't like it.
We agree wholeheartedly with the developers and the strong City Council majority that the sky bridge is essential to linking the two halves of City Creek into an integrated whole. We also believe that this can be accomplished without damaging downtown views of the Wasatch, and that fears about Main Street pedestrian traffic are overwrought.
Despite his impassioned arguments, the mayor lost the debate on the merits. His subsequent attempt to sell the air rights for the bridge to a third party is churlish, childish obstructionism. It is Anderson at his holier-than-thou, win-at-all-cost worst. His threat to run for a third term smacks of the same.
Others are capable of leading Salt Lake City forward, championing progressive ideas. They may even have good ideas of their own. And life in Salt Lake City will go on.
No one is indispensable, Mr. Mayor.
Not even you.
There are other worlds to conquer, other windmills to tilt at beyond the Salt Lake City & County Building. Anderson knows that better than anyone, having thrust himself onto the national and international stage. So go to it, Mr. Mayor. But mostly, just go.
