This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A lobbyist who serves on the Salt Lake City Planning Commission, ran former Mayor Rocky Anderson's campaign and has his own radio show has filed to run for the City Council's District 6 seat, setting up a fall showdown with outspoken first-term Councilman J.T. Martin.
Charlie Luke, who has a decade of government-affairs experience and hosts KSL's "The Charlie Luke Show," is a self-described political moderate.
His Luke Strategies clients include the Utah Association of Community Services and Reagan Outdoor Advertising. Luke served as Anderson's campaign manager and was appointed last year to the Planning Commission.
Last month, Luke was the lone dissenter when the commission denied Wal-Mart's rezoning request for the Kmart building the mega-retailer owns on 2705 E. Parleys Way. He argued approval would allow more public and commission input on the store's design.
On his website, Luke posted a January 2011 entry titled "Removing Politics from Civility." In it, he notes news of Martin "verbally berating citizens who disagree with him."
"We need to expect more from our elected officials and candidates," Luke writes.