This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Every four years, the outcome of Salt Lake City's west-side City Council race seems as predictable as a clock: plain-spoken incumbent Van Turner wins the District 2 seat over outspoken activist Michael Clara.
This year, the dynamic is different. Kyle LaMalfa, a third, fresh-faced candidate, has guaranteed a Sept. 13 primary. And the normally well-mannered contest has taken an ugly twist — marred by an anonymous mailer that plays the Mormon card and injects partisanship into the officially nonpartisan race.
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Church, state and hate • It started in late July, when a postcard using LaMalfa's campaign logo was sent to an unknown number of District 2 households. It paints LaMalfa as the only progressive, non-Mormon and LGBT-friendly candidate, noting he participated in June's gay pride parade.
"A vote for Van Turner or Michael Clara is a vote for more narrow-mindedness," the mystery mailer read. "The two other candidates are Mormon Republicans — ENOUGH SAID."
All three candidates deny sending the postcard, though the LaMalfa and Clara camps point fingers at each other.
A resident who received the postcard fired off a letter that blamed LaMalfa for "religious bigotry." A second letter, sent by former Poplar Grove Community Councilman John Storrs, reiterated the charge, urging voters to support either Turner or Clara on Sept. 13. Storrs, who now is running for City Council in Eagle Mountain, concedes he has no evidence LaMalfa mailed the original postcard but says if proof surfaces that LaMalfa didn't, "I will print a retraction."
"It really burns me that it's all gone negative," LaMalfa says. "I wouldn't be sitting on seven boards and commissions, spanning the entire community, if I was an anti-LDS bigot."
LaMalfa says it's hard to gauge what damage the postcard did but points to "a couple" of altercations while campaigning door to door. "My greatest fear is the next guy who is thinking about running for public office will see what happened to Kyle LaMalfa and will choose not to do it. And that will be a real detriment to the west side."
Clara contends the postcard "has been consistent" with what LaMalfa says on the stump. "What is going to have more of an impact is the fact that Kyle and his campaign have been really big on labels," Clara argues, "about what religion people are and what party people are affiliated with. He's going to find out that people on the west side are way beyond labels."
For his part, Turner says he is not dwelling on the dirty politics. "I don't run my campaign that way," he says, "and I just wish my competitors well."
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Busting stigmas, building anew • All three hopefuls insist the Glendale-Poplar Grove area gets slighted by false stereotypes and is poised to shine.
Turner, a small-business owner seeking a fourth council term, maintains that if crime continues to dip, investment will rise. "It seems like there is this new feeling,," he says, "that we are really coming around in this part of the city."
Turner defends himself against Clara's claims that District 2 has not received its "fair share" of discretionary spending.
"If you take a look strictly at our numbers, we've fared quite well on funding," he says, pointing to budget records between 2000 and 2009 that show spending on roads, lighting, sidewalks, parks and drainage in District 2 exceeds that of Districts 1, 3, 6 and 7 "combined."
Still, Turner wants another term to help guide the North Temple makeover and to usher more businesses onto 900 West.
Clara, a transit planner making his third run at Turner, argues east-side and west-side amenities remain out of proportion.
He points to the lack of sound walls along Interstate 80 and says the 400 South freeway exit is "the most drab-looking entrance to a city that you'll see on the I-15 corridor." He calls it "insulting" that 1300 East could get new pedestrian-activated crosswalk signals while west-side requests for the same thing go unanswered.
"I could go on and on," he says. "It's kind of depressing to live in a community that doesn't get its fair share of resources from the city. It does take some leadership to make some improvements."
LaMalfa, a survey-data analyst who founded the People's Market at Jordan Park, has based his campaign on one word: partnership.
He argues better connections with schools — especially adding after-school programs and redrawing district lines to create more west-side representation on the school board — would in turn keep kids out of gangs.
"We have an idle-minds problem on the west side," he says.
LaMalfa says it is both "time to get tough" on hardened gang members and time to give kids more options. He favors partnering with the library to highlight youth programs, promoting a new community newspaper called The West View and perhaps "adopting" stretches of the Jordan River Parkway to keep it maintained.
"There's really cool stuff happening in these communities that not a lot of people know about," he says. "A council member should do more."
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Different styles • Knowing he is the new face in the race, LaMalfa says he has appeared on 4,000 porches to introduce himself and solicit ideas. He snagged the endorsement of the city's police association. He also has raised the most money ($10,400), which may be necessary to dent the name recognition of Clara and Turner.
"Their reputations precede me," he says. "Mine, for the last six years, has been trying to positively represent the People's Market. I want to bring those same skills to positively represent the whole west side."
Clara narrowed the margin in his second loss to Turner and predicts the third time will be the charm. He has eye-catching mailers with pictures that show a stark difference between 900 West and the east side's 9th and 9th neighborhood. And he boasts bipartisan endorsement.
"I do believe that a local, elected official can have influence on county and state issues," he says. "There's no reason to function in these silos and allow this disconnect that we're seeing on the west side to continue."
For his part, Turner is content to campaign as the west-side fixture he is, chatting up people at his fast-food eatery and while delivering flowers from his floral business. He doesn't bother to send mailers and seems unfazed by being out-raised and out-spent. In fact, he hasn't raised a penny.
"I'm always outnumbered in the money race," he shrugs. "That don't bother me."
For Turner, politics is all personal. "I just get out and meet people," he adds. "I know it's not conventional, but for me, it's worked well."
Voters get to decide how well Sept. 13.
About the candidates
Michael Clara
Age • 45
Family • Single
Education • Attended University of Texas (three years), studying anthropology
Priorities • Infrastructure improvements, pedestrian-activated crosswalk by Chapman Library on 900 West
Kyle LaMalfa
Age • 37
Family • Single
Education • Bachelor's degrees in math and economics, master's in statistics in sociology, University of Utah
Priorities • Education and public safety
Van Turner (i)
Age • 64
Family • Married 38 years, seven children and 12 grandchildren
Education • Attended University of Utah business school (five years)
Priorities • North Temple makeover and improving 900 West business climate