The new ad confronts the two felonies Workman faces through a string of testimonials touting her accomplishments and dismissing the scandal as a partisan ploy.
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"It's just politics," says one woman in the 30-second spot. "They should let her do her job."
Another woman says she would rather see county money go toward the Boys and Girls Club than "wasted" on a court.
That's a reference to the South Valley Boys and Girls Club, for which Workman allegedly misused county money to hire two successive bookkeepers to assist her daughter, Aisza Wilde, the club's chief financial officer.
Workman, who has been placed on paid leave but remains on the Nov. 2 ballot, does not appear in the ad, and the spot doesn't mention the charges specifically.
The commercial, which is airing on Salt Lake County's four main TV stations, signals that the Republican mayor remains very much in the race. She has pledged to campaign "vigorously" for a second term.
People in the spot talk about several issues, including how the county's taxes have stayed the same while other governments have raised theirs. One man says the "county's never run better." Another says, "She's just trying to do a good thing."
The ad ends with a logo and an announcer reminding viewers that Workman is a Republican.
Campaign manager Chris Bleak said - given all the recent events - it was critical for voters to see the mayor's side. The campaign spent $31,845 for ad time on KUTV alone.
"We felt like we had to do something," Bleak said Thursday. "It was important for us to share our message."
The spots were purchased in the last couple of days, he said, and are scheduled to run for a week to 10 days.
Workman, who was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court, has denied any criminal wrongdoing and accused Democratic District Attorney David Yocom of being "politically motivated" in the case.
Since then, Workman - who was booked into jail and then released Wednesday - has been spending most of her time at campaign headquarters, making phone calls and chatting with supporters.
"She's going to get cauliflower ear from talking on the phone so much," Bleak said. "She's been making a number of phone calls to party types and supporters and even those who aren't supporters, telling them what her plans are."
Democratic candidate Peter Corroon has not run any TV or radio spots, but plans to before Election Day. He has purchased several ads on the Web sites of Salt Lake City's two daily newspapers.
"We are looking at doing some TV and some radio," said Corroon campaign manager Sheryl Ivey. She notes that the number of ads will depend on hitting fund-raising goals. "We don't have the cash flow the mayor has."
Unaffiliated candidate Merrill Cook said fund raising has been "very weak" but is picking up. He also hopes to run TV spots before voters go to the polls.
As for Workman's new ads, Cook said "she will need them."
Green Party candidate Diana Lee Hirschi is also vying for mayor.
tburr@sltrib.com
