What are your thoughts of 53 percent of residents rating your performance as excellent or good?

Of course I'm pleased that the majority of respondents approve of my performance. As hard as we're working and as many things as I think we have all accomplished in this administration we'd always like to see the numbers higher. I have a sense there have been a lot of controversial issues over the six years of my administration. Every time you make a tough decision you're going to carve off some support. That's sometimes the consequences of providing leadership, particularly in a community where, oftentimes, there has not been a lot of principled leadership.

What decisions have carved off support?

Probably several. The steps I've taken toward combating sprawl development, toward improving air quality, have upset some people, whether it was opposing the Legacy Highway as it was originally proposed or fighting against the sprawl mall. People are pretty attached to their automobiles, and I think that sometimes there is a backlash against my ideas about moving in a different direction with a more comprehensive transit system and eliminating the dependence on the automobile throughout this entire region.

When I went door to door during my re-election campaign, I heard far more often than I thought I would, people saying that they supported me when I first ran but because of my support for the gay and lesbian community, they would never again vote for me. Of course, there was a lot of conflict and I think misunderstanding about the resolution of the Main Street Plaza conflict.

Did you expect your approval rating to be higher--with winning the World Leadership Award, the end of the Main Street Plaza lawsuits and your signing of the domestic-partner benefits order or lower, considering the controversies of the last year -- the DA's investigation into the Torino trip, losing the Real team to Sandy, your protest of President Bush?

You have a certain pool of support and every time you do something that's at all controversial or take a stand on issues that are important to people there are going to be those among your prior supporters who disagree and you carve off that support. I don t calculate effects on political capital when I take stands on issues. I try to do the right thing using the best information I have and pursue it all in a principled manner, and I realize that sometimes is counter to what might be more politically beneficial.

How do you rate your performance as mayor?

I've worked unbelievably hard with very committed, passionate, highly competent people and, all and all, with pretty significant accomplishments. I think we've taken a very long-term view toward what we've done, and I think the benefits of our hard work will show for a long time in this community.

We've done exactly what we said we would do and more. I don t think that my stands on issues have really surprised anybody. I've pursued my job as mayor exactly the way those who knew me would have expected, although some may have thought perhaps I'd be looking out for my political interests more than I have.

Results show you poll lowest on job performance among LDS Church members and that on the whole LDS Church members wouldn't vote for you in 2007. Why do you fare so poorly among Mormons, particularly considering that you ended up aligned with the church on the Main Street Plaza resolution?

The greatest surprise to me is that, after six years, I think a lot of people still really don't know who I am or know why I do what I do. A lot of people would be surprised to know that the ethical underpinning of much that I do comes from my LDS background. But politics sometimes, unfortunately, is far more on the surface where people like to see things in black or white.

All of us have a tendency to look at things or other people in terms of us and them. Because of my advocacy for equal rights and more compassion toward gays and lesbians, I think a lot of LDS members see me as being on the quote "other side."

A lot of LDS members were incensed that I didn t just go along with what LDS Church authorities wanted in the beginning during the course of the Main Street Plaza conflict without understanding that the legal agreements that had been signed by the prior administration and the LDS Church expressly called for the city to retain the easement. I was very torn between what I saw as the written legal agreements and some of the fairness issues that led to my ultimate proposal for resolution.

Some LDS members are offended by my call for changes in our state's more absurd and anachronistic liquor laws like the private club membership requirement.

So it saddens me but I think those members of the LDS Church who know me well see far more congruence between the things that I do and my motivations and their beliefs.

Some even call you anti-Mormon.

Some have called me that and when I hear or read that it greatly saddens me. It's not at all who I am. I took the religious and ethical teachings from the time I was a child, much of it within the context of my LDS upbringing, very seriously and believe that the way I've led my life has been driven in large part by those teachings. I very much value the LDS heritage in my family. I've had disagreements with some members and even with some policies of the LDS Church but that could never be correctly construed as anything close to being anti-Mormon. That's a very cruel and uninformed view of who I am.

I recognize that both LDS members and those who are not members oftentimes think in terms of us and them along religious lines. That's a very unfortunate division in our community, and I've worked very hard along with others in this administration to deal openly and honestly with these issues through initiatives like the Alliance for Unity and the Bridging the Religious Divide project. We have a lot of work cut out for us throughout this community to get beyond that us-and-them thinking, but so does the whole world.

Have you accepted you re not the Mormons mayor?

No. In my mind I can't accept that at all. I try to be a mayor that leads with dignity and principle taking into account the interests of everybody in this community, including those who come after us. I think the portrayal by some of me as being somehow against the church has been driven in very large part by the media. I joined with the large group of people in the discussion about downtown issues and raised certain concerns about urban design and downtown revitalization issues. This discussion was about those concepts, not about who owned the property and yet the Tribune headline the next day outrageously accused me of quote "attacking" the LDS Church. The correction and the apology that was printed the next day by the Tribune likely was not noticed by any of its readers. I wouldn't have seen it if somebody at the Tribune had not pointed it out to me. The damage that's done by that kind of reporting is never undone.

What are your thoughts about residents being virtually evenly split on whether they would re-elect you to a third term?

I think I would win if I ran for re-election. There are a lot of people who feel very, very passionately about the accomplishments of this administration. There's an understanding by most of the people in this community that the national and international community look far more favorably on Salt Lake City because of many of the things we've done these last six years.

I've loved being mayor. The ability to really get good, meaningful things done that translate into a better quality of life in this city has been beyond anything I expected when I first ran for mayor.

I was afraid that the bureaucracy and the politics would provide enormous, sometimes impossible, obstacles to surmount in some areas where we've had really great successes. It's been very satisfying work, although it often takes 14 to 16 hours a day and sometimes seven days a week to get the work done. One of the best parts of this job, besides seeing things get done, is working with such amazing people who give so much of their lives to make things better in our city.

Have you decide if you're going to run?

I've not decided. I'm very torn. I'd like to be able to continue the tremendous momentum we have. I still have a lot of ideas that I'd like to pursue. There's so much good that can still be done in the city. But on the other hand, there are other challenges I'd like to take on before my days are out.

What other challenges?

There are enormous and very tragic human rights abuses impacting millions of people around the world, while the international community, including the United States, turns a blind eye. After the Holocaust, the international community said "never again" but we continue to do virtually nothing in response to genocides and other major human rights abuses time and time again. The missing link has been effective grass-roots advocacy. Instead of waiting for leadership by elected officials, which never seems to be there unless the political pressure is brought to bear, we need to create the leadership among individuals and throughout our communities.

What about environmental work?

I consider climate change a major human rights issue. I think we're going to see some of the worst, if not the worst, human rights problems result because of global warming. We'll see many millions of environmental refugees that will make what happened in New Orleans look like a picnic. You'll see major conflicts over diminished resources, including water and food. We'll see massive diseases in areas that have never experienced them before. So I think that we all need to do what we can to help combat climate change. That has to be done on a governmental, business and individual level.

What are the other things you want to do as mayor?

I want to see major improvement of our parks, an expansion of our park system starting with major renovation of Pioneer Park. I want to see the completion of the Broadway Boulevard project, creating a very distinctive, identifiable district from at least 300 East all the way down to the Rio Grande Depot along 300 South.

I want to see completion of the commuter rail system all the way past Provo, with a good regional light rail and heavy rail system.

I want to see further expansion of our citywide youth after-school and summer programs.

I want to continue with the important leadership we've provided internationally on climate change and expand our programs not only in city operations but also with regional governmental entities, businesses and individuals.

I'd like to work on beautification of North Temple and continue what I think is just the beginning of major economic development on our city's west side.

I'd like to expand participation in some of our community initiatives like Bridging the Religious Divide, Salt Lake City Reads Together and Salt Lake City Gets Fit Together.

You don't think these can be accomplished in the next two years?

We can make a lot of progress in most of those areas but much of it, including transit, is going to take a very sustained effort over many years.

Do you have it in you to stay four more years?

I'd love to see the progress we've made continue and build on the momentum that we've been able to create these past six years. That's why I'm so torn between running again and pursuing other causes that have been a real passion of mine for much of my adult life.

What steps are you taking to decide if you are going to run?

I haven't been raising money. The need to raise money, frankly, falls in the don't-run column. I find the role of money in our electoral system to be extremely distasteful.

I hope Keith Christensen will continue to explore the possibility of running for mayor because I think he would be an extraordinary mayor for Salt Lake City. He was the most progressive council member with whom I've dealt since being mayor. Notwithstanding that we had disagreements from time to time and notwithstanding he is a Republican.

I don't think Keith would run if I decide to run for re-election and if he decided that he did not want to run, I would be far more likely to run for re-election. I want to make sure the programs and initiatives that we've developed are not undermined or destroyed by my successor.

This could be your last two years in office. What are your priorities?

Improvement in air quality, expansion of youth programs, revitalization of our downtown, including the continuation of an incredible increase in downtown housing opportunities; effective health and safety initiatives, including incorporation of more effective drug-prevention, harm-reduction and treatment programs; getting people with differences, particularly along religious lines, getting to know and understand each other better, particularly through programs like Bridging the Religious Divide; acceleration of the expansion of our TRAX and commuter rail systems; completion of the Leonardo, the Sorenson Unity Center, Pioneer Park renovations and Broadway Boulevard and major west-side economic development.

Do you have more specifics under these?

On west-side development, we've been working with a company that will likely bring a large grocery store and other retail into the Redwood Road and North Temple area. We're looking at some possibilities for complementary retail and restaurant development, like what we see on the east side at 15th and 15th or 9th and 9th.

With a new or renovated Northwest Multi-Purpose Center and a major expansion of the Sorenson Center, we should see more housing an other economic development opportunities in those areas.

On the downtown housing, there is much the city can do to help facilitate what is already a major boom in downtown housing. There's some zoning changes that need to be made. We're at the point where several developers see really great opportunities, particularly when some of the projects have more reservations before construction commences than the number of units they're planning to build. That's all a very, very positive sign.

What zoning changes are required for more downtown housing? For instance not requiring uses other than housing on the first level.

Oh, among other things I'd like to see started in the next couple of years, if not completed, is a major university-related development along 400 South. I hope that we'll be able to bring student and perhaps even faculty housing along with some classes, offices and perhaps even research facilities along the corridor of the university light rail line, on 400 South.

The Legislature starts Monday and, if history holds, you or Salt Lake City will be a target of lawmakers. Are you prepared for another Rocky-bashing session?

I never expect personal bashing or name-calling at the Legislature and when it happens, it's very disappointing. We all ought to be working together regardless of political party affiliation or disagreements on certain issues to provide better quality of life for everyone in our communities. If people think they are able to build up political capital by taking personal potshots at me, I think it reflects a very sad state of affairs. When I've been able to build a personal relationship with legislators, most of us get along very well. I've developed a good personal relationship with a lot of people who may have had a very different view of me before we got to know each other.

Have you given up on seeing your agenda advanced in the Legislature?

No, not at all. There's a lot we can work on for the advantage of our city. Most legislators understand the importance of a strong, healthy, vibrant capital city, which is not only the political capital but the economic, business, tourism and arts and cultural capital of our state.

Oh, also on the list, and this would also be among the top of priorities is the renovation of the Utah Theater and the creation of what could be an absolutely world-class arts, cultural and entertainment district in the area of the Utah Theater.

There are ways in which legislation could help all cities develop sports, entertainment, arts and/or cultural facilities. If for instance Sandy is going to be able to use tax increment financing or develop some other tool to provide financing for a soccer stadium, I would hope that every municipality would have similar opportunities to develop the kinds of facilities they think would be best for their communities.

This [problem with the Legislature] isn't unique with me. I heard long before I ever thought of running for mayor that there was an attitude among some legislators that whenever a nickel dropped it rolled towards Salt Lake City and they resented it. Of course that wasn't true but it didn't stop the perception or the antipathy some legislators seem to feel toward Salt Lake City. Again, I think it's time we all get on the same page and ask together, what can we all do working collaboratively, to provide for the long-term interest of the people of our entire state. The interests of our state are well served by helping make this the best capital city possible.

In the same week the City Council signaled its approval for providing health benefits to employees' domestic partners, among others, the bigger news out of Utah was Larry H. Miller's decision to cancel showings of "Brokeback Mountain" at his Sandy movie theater, prompting jokes and jabs across the country. What do the two situations say about the status of gays in Utah?

It's ironic and sad that in the same year that Salt Lake City was given rave reviews in a book on the 50 friendliest cities for gays and lesbians and just months after I was named one of the 10 top straight advocates for the GLTB community, the very unfortunate decision was made to stop the running of a beautiful, very poignant movie simply because the two main characters are gay.

Some people say that private business people have a right to make that decision, although it appears it was in violation of the contract with the company that released the movie. But there are huge ramifications when people across the nation, and even in other countries, have taken notice and [are] once again ridiculing our state and the predominant religion because of the decision not to continue running the movie.

Anyone who watches that movie has to be struck by the fact that some of the same challenges and lack of compassion toward gay people seems to have been reflected in the decision to stop the running of this movie, particularly when the same theater is running an incredibly gory movie about the worst imaginable sadistic, torture and cruelty ["Hostel"].

I'm not going to weigh in on the boycott other than to say I certainly understand how offended anybody who seeks greater understanding and compassion toward the gay and lesbian community would be by the message conveyed through the cancellation of "Brokeback Mountain."

You are sometimes seen as the lone, or at least loudest, voice of dissent against Utah's Republican majority. Are you growing tired of the role of gadfly? Is it making a difference?

Whether it was in the practice of law, some of my other community-based activities or as mayor, I've always felt a very deep responsibility to stand up against what I believe is wrongdoing and do what I can to improve our community and our world. That's been true whether dealing with our penal system, political ethics, environment, human rights or issues involving social or economic justice.

Do you think it's working as being mayor, critiquing what's going on at the Legislature or the City Council?

It s the only way we ever see change. If you just go along to get along, you're simply supporting the status quo and there are too many things about the status quo that we all need to be not only upset about but working to change.

I went out to spend time with three third-grade classes yesterday at a local school. I asked them how many of them or members of their family had asthma and probably more than half the children raised their hands, as did one of the teachers. With over 20,000 young people in this valley having asthma, none of us should refrain from demanding changes in public policy that will bring about a significant improvement in air quality.

What are you proudest of as mayor? What are your regrets?

I'm probably most proud of bringing people together to make the university light rail line a reality, our internationally renowned environmental programs and our remarkable YouthCity after-school and summer programs.

My greatest single regret is appearing at the press conference organized by the U.S. attorney following the INS raid at the airport, which allowed the misperception that I supported that sort of selective enforcement of our immigration laws and the tragic implications that had for dozens of individuals and their families.

You were unsuccessful in your attempts to defeat the re-election of Councilman Eric Jergensen, leaving you with virtually the same council you've struggled with before. How do you see the next two years with this council?

This also is not unusual. Even somebody like Palmer DePaulis, whose one of the most likable guys in the world, struggled with what they called at the time the "Gang of Four." Ted Wilson had his challenges with the council. Deedee Corradini certainly faced tremendous opposition from certain council members. I actually have a great deal of regard for almost all of the members of our City Council and feel that we'll work well together. Although I would never expect that we're going to find agreement on every issue, especially when it comes to equal treatment regarding and respect for members of the GLTB community.

Even though the council is extending health insurance benefits to employees domestic partners and others?

They re extending those benefits to dodge the issue of equality between married spouses and domestic partners, and their timing is undermining our opportunity to get a favorable court decision with respect to these issues as they relate to Amendment 3, but we're making progress. A few years ago I think the council may have just taken action to deny benefits to domestic partners altogether.

What has changed?

A lot has changed in this regard. When I advocated marriage equality in 1996, I even had members of the local gay and lesbian community telling me to back off. They thought it was a fringe issue that would never be politically palatable. And now not only do we see marriage equality in several other nations and some of the states in this country, but the entire debate has become far more mainstream.

You have gained international attention for the city's environmental initiatives. Why do you think SLC is touted when there are other communities, such as Portland, Ore., that have more extensive programs?

I'm not sure that's true. I think we've developed one of the most comprehensive environmental programs in the country if not the world. I see Chicago touted as the greenest city but after we did a presentation there, their environmental adviser came up and said, "We may have met our match." When you take a look at the entire, at the full spectrum of changes we have made in a relatively short period of time, it s understandable why Salt Lake City is considered to be at the forefront. Portland for many years has been a very progressive community, accomplishing things like an urban growth boundary that I doubt we'd ever see in this region. But I think what has been most impressive about the breadth of Salt Lake City's environmental programs is how much we have accomplished over the course of just a few years. There aren't many cities that can say that they're already 76 percent of the way toward meeting their Kyoto goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their city's operations by 21 percent from 1990 levels. And that's a 2012 goal and we're already almost there. But I think a lot of recognition for Salt Lake has also been a result of our tenacious advocacy throughout the United States and other countries.

We talk about what we've done not in the sense of touting it but to show what the possibilities are to persuade other municipal leaders. No. 1, that they should do what they can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and just as importantly that they can in fact make significant differences by replicating some of the things that we've done.

What is next as far as environmental programs in the city?

We've got a lot of things. We're constantly exploring better options for our fleet. I'm working with representatives of Austin Energy to get enough people to express serious interest in a plug-in hybrid vehicle that can run up to 50 miles on electrical energy so the manufacturer can be convinced to begin production.

I also want to continue working with Honda and incorporate far more widespread use of natural-gas vehicles in the valley. We have the second largest number of natural-gas outlets and service stations in the country, second only to California. If most people drove natural-gas cars, we wouldn't see the kinds of air pollution, particularly during inversions, that we experience in this valley.

I want to expand recycling to apartment buildings and businesses. I also want to initiate an e2 person program, similar to our e2 business initiative, where people will be certified if they undertake certain individual actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve resources. e2 stands for economically and environmentally sustainable. We currently have 31 local businesses that participate in that program, and I would love to see thousands of people eventually taking measure to reduce emissions and conserve resources.

Is the environmental work becoming a platform for you for a future job?

No, I don't think so. I've had these interests for many years and feel strongly that whatever role we play, whether it's a business person, a voter, an educator, a consumer, a business or political leader, we all need to do everything we can to help solve these problems.

What do you say to residents who may feel you are disengaged from they job to which you were elected?

I don't think there's any area of the city in which anybody can credibly say I'm disengaged. Part I crimes are down to a 14-year low. We've made remarkable progress with our parks, our streets, our sidewalks. We took youth programs from virtually nothing to becoming a model citywide program. We're in very good fiscal shape. We have more offices filled and more housing units filled in our downtown than ever in the history of this city. We all work very, very hard on every aspect of our city's business and our city's life.

Part of our responsibility, as is being recognized by more and more mayors throughout this country, is to do what we can to help solve global environmental crises like climate change that will impact every one of us. By the middle of this century, if we don t have a ski industry in Utah, people might rightfully look back and say, "Why wasn't there more leadership? Why weren't we doing more to prevent global warming." I would prefer people look back and say, "Mayor Anderson was doing everything he could and effective measures were being taken at least by Salt Lake City."

Cities are really where the action is, especially in this country on these sorts of issues. There's more being written and said on this every single day. Most of the world's population now lives in cities and what we do on a municipal level has an enormous impact, not only locally but globally.

It was also a very good thing for Salt Lake City that we were able to host 46 mayors from around the country at the Sundance Summit last year to address climate change issues.

Downtown revitalization was a key issue in the 2003 campaign. How would you describe the state of downtown today? Have you left downtown revitalization to the LDS Church, the largest landowner downtown?

No. One of the greatest things that can happen in terms of downtown revitalization is the renovation and activation of the Utah Theater.

More than what the church is doing?

What the church is doing is going to have tremendous positive benefits for our downtown.

Downtowns go through cycles. Some people have complained that they go over to Crossroads mall and many of the tenants have moved out. It doesn't seem to occur to them that tenants are going to be moved out before you tear down and renovate a major downtown mall. It's like people complaining about construction. Sure there are challenges but it's all leading toward something that's necessary for the sort of progress that we're seeing in the downtown area.

Gateway has been booming. We're seeing a lot of really great exciting development throughout other parts of our downtown and with all of the new housing we can be more and more assured that the revitalization of our downtown will be sustained throughout the years.

The public still hasn't seen a design or know what tenants will be in the redeveloped downtown malls. What are your thoughts about the progress, or lack thereof, of redevelopment?

The LDS Church has faced some tremendous and very complex challenges. I know they're moving ahead as quickly as they can and that much of what is under consideration simply can't be disclosed because it isn't finalized or because of dealings with the property owners or potential tenants. Everybody seems to be frustrated, but I'm sure nobody's more frustrated than those in the LDS Church that want to get this project moving forward. I understand that. There are a lot of unforeseen obstacles that arise in a project of this scope.

I still have a real problem, which is not a secret, with the idea of a sky bridge [linking Crossroads and ZCMI Center]. A sky bridge is not working in several places where they've been tried. They also tend to segregate the rest of the downtown area from the buildings connected by the sky bridge. I think that's not a good thing for the rest of the downtown.

There are details like that that I'm sure will get worked out. My view on that, by the way, is entirely consistent with downtown plans and reports that have been done over the course of many years, way before I was mayor.

What will be the public's role in how the malls will be redeveloped?

I can't say right now. The property owner has a lot of latitude. They've been sensitive to a lot of the concerns or suggestions that have been made. We're in for a very exciting, positive thing for our community.

The city has until September 2007 to find money to eliminate freight trains off the 900 South railroad line. Will this goal be accomplished?

I believe it will. I can't say a whole lot more about that at this point.

The city will eventually have a master plan for the northwest quadrant. What is your vision for those 19,000 acres, or should there be more focus on developing existing parts of the city first?

We need to work on zoning and master-planning so the development doesn't happen on an ad hoc basis. We need to be very careful to assure that this isn't just another sprawl development necessitating new infrastructure for which the residents of our city will have to pay.

While that master planning process takes place, we also should be focusing on good sustainable development utilizing the infrastructure that's currently in place.

In some respects, by definition, it's sprawl. But if it can be done without the destruction of valuable open spaces, without creating automobile dependence, without the further degradation of our air quality and according to smart-growth principles, it could be a very good thing for the future for this entire region.