My wife and I live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Salt Lake City. We drive past the Capitol every day; sometimes we attend a rally there or just go for a stroll on the grounds.
About five weeks ago, we heard about a proposal to erect an enormous sculpture, a “Grand Liberty Arch,” on its northwest corner. We went to a local community meeting to find out more. The sculptor was there, with his wife. He gave a brief presentation and then opened the floor to questions.
The response was so negative that he quickly became rattled — to such an extent that his wife had to take over.
The room seemed divided into two groups: 1) those who knew nothing about the project, and (2) those who were strongly against it. No one appeared to support it.
It turns out that the project had already been approved by leaders in the Legislature — without any input from the public, indeed without the public even knowing about it!
Everyone in our part of the city has some sort of stake in what happens on the Capitol grounds. We appreciate the green space, we walk our dogs, we take patriotic pride in the beauty of the buildings and surrounding grounds. And yet we were all kept in the dark on a massive project that will destroy much of that green space and increase traffic congestion and noise.
And every taxpayer in Utah will be forced to pay for it!
What kind of “democracy” is that?
Tom Huckin, Salt Lake City