Pubdate: Sat, 26 Nov 2005 Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT) Copyright: 2005 The Salt Lake Tribune Contact: http://www.sltrib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/383 Author: Paul Rolly ANDERSON REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL AT HOME, RECOGNIZED ABROAD Two weeks ago I wrote about the challenges Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson faces in the last half of his second term due mostly to his passion for causes that often are controversial in Utah and his confrontational style that has earned him enemies on the City Council, in the Legislature, the surrounding counties and his own Democratic Party. The following Wednesday, Anderson was the guest host of Doug Wright's program on KSL Radio. Wright was in Washington, D.C., at the time discussing with Republican operatives the possibility of running against Congressman Jim Matheson next year. I listened to portions of Anderson's program in which he promoted his pet causes and laid out the case for each of his positions. That led to this column and this premise: Who else is standing up - in a loud enough way to force people to pay attention - for the issues of clean air, urban open space, equal opportunities in the workplace and for prevention of teenage deaths from drug overdoses by appealing to their drug-using friends? And if Anderson is leading the charge for those causes, not to mention being the most outspoken Utah leader against the war in Iraq, does that make him, by default, the voice for the values of the Democratic Party in Utah and the personification of its soul? Past and present Democratic officials have complained that Republicans relish identifying Anderson as the example of what Democrats are. More than one Democratic candidate has heard his or her critics tell voters: Do you want another Rocky Anderson? But what they may be missing and what is lost in the personality attack is the message. Anderson has argued tirelessly that increased auto emissions are causing illness and death and that juvenile asthma is reaching alarming rates. So he has launched a conversion program of the city's motor fleet to natural gas vehicles, which seriously reduces auto emission pollution. But the attention he has gotten has been for his statements about Davis County commuters adding to Salt Lake City's pollution. That makes Anderson "confrontational" and his principal message of protecting public health has been lost. The irony is that Anderson's passion for clean air seemed to offend more people than former Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman's fleet of county-owned SUVs fouling up the atmosphere. Anderson's attempts to stop North Salt Lake from allowing a residential development on a parcel of its land within Salt Lake City's borders is consistent with a Democratic Party principle of preserving pristine areas and maintaining open space within the urban environment. But the confrontation became the issue and the real issues got lost. Anderson's participation in a lawsuit that blocked the construction of the Legacy Parkway earned him the label of "terrorist" by some members of the Republican-dominated Legislature who seem hell-bent on punishing Salt Lake City, presumably because of their dislike for Anderson. But the lawsuit resulted in a settlement that protects the air quality and the open spaces of the west side of Salt Lake City. Again, the benefit of forcing a compromise that otherwise would have been lost is largely ignored and only the confrontation is emphasized. Anderson issued an executive order directing that unmarried domestic partners of city employees be given the same benefits that married partners receive. But the attention is the "gay-rights" aspect of that position and not the equal protection and economic equity issues it entails. Anderson has led a billboard campaign urging young people to call 911 or go to a hospital emergency room if they are with someone who has overdosed on drugs. His program on KSL featured the parents of several teens who died of drug overdoses because their friends panicked and abandoned them. It's a position everyone would likely agree with because it stresses the preservation of life. But in Utah's "just say no" and "abstinence only" environment, few have dared such a public appeal to drug users to look out for their friends while doing drugs. While Anderson, because of his passion and directness, is so controversial at home, he has been recognized abroad. The Human Rights Campaign has recognized Anderson as one of the top 10 "straight" advocates for the gay and lesbian community in the country; the Sierra Club has awarded him the distinguished service award; the Environmental Protection Agency made him one of just three recipients of the "climate protection award"; and Salt Lake City is one of just three cities being considered for the World Leadership Award at an environmental conference in London this December. If all that makes the mayor a pariah in local politics, the question is: Who else will take up the banner for those causes? - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman