At the last minute, my endorsement for SLC Mayor
The primary elections are practically upon us, so this seems like a last minute endorsement, but I did want to take some time to be sure that I was endorsing the best possible candidate.
The last two mayoral elections I felt quite confident that was voting for the right person. Although I've been aggravated by Rocky on a few occasions (most recently on his suggestion to Jenny Wilson that a mom with young kids shouldn't be running for mayor) I've never wished that I had voted for the "other guy". I haven't always agreed with Rocky, but I really connect with his passion and I know that his heart (and more importantly) his head are in the right place most of the time.
This year isn't so simple. I wish I'd had more time this summer to dig deeper into the race and the issues. I was fortunate to be invited to a blogger's open house for the Becker campaign this past March where I got to talk and learn a bit about the issues. I also had a great opportunity to meet one on one with Keith Christensen, who gave me an hour and a half of his time and listened to my ideas and well as giving me his. Keith has a fantastic plan for public transportation, and for working with other mayors along the Wasatch Front on issues that affect all of us.
I would probably be happy if either Jenny Wilson or Keith Christensen won the job, but I will be endorsing and voting for Ralph Becker for mayor of Salt Lake City. He won me over with his "green" credentials, experience in urban planning, and support for many of the things that I think are important.
I'd love to see Salt Lake City become a vibrant and walkable city, with an active downtown. Becker's long been critical of sprawl malls and billboards and I believe understands what it would take to make SLC a place that people want to live and participate in all aspects of city life.
I was Ralph's constituent a few years back and I was impressed with his willingness to listen to those in his district, as well as his work hard on issue of ethics and gifts in the Utah legislature. In person, I found him to be very genuine and a good listener. I also believe that his 11 years in the Utah legislature, as well as his business experience with urban planning give him the kind of qualities that I believe a mayor would need to help nurture and evolve the Salt Lake City I want to live in.
For those who are still undecided, this week's City Weekly is covering, quite comprehensively, the major candidates for SLC Mayor: The Mayor Bunch. There's even a bit on the less-known candidates in this week's issue.
The last two mayoral elections I felt quite confident that was voting for the right person. Although I've been aggravated by Rocky on a few occasions (most recently on his suggestion to Jenny Wilson that a mom with young kids shouldn't be running for mayor) I've never wished that I had voted for the "other guy". I haven't always agreed with Rocky, but I really connect with his passion and I know that his heart (and more importantly) his head are in the right place most of the time.
This year isn't so simple. I wish I'd had more time this summer to dig deeper into the race and the issues. I was fortunate to be invited to a blogger's open house for the Becker campaign this past March where I got to talk and learn a bit about the issues. I also had a great opportunity to meet one on one with Keith Christensen, who gave me an hour and a half of his time and listened to my ideas and well as giving me his. Keith has a fantastic plan for public transportation, and for working with other mayors along the Wasatch Front on issues that affect all of us.
I would probably be happy if either Jenny Wilson or Keith Christensen won the job, but I will be endorsing and voting for Ralph Becker for mayor of Salt Lake City. He won me over with his "green" credentials, experience in urban planning, and support for many of the things that I think are important.
I'd love to see Salt Lake City become a vibrant and walkable city, with an active downtown. Becker's long been critical of sprawl malls and billboards and I believe understands what it would take to make SLC a place that people want to live and participate in all aspects of city life.
I was Ralph's constituent a few years back and I was impressed with his willingness to listen to those in his district, as well as his work hard on issue of ethics and gifts in the Utah legislature. In person, I found him to be very genuine and a good listener. I also believe that his 11 years in the Utah legislature, as well as his business experience with urban planning give him the kind of qualities that I believe a mayor would need to help nurture and evolve the Salt Lake City I want to live in.
For those who are still undecided, this week's City Weekly is covering, quite comprehensively, the major candidates for SLC Mayor: The Mayor Bunch. There's even a bit on the less-known candidates in this week's issue.