Mayoral Hopefuls Look To Repair Legislative Relationship

None by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) The strained relationship between government officials in Utah's capital city and lawmakers on Capital Hill in recent years has voters asking the candidates for Salt Lake City Mayor how they plan to mend those fences. Technically the race for Salt Lake City is a non-partisan one. Republican Dave Buhler says having a mayor that relates to the majority of lawmakers wouldn't hurt.

"I have good respect on both sides of the aisle, but I just know how to get things done," adds Buhler. "Having been a Senator, having been on the city council for the last eight years, I'm a very practical person. That's why I'm the doer in this race, I'm someone who gets things done."

Buhler's opponent, Democratic lawmaker Ralph Becker, says his role as the minority leader on the hill demonstrates the respect his colleagues have for him. He says getting things done doesn't always mean taking credit for the accomplishment. Becker used his relinquishing of sponsorship of a bill to move the beginning of the legislative session from Martin Luther King Day to a Republican counterpart as an example.

"Part of the success has been me not taking the formal lead of having my name as the sponsor of a bill. My goal is to get things done, not to take credit for it," says Becker. "We got the Martin Luther King Day bill passed. It will be on the ballot next year for a change in the start of the session. Certainly the people involved recognized it. I received the Civil Rights Worker of the Year award from the NAACP a week ago."

To listen to longer conversations with both candidates for Salt Lake City Mayor, visit the Midday Metro page.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom, Election Coverage, and Election 2007. Copyright 2008 KCPW