What's bugging us? Take a number

Webb: I'm bugged by some political insiders who don't think Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson can be defeated. I think they're wrong.

While the mayor's poll numbers aren't bad, a smart, well-managed, well-funded, highly-focused campaign by either Frank Pignanelli or Dave Spatafore can knock off the mayor.

While Spatafore is an articulate and attractive candidate, Pignanelli has some clear advantages in that he has previously won election as a state legislator in a chunk of the city and has significant business relationships through his lobbying activities. He will likely raise more money than Spatafore.

Sheer determination and hard work will make a huge difference in this race. To have a chance, a challenger will need to carefully target people who will actually get out and vote and then make repeated contacts with them. A big media campaign won't win this race. Getting into the neighborhoods and knocking on door after door will be required.

Anderson is a highly divisive mayor/candidate with a strong but relatively small, cadre of true believers. If Pignanelli or Spatafore can demonstrate some early momentum, particularly on the fund- raising front, and show the business community that the mayor is vulnerable, that this contest is winnable, I believe a groundswell of support will emerge for the challenger.

City residents and leaders are ready for a mayor who will focus on jobs and economic development, the nuts and bolts of running the city, with less attention to philosophical social justice and environmental causes.

It won't be easy. Anderson is a formidable campaigner and a hard worker. But he is clearly beatable.

I'm also bugged by people who are bugged by Utah's unique culture. There is too much elitism and snobbery in those who love to roll their eyes and intone, "Only in Utah!" when they see a big family, a pickup truck with a gun rack, or a demonstration of the religious devotion of a good portion of the state's residents.

Each state and city has its unique characteristics and I, for one, wouldn't want Utah to be anything but what it is. Sure, we can all make a better effort to get along and be respectful of each other. But those insecure folks who want Utah to be like some other place they see as more "sophisticated" can just go on wishing they were somewhere else.

We will have become truly sophisticated only when we are happy with what we are and don't particularly care what the critics say.

Wilson: When LaVarr suggested that we write a "what's bugging me" column, I immediately thought of going through security at the airport, students who are late to my class, drivers who do not use their turn signals, rap music and overpaid NBA players with attitudes.

But then LaVarr said maybe we ought to focus on "important" things that bug us, so here goes:

I am bugged by the prevailing attitude among many of our legislators that we should be able to carry a permitted gun anywhere, including our schools and our churches. That the Columbine murderers went to their bowling class before blowing away their high school mates and teachers should indicate how normal some crazies can appear in our midst. And with 9mm weapons?

I am bugged that we seem to have given up on finding Osama. Maybe my head is in the sand, but Saddam doesn't seem to me to be as big an immediate threat as the creep who viciously killed over 3,000 of my countrymen and now defies us with crude tape recordings and has us out buying rolls of duct tape and plastic to protect our children.

It really bugs me that so many of my fellow Mormons must vote Republican. It has become a cultural thing like what the ward members think you should do to be an active member. If it were political, Democrats would have a chance on issues like their ungrudging support of education, fighting to keep our air, water and land clean and undisturbed, and keeping our cities vital and alive.

It bugs me that so many of the visceral issues of our state have to come down to Mormons vs. Others. Fact is, there are thousands of thoughtful Mormons and Others who understand the other side and even occasionally endorse it. Can we get together? It's time we junked our petty differences.

Frankly, it bugs me that the Deseret News is constantly being accused of going soft on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On the rare occasion the paper does protect its ownership, it does so no more than any ownership protects its interests. All papers are privately owned, and they all have editorial preferences. By the way, folks, we have two great papers in Salt Lake City. The Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune are superb, and I can't wait to see both of them on my morning porch. (No, they didn't pay me for this advertisement!)

Bugged isn't the right word for what I feel when I still see so many innocent women and children ravaged by poverty and unattended to in our lovely Utah. I worked so hard against this terrible trend when I was mayor, and the problem continues to grow in spite of the efforts of so many good people.

Without wonderful human beings like Jack Gallivan, Pamela Atkinson, Utah Children, Utah Issues, Crossroads Urban Center, Utah Food Bank and many others it could become devastating. Idea: We each set aside a contribution and/or time volunteering or lobbying for these women and children during the next year.

Finally, in spite of what bugs me, I thank God I live in the best state in America. If you really want to know the truth, the guy who bugs me the most is me!

Democrat Ted Wilson, former Salt Lake mayor, directs the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. Wilson is a friend of and a private adviser to Mayor Rocky Anderson, and he has agreed to chair his election campaign in 2003 E-mail: tednews@hotmail.com. Republican LaVarr Webb was policy deputy to Gov. Mike Leavitt and Deseret News managing editor. He now is a political consultant and lobbyist. E-mail: lavarrwebb@msn.com

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