Picture Perfect
It's no wonder that people—well, women—don't want to run for office. You can never be sure that someone won't find a repulsive picture of you and use it in a campaign ad for your opponent. These tactics must be targeting guys, because frankly, women don't tend to vote for a pretty face. But the issue arose in the Jenny Wilson-Micah Bruner and the Sophia DiCaro-Larry Wiley races. For his part, Bruner issued an immediate apology and even directed voters to Wilson's website. That was brave and gracious. "In my opinion, the photograph and content used to portray Ms. Wilson were entirely inappropriate. As a result, I have contacted my party's leadership to express my profound disapproval," he said. The problem is that the parties are the ones doing the dirt—not the candidates. At least theoretically. But voters, are you voting for good photos or sound platforms?
Building the Blues
There seems to be no end to the appetites of developers who gobble up neighborhoods like Pac-men and spit out "mixed-use" developments. Now they want the beloved Blue Plate Diner and its environs because they, hand-in-hand with planners fearing the coming population explosion, think everyone needs to live densely. Boyer Co. notes it has already developed more than 30 million square feet of mixed-use development spanning 40 acres in downtown Salt Lake City. Now Thomas Fox Properties wants 7,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space topped by 250 apartments. Not exactly quaint. But the proposal requires a zoning change, and that involves a lengthy process. Some, like Councilman Charlie Luke, think it might be worth it to get rid of a couple of "eyesores." But at what cost to the neighborhood?
Paper Trails
A funny thing happened after the release of a BYU poll that showed residents would prefer two daily papers to one. Despite that, 68 percent think The Salt Lake Tribune is "liberal," and 51 percent think the Deseret News should be the survivor in a one-paper scenario. Meanwhile, Trib editor Terry Orme focused on the Mormon issue—that only 45 percent of readers think the Trib treats Mormons fairly. But wait: Apparently, the poll showed that almost half the respondents don't read either paper—and still, they have an opinion. Fair or not, the Trib has been running a whole lot of Mormon news lately—from Kate Kelly to Joseph Smith. Maybe they should put something a little less churchy on the front page.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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