Mayor Becker Persuaded by My Plea

I’m glad I pull some weight in this town. Mayor Becker has reconsidered his support for SB 260, citing erudite and compelling letters from certain members of the Salt Lake City blogging community.

Okay, he may not have exactly said that nor attributed his change of heart to me. But you can read it in between the lines if you look carefully enough, can’t you?

In any case, I’m glad he came to his senses. Now I can only hope that those politicians who can actually vote on the bill take a similar view.

Becker Stands with Burbank and Buttars

Yesterday, Ralph Becker came out in favor of Senator Buttars’ SB 260, which would ensure that disciplinary charges against police throughout the state are kept private, as noted by Jeremy and later by one of my commentors.

Well, now that Ralph supports the Bill, I’m okay with it.

Please.

My stands are about principle, not partisanship. It makes no difference who supports the bill. I believe that those who have such great responsibility and great power as do our law enforcement officers must be held accountable. A lack of accountability and transparency heightens the temptation to abuse that power. Based on what I’ve seen, I’m reasonably confident that Chief Burbank is an honorable person. But he is wrong to support this bill, and risks tainting the honor of the profession which he is trying to protect. The best way to maintain that honor of isn’t to stifle awareness of abuse, but to open the windows and make sure abuse isn’t possible without public awareness.

I’m very disappointed in Ralph for supporting this bill. He is taking the wrong side of this issue, which I’ve let him know in an e-mail to his office.

Given this is his first offense, I’m not yet about to tar him with the same brush as I’ve done the Utah Republican Party. But rest assured, if he were to consistently oppose government/public servant accountability and expand his personal power base, I’ll call him a spade as well.

SLC Mayor Becker Supports the Troops on Valentine’s Day

Mayor Becker continues to prove to be a person of conviction and compassion.

On Valentine’s Day, Mayor Ralph Becker will host a special breakfast with the wives of Utah’s 116th National Guard unit. The women’s husbands have been serving in Iraq since May and are expected be gone for at least 12 months.

To thank them for their sacrifices and help make Valentine’s Day a little better, Mayor Ralph Becker, in cooperation with Bambara restaurant and Hotel Monaco, will host the wives for a heartfelt thank-you breakfast.

Courtesy of The Utah Amicus. See that blog for more details.

Many prominent Utah politicians have used the rhetoric of supporting the troops as a bait and switch to support U.S. adventurism. Becker has found way to add more meaning to that phrase. What better way to do so than to provide support and comfort to the families from which the Bush administration has separated them?

Kudos to my Mayor!