Ted Wilson notes that Rocky Anderson “accomplished a lot as Salt Lake City mayor,” has a “record of protecting civil rights,” and was a “key part of the team that welcomed the world” during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. (SL Tribune, August 11, 2022.)
But Wilson thinks Rocky should not run for mayor because “[o]ld solutions often crush new and exciting concepts” and because Mayor Erin Mendenhall “remains laser sharp on improving air quality and conserving water,” “supports equality and inclusion for all,” supports “women’s reproductive freedom,” and is “trying to change the face of homelessness.”
No one seemed “laser sharp” on water conservation during a recent downpour, when the sprinklers were on full blast at Mendenhall’s City Hall. Rocky—recognized as one of the greenest mayors in the nation and recipient of the national Defense of Civil Liberties Award—walks the walk when it comes to social and environmental justice.
For Mayor Mendenhall, “chang[ing] the face of homelessness” has been to run people off from where they are encamped, knowing they will camp somewhere else, then running them off from there, too. If that’s a “new and exciting concept,” I’m ok with it being “crushed.”
I worked with Rocky in his recent law practice. He was as energetic and hard-working as anyone I’ve known, and deeply motivated to help people experiencing homelessness. Not only does he have real policy solutions to end Mendenhall’s cruel “abatements,” he takes homelessness personally. Just ask all the homeless people for whom Rocky bought countless meals or invited into his home to shower and wash their clothes. When a man with severe mental illness seemed to fall through every crack in the system, Rocky worked relentlessly to find him permanent housing.
As a millennial, I’ll gladly take Rocky’s “old solution” of committed leadership and compassion.
Walter M. Mason, Salt Lake City
