Jason Groenewold, former director of HEAL Utah, wrote the following letter in support of Ralph:
Just wanted to make sure that you make it out to vote on Tuesday for
the mayoral primary. Since so few people come out to vote in a
primary, it’s a great way to leverage your vote and influence who may
be the next mayor.
If you haven’t decided on a candidate yet, I’ll share the reasons why
I’m voting for Ralph Becker and would encourage you to do the same.
He came across to me as the most authentic, sincere and thoughtful
candidate. I also felt he had the best understanding of the
relationship between the local, state and federal government. That
understanding is important because a mayor needs to know when they can
act unilaterally and when they have to work collaboratively with the
other levels of government.
I also believe Becker’s background in urban planning will be a real
asset, and he clearly has a passion for environmental protection. The
latter is especially important to me as we face very real local and
global environmental challenges.
Having worked with Ralph when he was in the legislature, I know that
he is accessible and easy to work with. He grasps complex issues, and
can also articulate and advocate for those issues.
I seriously considered Rocky’s endorsement of Keith Christensen, and
after speaking with Keith, I have no doubt that he would be a fine
administrator of the city. I also have a lot of respect for the
Wilson family, and I know that Jenny would advance many of the
policies that I am concerned about. I didn’t have much of a chance to
interact with Dave Buhler, but from the signs I’ve seen, people seem
to like him.
If you’ve already determined who you are going to vote for, then
please just remember to vote on Tuesday September 11th. I mostly
wanted to share my two cents with those who are still on the fence,
and to make sure we all embrace our roles in a democratic society.
Hope all is well,
Jason
September 10th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
This comment has little nothing to do with Jason’s endorsement, although that is great, but there has been some rather negative commentary on some blogs as well as newspaper web sites disparaging Ralph’s attendance record on committees in the Legislature. Basically they stem from some supposed Deseret News article (I don’t have the exact source) that claims that Ralph has a poor attendance on committee votes. I wonder if the campaign could openly address those negative comments?
September 10th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Although I am unable to vote in tomorrow’s primary, I would like to share a little-known fact about a man that I deeply admire and will always be grateful to, Ralph Becker.
Almost twenty years ago, a small, scruffy group of Moab river runners, scientists and environmentalists started a year-long effort to resist the placement of a commercial, hazardous waste incinerator not far from the shores of the Colorado River through Westwater Canyon. It was 1987 and at the time, Moab’s was a deeply depressed economy and this was a last-ditch effort to keep a year-round employment stream open locally.
Our group initially placed endless calls to leading environmental organizations who refused to support our efforts because such a thing had never been done before, and we were just too small to get involved with. But a chance call one day to the AOG put me in touch with a thirty-four year old SLC lawyer named Ralph Becker who immediately joined with us in taking on this seemingly impossible task.
For the full course of a year, Ralph supported our group with pro-bono generousity; guiding us to be wiser than we often wanted to be, skillfully directing our legal efforts, sharing his wisdom about zoning processes and elections, and working respectfully with our diverse community.
Ralph was a serendipitous gift, and a deciding factor in our ultimate success ~ quietly in the background, and never needing as much as a thank you. Ralph’s dedication to our cause and the river is a blessing that continues to touch our lives today, and we remain grateful to him.
Best wishes, Ralph in your continuing public service…and thanks to all that will be supporting Ralph Becker for mayor of Salt Lake City!
Regards,
Jayne Dillon
Castle Valley (Moab)
September 10th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Hi Clint - absolutely. Here is Ralph’s response to this question, in his own words:
Serving as the Democratic Leader in the Utah Legislature reflects the support of my Democratic colleagues, and it is a position that has different responsibilities from other members of my House Democratic Caucus. Rather than participate in daily committee meetings, my role as Democratic Leader requires me to meet with other legislative leaders, leaders from across the State (public and private), the media, statewide constituents, and establishing Democratic positions on education, appropriations, and other important State policy and budgeting. Those responsibilities take precedence over attending committee meetings and sometimes even floor time.
It is no coincidence that the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate share with me relatively low committee meeting participation. There are times legislative leaders schedule meetings that overlap with floor and committee time to handle other responsibilities of leadership.
After only two years in the Legislature, I was elected the Democratic Whip (#2 position) in the Utah House of Representatives. Two years later, I was elected Democratic Leader. After 11 years, I continue to serve as Democratic Leader. Serving in leadership has given me the opportunity to work more effectively for my constituents in seeking major policy accomplishments in areas like trails, energy, open space, historic preservation, etc., and appropriations for areas like local parks, museums, arts, transportation, trails, open space, and education.
September 10th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Thank you, David. I’m going to post this reply at the blog I saw it on. I’m just going to assume that is ok. I’ll link back to here, of course.