Years from now, historians will be kept busy studying the administration of Salt Lake Mayor Deedee Corradini.
Wracked by scandal almost from the start to the end of her two terms in office, Corradini, who announced Monday she won't run again, nonetheless has had a number of stunning successes that will shape the city's future for decades to come. Foremost among these is the city's western gateway project.Through dogged determination and relentless bargaining she persuaded Union Pacific to move its railroad tracks out of the west side of downtown, got state officials to change the configuration of the freeway and talked the Council into building a transit hub near 700 West and 600 South. In years to come, everyone will begin to understand the eloquence of all this. Downtown's west end -- now no more than a collection of warehouses and vacant lots -- will blossom. As a result, old east-west differences will be softened as the city takes on a seamless look unbroken by rail yards.
Corradini also was instrumental in making light rail a reality, and she almost single-handedly built Franklin Covey Field. Those are her most visible achievements.
Still, she also will be remembered for questionable decisions. First came the Bonneville Pacific scandal, involving allegations about her prior business dealings. She ended up settling those problems for $800,000, but that led her right into the so-called "giftgate" scandal. Corradini had paid those bills in part by soliciting money from prominent and wealthy Utahns, a decision that was undeniably inappropriate for someone who then had to deal with many of these same people in an official capacity.
The Corradini years have been anything but smooth, but they have been memorable. In many ways, the city is more robust today than it has been in decades, and its population is growing for the first time in nearly half a century.
It remains to be seen how history will judge her. But it may be reasonably said that history won't forget her.