Rocky Anderson seems to have a rocky road ahead of him, at least in terms of his relationship with the Utah Legislature.
On Thursday, the Republican leadership closed ranks with Rep. Jordan Tanner after the Provo Republican was criticized in a letter from the Salt Lake mayor. Anderson was unhappy with comments Tanner made to the Deseret News that suggested Salt Lake City should not get a greater share of state money earmarked for Olympic-related expenses.
In fact, GOP leaders were clearly irritated, calling Anderson's epistle a "demand letter." "The state is not going to give Salt Lake City a blank check. It's just not going to happen," said Speaker of the House Marty Stephens, R-Farr West.
Anderson had a different spin. "I don't know why anyone would characterize my letter to Rep. Tanner as anything other than an invitation to engage in good faith dialogue on this issue," he said. "I simply wanted the dialogue to take place within context of accurate history of the relationship between the state and Salt Lake City during the bid process and thereafter."
According to Stephens, he met with Anderson in the days following Anderson's election, and the issue of state indemnification of Olympic venue cities was discussed. Anderson was told to put together an itemized list of expenses the city believed the state should help cover.
Stephens said lawmakers are still waiting for that list, and they find it inappropriate that Anderson is now demanding payment for unspecified services. "We must engage in dialogue, not demand letters," Stephens said.
But Anderson told the Deseret News the letter was never intended to demand anything and that it was simply informational "to correct the misperception that somehow these are only the Salt Lake City games and that Salt Lake City is going to profit a great deal."
Anderson's letter to Tanner indicated the city projects a $13 million net deficit, based on projected revenues from the Games and the expected costs of providing Olympic-related services. A preliminary budget prepared by the city places the deficit closer to $9.4 million.
Anderson also said the city is still working on its itemized list of Olympic costs, as instructed by lawmakers. The mayor has also instructed his staff to pare back the numbers to a realistic level.
"This should no longer be a wish list, but should reflect only those services required by the Olympics," he said. "Salt Lake City in the past, and perhaps some of the other venues, presented more of a wish list rather than real numbers for required city services. We are doing everything we can to remedy the situation."
At the heart of the dispute is a comment Tanner made to the Deseret News that Salt Lake City "has no reason to believe it should deserve a greater share than it is already getting."
Anderson's letter pointed out that Salt Lake City deserves repayment of every dollar it spends related to the Olympics, because the state promised such repayment in three different signed agreements with Govs. Norm Bangerter and Mike Leavitt.
"Reason and fairness dictate that, as soon as possible, the Utah Legislature should provide mechanisms to assure Salt Lake City taxpayers they will not be left shouldering the burdens of Olympic-related expenses," he wrote. "This matter should be resolved, consistently with the numerous promises of state officials, without further delay."
Lawmakers say it will probably be next year before they address how to keep venue cities from running big Olympic-related deficits. Salt Lake City officials are arguing that the current formula that calls for non-venue cities and counties to receive 60 percent of Olympic profits is unfair to those cities that have taken on the risk and are investing in the Games.