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Richard Piatt reportingTonight could be decision-time on the Main Street Plaza issue.
Salt Lake's City council is expected to vote on Mayor Anderson's proposal to end divisiveness over access and free speech on the plaza.
At this point, it's still anybody's guess which way the vote will go. Three council members indicate they'll vote for the mayor's proposal. Three say they're undecided. And one says she'll vote 'no'.
. Four votes are needed one way or the other to pass or fail the proposal. What they're voting on is a deal to swap the Plaza easement for money, and land near the Sorensen center on 9th West.
The mayor says this deal will end a divisive atmosphere on the plaza. And the odds are good that city council members might agree with him. One of them is Councilman Dave Buhler.
Dave Buhler/Salt Lake City Council "I THINK THAT EVERY POSSIBLE LEGAL ATTACK HAS BEEN LOOKED AT AND RESEARCHED. AND I THINK, AGAIN, THAT WE WILL ACT IN A WAY THAT WE THINK IS DEFENSIBLE FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT, AND ALSO LEGALLY. "
Last week there was a two hour public hearing--a final chance for the public to officially vent about the issue.
It is also true that this decision won't end the plaza controversy.
The L-D-S Church is still waiting to see if the Supreme Court will hear it's appeal on the case. And, the A-C-L-U says it will sue again, if the city council does, in fact, approve the Mayor's proposal.
