Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
John Daley ReportingAnother bitter political battle is brewing in Salt Lake. This time Republicans demand a criminal investigation into an Olympic-related trip to Europe that Mayor Rocky Anderson took last summer.
As part of an Olympic tradition, a host city delivers a message of peace, youth and the environment to the next host city using environmentally friendly transportation. Last summer a group, including the Mayor, joined part of that tour on its way to Torino, Italy the next host of the Winter Olympics Games.
Today Salt Lake County Republican Chair James Evans delivered a letter to the District Attorney David Yocom. The trip cost an initial allocation of $35,000 in taxpayer funds, with an additional $136,000 raised through private contributions.
Today Evans and other republicans were raising red flags about the trip, specifically about how the private donations were solicited, whether it violates a city gift ban, and about the nature of money used to cover the expenses of Anderson's girlfriend, the Deputy Mayor's wife, and other non-city employees.
Evans says Yocom, a Democrat, investigated former GOP Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman and should do the same now.
James Evans, Salt Lake Co. Republican Party Chair: "I've always stated that I thought District Attorney Yocom was inappropriate. He says he's not. So if he believes in his actions, he's obligated to follow his actions with respect to Mayor Anderson."
Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake City Mayor: "The fact is that not one cent of taxpayer money was used for any of those who were on the bicycle team who were on the Europe leg of this trip. And no taxpayer money in the end will be used for any of this project."
Anderson calls the entire affair a "vicious, partisan" attack with roots in a series of stories first reported in the Deseret Morning News, which he says distorted what happened. The Mayor insists no taxpayer money ended up being used for the trip.
