Ted Wilson

Former SLC mayor, Ted Wilson, has written his last column for the Deseret News. Apparently the tone of his co-columnist, LaVarr Webb, was too much for him as was a disclaimer his editors placed before his column last week. However, his explanation doesn’t wash.

As anyone experienced in politics you must have a thick skin (not always expecting a soft answer) and I don’t think Wilson really believes Mayor Rocky Anderson is above criticism, especially during campaigning. If he is truly “troubled by the Rush Limbaugh-like demeanor and shrill name-calling” that he claims Webb uses, I also find it extremely hard for him to identify with many if not most of the national Democrats that spout much worse rhetoric every day.

I had to comment on this because, I was honored to speak at a forum last year at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. Wilson was its director until earlier this year. To the Institute’s credit, they invited me as a token conservative and they were cordial to me and even invited me to lunch. But I was surprised at the conspiracy theories and hatred that were openly expressed by some of the professors and grad students from the Institute. Mr. Wilson did not seem to have a problem with the “tone” there. Of course, that was a college campus so I suppose that is to be expected.

Even more, two weeks ago Mr. Wilson defended Mayor Anderson’s comment’s that seemed to suggest that the Church was too involved in local politics (even if it was just trying to defend its property interests) with nary a word of criticism of Anderson’s obvious and cheap ploy to galvanize the anti-LDS vote. That column had no disclaimer that Wilson has been an Anderson campaign consultant and has done advertisements on the mayor’s behalf. Last week’s did, and while Wilson’s columns have basically been get-out-the-vote spots for Anderson, he complains that his partner has no disclaimer for his anti-Anderson bias. That bias should have been apparent from Webb’s columns, and as he had no conflict of interest or official affiliation with Anderson’s opponent what was the big deal?

Perhaps Ted Wilson just wanted to stop writing the column but he doesn’t have to blame others for his decision to stop.

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