Jackie Biskupski Discusses Salt Lake City's Economy, Becker's Record and Negative Television Advertising (Video)

Jackie Biskupski sat down with UtahPolicy.com Managing Editor Bryan Schott for a wide-ranging interview on many issues ahead of November's election.

On Mayor Ralph Becker's travel outside of Salt Lake City:

"If you look at the Mayor's travel schedule the first seven years he's been in office you find he was gone one year out of those first seven. Not just out of the office, but out of the state. That a very excessive travel schedule for someone who is running a city the size of ours. You're consistently leaving the responsibilities of your office to other people by being gone so much. He just wasn't in touch with what's happening in our city. This is one of the biggest political roles in the state of Utah. To be gone so much leaves to question why and how does that serve us?"

On her plans to keep Salt Lake City's economy performing at a high level:

"Right now we have the mayor talking about a moratorium on impact fees. Our impact fees are so out of alignment that we can go a whole year without collecting on that. How did that happen and how did we continue to let it go on? You create a difficult environment to compete, and that's why we have lost a lot of opportunities to lure IT companies here.

"Salt Lake City has not been partnering with GOED. When I found that out, I realized what was really missing. When you partner with the state, you have an opportunity to bring companies here, and you have better opportunities to draw down incentives from the state."

On how to deal with Salt Lake City's homeless problem:

"Our homeless population is bigger than we have ever planned for, and it is mixing groups of people who should not be housed together, like children and the dozens of pedophiles who are down there. We are breaking barrier laws that we should not be doing. We need to do better. We have to break the population up and create transitional housing, especially for these families and get them out of there."

On the TV ad featuring Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams questioning her ability:

"It was the first time it got personal. Up until then I've been critiquing Ralph's service as mayor, he's been critiquing me and my ideas. Up until that point, nobody had made a personal comment or judgment about someone's abilities. People in SLC do not want candidates to get personal and negative.

One thing I know about politics is you have to take the high road always. It serves the public better. I did not want people to get enraged and say things that they might regret later. Without a doubt, you get into politics knowing it can be brutal and there will always be people who like you and there will always be people who don't. What I know for sure is you always have to take the high ground and keep moving forward. In the end what matters is your ability to effect change."