This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Saturday's Herriman Days parade featured floats carrying royalty from neighboring cities, including Miss Bluffdale — a young African-American woman, whom the crowd warmly greeted.

So was Mia Love, the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, who was a few entries behind the Bluffdale float.

In between was the Utah Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who proudly marched along wearing Civil War-era Confederate uniforms and carrying muskets. Its website, which includes the Confederate flag logo, says the organization's mission is to carry on the legacy of Confederate soldiers who fought for "the preservation of liberty and freedom," calling their struggle the "second American Revolution."

Herriman resident Robert Kirby, my irreverent columnist colleague at The Salt Lake Tribune, was in the crowd and couldn't help himself, heckling the marchers and earning dirty looks along the way.

That's just Robert. But he had no idea if those muskets were loaded.

Republican wanting free stuff? • Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, was hosting his weekly Red Meat Radio program on 860 AM on Saturday when he touted a story in that morning's Tribune about allegations that indicted St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson funneled illegal campaign contributions to Sens. Mike Lee and Harry Reid and former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

Stephenson encouraged his listeners to read the story "online for free. Don't encourage [The Tribune] by buying a paper."

So this conservative, pro-capitalist head of the Utah Taxpayers Association is actually a Socialist?

Poll-driven ouster? • Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker said last week that anyone who believes he ousted Police Chief Chris Burbank because of politics doesn't know him very well.

But he seemed quite interested in the public's reaction to sexual-harassment allegations against a former deputy chief and in whom residents blamed for the way the accusations were handled.

For two or more days before Becker ordered Burbank to publicly read a letter prepared by the mayor's staff in which the chief would take the blame for the matter, Becker's polling company was in the field — and that issue played a prominent part in the survey.

Here is part of the polling questions from FM3 Research:

Respondents were asked whether they had a favorable or unfavorable view of the mayor's handling of the harassment allegations. They also were asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable view of Burbank.

The Becker camp received answers to those questions, then told Burbank to perform the mea culpa. He refused and resigned.

Everywhere a sign • I noted last week that employees at Salt Lake City's Glendale Golf Course were told by Becker's office to remove a banner promoting a rally to oppose the course's planned closure.

Mayoral spokesman Art Raymond said signs on public rights of way are illegal, covered by the same ordinance that bans campaign signs on public property.

So Salt Lake City resident Spencer Dean was surprised to see a Becker campaign sign on the public parking strip at Second Avenue and R Street. prolly@sltrib.com —