This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Merrill Cook is running for office again, this time seeking the Republican nomination for Salt Lake County mayor.
The former two-term congressman, who has lost nine elections in the past quarter century, plans to announce his candidacy Wednesday at a meeting of the "Catsup Crusaders," or Citizens Aligned to Secure Utah's Prosperity, a group fighting to stop the hiring of undocumented workers.
"My defeats are proof of my persistence, which is drastically needed at this time," said the 65-year-old Cook, who still owns a mining explosives business while working for causes such as Catsup.
In response to Catsup's lobbying, the Republican-majority Salt Lake County Council agreed last week, on a partisan 5-4 vote, to change its business license permit forms to contain a checkoff box that applicants would mark if they have used E-Verify to ensure their employees are in the United States legally. The ordinance contains no penalties for violators.
Cook said he appreciated the county's action as a "great first step." As mayor, he would strive to require all private employers in the county to use verification systems.
But Cook insisted he is not a single-issue candidate. Rather, he added, his experience in Congress (1997-2000) has prepared him to deal with financial problems that will confront Salt Lake County as federal funding diminishes for services such as law enforcement and health care.
"Someone who understands how Washington, D.C., works is needed to protect Salt Lake County taxpayers," he said, reaffirming his devotion to tax limitation and pledging to deal with funding cutbacks without raising residential and business property taxes.
Cook stands out from his GOP counterparts in opposing SkiLink, a proposal by Toronto-based Talisker Corp. to build a gondola to Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon from Canyons Resort, its ski area outside of Park City.
Republicans in Utah's Congressional delegation are sponsoring legislation to require the U.S. Forest Service to sell 30 acres in Big Cottonwood Canyon to Talisker to advance the project, which is opposed by environmentalists, backcountry skiers and watershed protection officials.
"When we rely on a Canadian private company to get laws passed in Congress, once you do that, you put the feds in charge of watershed protection," he said. "The people in Salt Lake County need to keep control of that."
Cook joins a Republican field that includes four other candidates: West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder, County Councilman Richard Snelgrove, County Recorder Gary Ott and former Councilman Mark Crockett.
Two Democrats, state Sens. Ross Romero and Ben McAdams, are vying for their party's nomination to succeed Mayor Peter Corroon, who is not seeking re-election.
Corroon defeated Republican Ellis Ivory and Cook, running unaffiliated, in the 2004 county mayor's race.
"The more the merrier," Corroon said Tuesday after learning of Cook's plan. "Merrill was a formidable opponent the first time around. He certainly will make the race interesting. He always does."
Cook said he believes delegates to mid-April's Salt Lake County Republican Convention will respond favorably to his conservative message, business acumen and political experience. The demands of the county mayor's job "play to my strengths," he said.
Twitter: @sltribmikeg —
Nicer yards
The County Council on Tuesday approved ordinance amendments governing off-street parking in residential areas, better defining "junk" and clarifying where vehicles, boats and RVs may be parked.
Community councils in Kearns and Magna requested the changes to strengthen efforts to beautify neighborhoods. Enforcement of the ordinance will begin in those two west-side areas, with the approach to be determined in future meetings between the community councils and the county planning staff.