Ralph Becker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 34thMayor of Salt Lake City | |
| In office January 7, 2008 – January 4, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Rocky Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Jackie Biskupski |
| 89thPresident of the National League of Cities | |
| In office 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Coleman |
| Succeeded by | Melode Colbert-Kean |
| Member of theUtah House of Representatives from the 24th district | |
| In office 1996–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Frank R. Pignanelli |
| Succeeded by | Rebecca Chavez-Houck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-05-30)May 30, 1952 (age 73) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relations | Ralph Elihu Becker (father) |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania (BA) University of Utah (JD,MS) |
Ralph Elihu Becker Jr. (born May 30, 1952) is an Americanpolitician, planner, andattorney who served as theMinority Leader of theUtah State House of Representatives and the 34th mayor ofSalt Lake City,Utah.
Becker was born inWashington, D.C. toRalph Elihu Becker and Ann Watters Becker.[1][2] His father,Ralph Elihu Becker, wasUnited States Ambassador to Honduras from 1976 to 1977 during theFord administration.[1]
He graduated fromSt. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) and attendedLafayette College before he received hisB.A. from theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1973, hisJ.D. from theUniversity of Utah College of Law in 1977, and his M.S. in Geography/Planning from theUniversity of Utah in 1982.[2][3][4]
Becker is anattorney andplanner who co-founded Bear West in 1985, a planning, natural resourcesconsulting firm, selling the firm in 2007.[2][4] He also was anadjunct professor at the College of Architecture and Planning, University of Utah from 1978 to 2015.
Becker worked in theNational Park Service as agarbage man,firefighter, andranger (law enforcement andEMT), and Legislative Assistant (1971–76),[5] Utah State Planning Coordinator under GovernorScott Matheson (1981–1985),[2] and Salt Lake City Planning Commissioner (1988–1996).[6] He is a Fellow of theAmerican Institute of Certified Planners.[6]
During his tenure in theUtah State Legislature, Becker served as House Democratic Leader for four years. He also led the passage of the Quality Growth Act (1999) and supported funding for trails, open space, parks, transit, and Utah's first Energy Policy Act. Becker was also an advocate ofsocial justice issues.
In November 2006, Becker announced his candidacy for the 2007 race forSalt Lake City Mayor and won on November 6, 2007.
On January 7, 2008, Becker took the oath of office and began his four-year term as mayor. In 2011, Becker was reelected in a landslide, winning 75% of the vote.
In November 2009, Becker signed into law non-discrimination ordinances that forbid landlords and employers to deny housing or jobs due to sexual orientation or gender identity.[7]
In December 2013, Becker officiated over some of the first same-sex marriages performed in the state of Utah.[8]
In February 2014, Becker signed the Freedom to Marry Petition, a non-partisan declaration that "all people should be able to share in the love and commitment of marriage."[9][10]
Becker served as the 2014–2015 President of theNational League of Cities.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph Becker | 27,556 | 63.77 | |
| Republican | Dave Buhler | 15,524 | 35.93 | |
| Other | write-ins | 129 | 0.30 | |
| Total votes | 43,209 | 100 | ||
Top 2 candidates advance to General Election (Regardless of Party Affiliation)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph Becker | 10,486 | 38.50 | |
| Republican | Dave Buhler | 7,570 | 27.79 | |
| Democratic | Jenny Wilson | 6,364 | 23.36 | |
| Independent | Keith Christensen | 2,295 | 8.43 | |
| (unknown) | J.P. Hughes | 378 | 1.39 | |
| (unknown) | John M. Renteria | 53 | 0.19 | |
| (unknown) | Quinn Cady McDonough | 42 | 0.15 | |
| (unknown) | Rainer Huck | 37 | 0.14 | |
| (unknown) | Robert 'Lot' Muscheck | 14 | 0.05 | |
| Total votes | 27,239 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph Becker | 12,916 | 74.91 | |
| Republican | J. Allen Kimball | 4,150 | 24.02 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 2,121 | 1.24 | |
| Total votes | 19,187 | 100 | ||
Becker served as the first Executive Director of the Central Wasatch Commission from 2018 to 2022. The Central Wasatch Commission was the outgrowth of Mountain Accord, a consensus-based agreement to better protect the Central Wasatch Mountains and solve issues like mountain transportation.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Salt Lake City 2008–2016 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
