Ralph Becker — Life: A career in politics was unexpected
He just didn't expect ever to take that hike.
Growing up in Washington, D.C, and being raised by politically active parents, Becker was introduced at a young age to government workings and took an interest in political matters.
But running for office "was never a consideration," he told the Deseret Morning News.
Well, almost never.
On Jan. 7, Becker will be sworn in as mayor of Salt Lake City, extending by at least four years a political career that has included an 11-year stay in the Utah House of Representatives.
Until about 12 years ago, "mayor" and "representative" were not titles Becker ever envisioned being associated with his name. He already had several labels he was content with — lawyer, professional planner, consultant, business owner, environmentalist, outdoorsman, father and even grandfather.
Becker was happy to follow in the footsteps of his politically famous father, Ralph E. Becker Sr., with the exception of party affiliation.
"He was a Republican, actually," Becker, a Democrat, said of his father, who died in 1994 at age 87.
The younger Becker moved to Salt Lake City in 1974 to attend law school at the University of Utah. He became familiar with Utah and the West a few years earlier working summers as a seasonal employee at Grand Canyon National Park.
"After my first summer, when I went back to school (at the University of Pennsylvania) I realized that my desired geography was here in the West and in this region," he said.
Becker got involved in Utah government in 1981, when he was hired by then-Gov. Scott M. Matheson to spearhead Project BOLD, a major land-exchange proposal between Utah and the federal government to consolidate state holdings scattered within federal lands, such as vast tracts administered by the Bureau of Land Management and even national parks.
After Matheson left office in 1985 Becker started his own business, the environmental planning and policy development firm Bear West. And though he stayed involved in politics over the next decade, running for elected office wasn't part of his career plans.
That changed when former Utah House Democratic leader Frank Pignanelli decided to retire from the state Legislature in 1996.
"It was discussions with Frank that led me to run for the seat I was elected to in the House," he said.
Now, less than a month away from taking office as Salt Lake City's 34th mayor, Becker sees his career path in politics in a new light.
All of his past experiences, he says, have prepared him for his next adventure.
"This really is the perfect job for me," he said.
E-mail: jpage@desnews.com
Recent comments
Wishing our new mayor the very best! Things can only get better (...
Lynette | Dec. 11, 2007 at 11:37 p.m.
