House Speaker Greg Hughes and Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski took an apparent dispute over Operation Rio Grande to the radio airwaves on Tuesday.
Hughes told KSL’s Doug Wright he was ”frustrated” by Biskupski, and Biskupski called in to respond that she was ”aghast” at his comments.
Then Hughes, after Biskupski declined his request to share the line, replied that Biskupski had spread a “false narrative” to downtown homeless service providers and was “leveraging” the closure of Rio Grande St. to reduce the city’s share of a $67 million budget.
The public bickering comes a day after officials unveiled a two-year preliminary budget for the operation, which is meant to reduce rampant lawlessness near the 210 S. Rio Grande St. shelter.
Hughes said all sides are working “phenomenally well together” — except Salt Lake City, which he said is only being asked to pay $10 million toward the effort.
Hughes, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams have all called for the closure of Rio Grande St. between Catholic Community Services facilities and The Road Home shelter — after Salt Lake County made the same proposal this spring.
The closure would provide a “safe space” where services could be provided, they argue, and where those violating city ordinances against camping and loitering could be told to go, making the ordinances constitutionally defensible.
Hughes said Biskupski has been spreading a “false narrative” to service providers, which he called a ”subversive” act. He said Biskupski is ”discouraging them from coming together to create this safe space for fear of budget uncertainty, for fear of being required to provide enhanced services.”
Hughes said Biskupski is also “leveraging the closure of that area” to reduce the city’s portion of the overall budget. Without the city’s support, he said, “you will either have higher costs than the $67 million and a more intense law enforcement effort — which, frankly, I don‘t know that we can sustain or do or afford — or you’re going to see that open-air drug market return.”
“Both scenarios I can‘t live with,” he continued, “and that’s why I’m being bold enough to have this public conversation with you right now.”
Biskupski called in to respond, while the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Brian Besser — an adviser to Hughes during the effort — apparently tried to call in from a plane.
“You can leave me on the line, if you‘d like” Hughes said. “I‘d love to have that conversation publicly.” Wright later explained that he didn‘t want Biskupski to feel “blindsided” by such an arrangement.
“Do I think Operation Rio Grande is working? I absolutely do,” Biskupski said. “I think we have been on a very strategic path. I think that what‘s happening today is very unfortunate because nobody is saying no. We are trying to walk through processes.”
But Biskupski said the city’s legal team is working with the state to resolve the issue, and that a public process can unfold before a Sept. 20 special session of the Legislature, which has not been announced.
Gov. Gary Herbert’s deputy chief of staff over communications, Paul Edwards, said in a statement: “Should there be a need for a special session this fall, September 20, as Interim Day, would be a logical opportunity to do that. As of this moment, we do not have any specific legislative items to consider for a special session.”
Biskupski said the city was on a three-week timeline for its public process. “I‘m not sure what’s happening and why the speaker is so upset,” she said. “He was all of a sudden demanding that we close that street this week.”
Cox later called in to say that Biskupski has the authority to temporarily close Rio Grande Street “in the next hour” if she wants, and to say he shares Hughes’ frustration.
McAdams released a statement later Tuesday referring to a proposal he had made in June to explore closing Rio Grande St. and turn it into a courtyard area with services.
“I continue to support a temporary closure of Rio Grande Street to create a safe space to deliver services to people trying to get back on their feet,” he said. ”We stand ready to work with partners to ensure the space will have necessary services and better public safety.”
At the end of Biskupski’s call, Wright said he’d had “repeated offers” from Hughes to join the conversation, but Biskupski said she had to attend a jail-bed meeting at the Capitol, and that Hughes was free to find her there.
Hughes called back and said that if Biskupski was “indicating to you and the public that she’s supportive of closing that area, that’s news to me.”
Hughes was expected to attend Tuesday’s Salt Lake City Council work session, in mid-afternoon. The Salt Lake Tribune will update this story when more information becomes available.
Said Hughes: “I‘ll go anywhere, and I’ll talk to anyone about this issue.”