Becker is an attorney and planner who co-founded Bear West in 1985, a planning, natural resources consulting firm, selling the firm in 2007.[2][4] He also was an adjunct professor at the College of Architecture and Planning, University of Utah from 1978 to 2015.
During his tenure in the Utah 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 of social justice issues.
Mayor of Salt Lake City
In November 2006, Becker announced his candidacy for the 2007 race for Salt 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 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.