The controversies that have rocked Salt Lake County government the past several months were nurtured by a general environment of secrecy, some county staff and administrators believe.

"If I were in a position closer to the person in charge — the mayor — this wouldn't have happened," outgoing Salt Lake Valley Health Department Director Patti Pavey said of the hiring issue that has landed Mayor Nancy Workman in court. "The communication channels that have been put in place in the county have engendered a 'don't ask, don't tell' environment."

At the beginning of her administration, Workman instituted a strict hierarchical structure in county government, prohibiting even high-ranking officials within the administration from attending County Council meetings — or even talking to council members — without permission. Communication was restricted solely within the chain of command.

All of that, Pavey says, fostered an "us vs. them" atmosphere that squelched open communication.

"We need to create a culture where people aren't afraid to challenge those in authority," she said. "You have to create the opportunities for individuals to convey their message. . . . I've had two 15-minute conversations with the mayor in three years."

Pavey complained numerous times to her supervisor, human services director Kerry Steadman, about a "ghost employee" in the health department who turned out to be an accountant in the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Valley. Had she been able to talk to Workman herself about it, she says, the mess that has engulfed county government would have been nipped in the bud.

Ironically, in Workman's preliminary hearing Monday, Workman attorney Jack Morgan questioned Pavey, in a critical way, for not doing that very thing, repeatedly emphasizing the fact that Pavey never talked to Workman herself.

The scandal has others advocating change in the basic culture of county government. County Councilman David Wilde, for one, is advocating more open communication both within the administration and between the administration and the council.

"The mayor has sort of created an environment of secrecy, and I agree with Patti that that environment is a big reason the county is where it's at now," he said.

Wilde told of a time he called Clark Planetarium director Seth Jarvis to get some information. "It was very clear from some of the things he said that 'I shouldn't be talking to you.' "

In that and other cases, "it just felt like we weren't getting the information we needed."

While conceding that Workman "may have been a little extreme" in her insistence on protocol, chief administrative officer David Marshall nevertheless defended the need for organizational structure.