PROVO — King George is back, but now what he wants is to be one of Provo's seven dukes and duchesses.

George Stewart, whose genealogy traces back to Charlemagne and English kings, will run this fall for City Council.

Stewart reigned as the mayor of Provo for just one term during the 1990s, but he became a household name in Utah when he decided to close the city's pool on Sundays.

Despite the controversy he courted, the frank and aggressive Stewart remained affable, to the delight of talk show hosts like Tom Barberi, who stuck Stewart with the King George label.

Stewart, 65, plans to run for a council seat that will be vacant because of a surprise decision by Councilman Dave Knecht not to run for a second term. Stewart said his goal is to quell infighting on the council that began with the last election 18 months ago.

"People have approached me because they saw a need there because of the contention," Stewart said. "It causes dysfunctionality. I think I can bridge that gap because I know people on both sides. I think I can be of some assistance."

The fall election season in Provo promises to be interesting for other reasons. Two-term Mayor Lewis Billings, who served as Stewart's chief administrative officer and then replaced his boss when Stewart decided not to run again, is up for re-election.

Billings has not officially announced whether he'll run again. A message seeking comment left for him Wednesday while he was traveling in Washington, D.C., was not immediately returned.

Dave Bailey, who narrowly lost to Billings four years ago, has already announced his intention to square off with the mayor again.

Two other council seats will also be contested. Paul Warner, who represents the northeast district of the city, said he hasn't decided to seek a third term. Councilwoman Cindy Richards announced she would run to retain her central city seat and welcomed Stewart's candidacy for Knecht's seat.

"You can really work with a man like him," she said of Stewart. "He has zero tolerance for contention and deceit. He is sweet and warm and honest. The nice thing about him is he doesn't think like a politician. He's not politically motivated."

But Stewart's mayoral term was controversial. Media outlets portrayed Stewart as a religious zealot for closing on Sundays the city's Veterans Swimming Pool and the Eldred Center for senior citizens. He did so because he said the community considered Sunday a day of rest. The majority of Provoans are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Stewart wanted to close the city's East Bay Golf Course on Sundays, too, but instead turned it over to a private management company. He also pushed for bans on alcohol and tobacco sales through convenience store drive-up windows.