After a three-month search, Draper has found a city manager to replace the former one, who left in 2006 amid controversy.

Layne Long, a former Springville city manager, will start in his new post on April 2. He was selected out of about 10 local and regional candidates.

Draper has a full-time manager and a part-time mayor in a council/manager form of government, where the manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the city.

Draper Mayor Darrell Smith said Long was "a very good fit" for Draper. "I'm very excited, actually," Smith said. "It's a new day in Draper for the management of the community."

Last December, former city manager John Hendrickson resigned after less than a year on the job. Smith said it was a "mutual agreement" that Hendrickson was not the right fit.

Hendrickson was hired as Eagle Mountain's city administrator earlier this month and told the Deseret Morning News he agreed to step down from the Draper post amid conflict and a split vote by the City Council on his job status.

Long was Springville's city manager for five years and an assistant city manager for Los Altos, Calif., for 12 years before that. Smith said Long has the skills and expertise that Draper was looking for.

"We've got a lot of growth issues we're dealing with in the community, particularly with economic development," Smith said. "We've got a fair amount of resident growth, too. He's got the right personality to be a problem-solver and team builder."

Draper's population has expanded from 25,000 to well over 35,000 since 2000. Swedish retailer IKEA is also opening its first Intermountain store in the city in May, a light-rail TRAX line is under way and a new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple is being constructed.

In a statement, Long said his goals for the city were to "build the best municipal work force possible, improve the quality of services to the city of Draper and make the organization of the city run as effectively and efficiently as possible."

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E-mail: astowell@desnews.com