Political ruin familiar sight

"The only reason these issues are at play is because of the council form of government," Harmsen said.

As early as 1976, there were reported breaks in the system.

Salt Lake County Commissioner William L. Hutchinson was involved in behavior called "improper for an official" when he failed to fully report campaign contributions and reportedly exhibited conflicts of interest. He also took flak and faced charges for allegedly harboring a runaway juvenile, which were later dismissed. On top of that, in 1978 Hutchinson endured charges of homosexual activity with a minor, a trial that ended in a hung jury. He ran for re-election but lost and reportedly left office with ambivalence.

In 1986, secretaries Debra Sauers and Shauna Clark accused Salt Lake County Attorney Ted L. Cannon of forcible sexual abuse. According to Clark, Cannon physically touched her in an unwanted, sexual manner, and made lewd comments and gestures toward her. Cannon entered a no-contest plea to assault and spent 25 days in jail, and Clark ended up with a $68,000 settlement from the county.

In 1988, Salt Lake County Commissioner Dave Watson was arrested for drunken driving, a charge to which he pleaded guilty. He was forced to resign from office. He was slapped with a $1,000 fine, a 60-day suspended jail sentence and two days of community service, which he spent washing county vehicles.

But rarely has trouble matched the concentrated form it has had in recent months.

The gas card and vehicle use scandal that began in May took down the county's former chief financial officer Randy Allen, auditor Craig Sorensen and the mayor's general counsel Greg Curtis.

"Somehow people got the idea down there that they could get away with things that begin very minor, yet they become major with time," Wilson said. He said the mayor-council form of government has already lost trust on the street.