Dayton herself toppled an incumbent. She joined Sandstrom, who was re-elected, Knecht and Richards in a bloc attempting to revitalize Provo's central neighborhoods. The foursome, frequently joined by Warner and Johnson in 6-1 votes, has directed millions of dollars of federal grants to purchasing old homes, renovating them and selling them at a loss to buyers who promise to live in them rather than rent them out.

But Turley is critical of the program, saying losses add up to $1 million a year. Warner and Johnson want to reconsider the program and even Dayton voted against spending the money on a home at a recent meeting.

But the owner of that home complained later to Dayton that Turley had called her and, without identifying himself as a council member, tried to talk her out of selling to the city. The owner wrote a letter critical of Turley, and Dayton read it aloud, to the chagrin of some on the council, in a meeting.

That set the stage for the arguments over the personnel decision.

Mayor Lewis Billings said the divisiveness reduces the council's effectiveness.

"Unfortunately, there are many extreme voices right now," he said. "Extreme voices are generally not able to facilitate good process.

"It's all right to be passionate and have strong feelings one way or another, but when you can't find middle ground, you're not effective," he said. "I don't like what I see on the council right now."

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E-mail: twalch@desnews.com