Public works boss leaves Salt Lake post

Salt Lake County Public Works Director John Patterson is making his way back to Ogden only months after resigning as public services director in December.

Patterson is returning to Ogden as Mayor Matthew Godfrey's second in command, becoming the city's chief administrative officer. Patter- son worked in Ogden for two years before taking the Salt Lake County job.

Patterson was officially voted into the new position Tuesday by a 5-2 vote. At least one of the dissenting votes may have been due to controversy surrounding Patterson's resignation from his West Valley city manager post in 2002, he said.

His resignation came on the heels of controversy over his relationship with his former secretary.

But Patterson said he hopes that situation won't taint his political career and that he will be able to slide back into Ogden with little adjustment. Patterson noted that none of the questions by the Ogden City Council during Tuesday's closed session were about the controversy in West Valley.

"I'm going to focus on the five votes and be happy that I can come back to the city that I love," he said. "There's no other city manager position in this state that I'd rather take."

Patterson added that he would never have left Ogden for the Salt Lake County position if the chief administrator slot had been open when he left in December.

Patterson also said his relationship with Godfrey and Godfrey's brother, Jason, had nothing to do with his new post. Patterson hired Jason Godfrey as his assistant public works director at Salt Lake County earlier this year.

That choice was not linked to his selection for chief administrative officer, he said.

"I offered this position to someone else after Jason came on board. If it was my intent to bring Jason on in order to get the position in Ogden, I would have offered the position to him right away," he said.

Patterson will be returning to Ogden after running the county's Public Work's Department under Mayor Peter Corroon. The department has been inundated with problems inherited from former Mayor Nancy Workman's administration including corruption and fiscal irregularities.

But Patterson said his stint at the county has given him new insights that he will now carry back to Ogden.

"I've gained a great appreciation for county government," he said. "I've learned a lot about the specific areas that I have managed. I have learned more about fleet and landfill than I would ever care to know."

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com