Mayors to lose power?

The mayor of Salt Lake City — and other mayors in Provo, Ogden, Murray and elsewhere — could see much of their power stripped this legislative session.

A state lawmaker is seeking to rein in the duties of "strong mayors" throughout Utah, making them operate — to use a corporate analogy — more like a chairman of the board rather than a CEO.

Under a bill that Rep. Peggy Wallace, R-West Jordan, plans to run next year, cities of the first and second class that maintain a mayor-council form of government would have to hire a city manager to take over many of the mayor's duties.

Jobs like the hiring and firing of appointed workers, negotiating with unions and arranging the sale and use of real property would all be stripped from the mayor and handed over to the city manager.

It would be the city manager, then, that would function as the city's new CEO.

"With a good city manager there's going to be a lot more oversight on a day-to-day business," Wallace said.

The mayor, however, wouldn't lose all power.

He or she could still work with the City Council to set policy for the city, develop new programs and concentrate on economic development.

Wallace said the specific duties assigned to the city manager as opposed to those that would fall to the mayor will be spelled out specifically in the bill so there is no confusion.

Salt Lake City Councilman Dave Buhler has several questions about the plan, including the concern that it would strip the ability of cities to choose a form of government for themselves.

"I'm all for competent public managers, but I don't know that it should be mandated by the Legislature," Buhler said, pointing out such a change eliminates much of a mayor's accountability and puts power with an appointed bureaucrat.

"The people should be able to decide their form of government," echoes Councilwoman Jill Remington Love. Salt Lake City and other municipalities are full of competent professionals that serve beneath full-time mayors giving much advice and input, she said.

Wallace says the reasoning behind the bill is to ensure beyond doubt that, as Utah cities grow to unprecedented levels, they have professional municipal managers who know what they are doing. Wallace also wants to take politics out of the day-to-day operations of the city as much as possible and give continuity to city management.