Manager surprises Goshen by resigning

OREM — Goshen mayor-elect Dorothy Sprague and four new members of the Town Council aren't even in office yet, and already they are staring at a big issue dividing their small south Utah County community.

Town manager Bruce Sutton resigned earlier this week, just eight months after becoming Goshen's first town manager. Some residents don't want a town manager at all, and some have speculated that was one reason four of the five council positions turned over in the November election.

Sprague learned of the resignation from outgoing Mayor Marvin Jacobson. She hardly knew Sutton and didn't know why he left.

"Basically, I didn't know too much about him," Sprague said. "I had met him. He was very knowledgeable. He could have helped us."

Sutton could not be reached for comment.

"We weren't going to ask for him to resign," Sprague said. "It was a surprise, but we'll live with it."

Sprague and the four new Town Council members are scheduled to undergo training today, then be sworn in on Tuesday.

That night, they'll have their first council meeting.

Sprague said the council will discuss the opening and the position during the meeting.

"It'll probably take a little while to make a decision," she said.

Sprague has lived in Goshen for 34 years and decided to run to root out "bad feelings" she said have cropped up in town.

"I wanted a closer-knit community," she said. "I don't know what was causing the bad feelings. We're going to listen to what the community has to say. Since we are representatives of the citizens, we need to listen more to what they want."

Sutton's resignation gives her and the council a chance to do that during the public hearing portion of their first meeting on their first day in office.