Eagle Mountain hopefuls right back in controversy

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Two former city administrators whose most recent jobs ended in controversy are the finalists for a similar position in a city where controversy has taken up residence.

Brent Bluth, who until last month was Bluffdale's administrative services director, joined former Draper city manager John Hendrickson on Thursday night to publicly interview with the Eagle Mountain City Council for the northwest Utah County community's vacant city administrator position.

Bluth is looking to move on from a tumultuous end to his 3 1/2-year stay in Bluffdale, and Hendrickson is coming off an 11-month stint in Draper in which conflict with the City Council led to his resignation.

A decision on the position is expected to be made within the next week.

In the past five months, Bluth twice has been the target of firing attempts by Bluffdale Mayor Claudia Anderson, who has cited as grounds for termination ongoing rifts with the city administrator since she took office in January 2006.

Anderson quickly rescinded a September firing of Bluth at the urging of the Bluffdale City Council, only to issue him a letter of termination on Jan. 17 and give his job to former state Rep. Dave Hogue.

The firing of Bluth and appointment of Hogue took place without the consent of the Bluffdale City Council, which contends Anderson acted outside her authority by taking such unilateral action. The council this week reiterated its stance that it does not recognize Hogue as Bluffdale's administrative services director, even though he is functioning in that capacity at the request of the mayor.

When asked Thursday about his employment status in Bluffdale, Bluth said he has been on leave since having minor surgery in mid-January.

"Mayor Anderson has chosen to terminate me from the city of Bluffdale," he told the Eagle Mountain City Council. "The (Bluffdale) City Council has not ratified that, and as far as I know, they will not ratify that."

If hired by Eagle Mountain, Bluth said his first action would be to "sit down with the mayor and make sure we're on the same page."

Prior to his job in Bluffdale, Bluth served as assistant city manager and economic development director for Payson. He also served as a city councilman from 1995-99 in Elk Ridge, where he lives with his wife and four children.