Herriman mayor/city manager retiring

HERRIMAN — After serving at the helm of Herriman city for more than a decade, Lynn Crane will retire at the end of the year.

The 71-year-old who filled a dual role — as mayor and city manager — has decided to step down from the latter position because Josh Mills was elected as Herriman's new mayor with 53 percent of the vote in November.

"I felt like that would be a little awkward for him and a little awkward for me," Crane said. "I don't want to be in the way."

His resignation will officially be announced at Herriman's first City Council meeting of the new year on Jan. 7.

"It's a little disappointing in a way, but … it's not an entirely unwelcome change," Crane said. "I have been involved for a very long time, and it will give me some time to do things that are left undone in life."

Crane, who was instrumental in the city's incorporation in 1999, was paid an additional $96,000 yearly salary as the city manager on top of his $24,000 mayor stipend.

Mills has said he plans to separate those duties.

Crane has offered his consulting services to the city on an on-call basis. Terms of payment and hours will be decided by the City Council.

He's particularly interested in helping the city with economic development, added Nicole Martin, Herriman's public information officer.

With the Mountain View Corridor on the horizon, a town center and new residential development, Herriman is "in a great place for economic development," Martin said. "We're going to start seeing a pick-up in rooftops again."

Crane, a lifelong Herriman resident, has seen the municipality grow from a small town of 800 to today's city of 22,000.

"It's been a transition from a rural community to an urban community, with hopefully still a rural flavor to it," he said. "There's greater opportunity now than has been in the past."

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