Provo mayor excited to start

PROVO — Provo's new mayor expects to get off to a running start when he takes the oath of office Jan. 5.

John R. Curtis took up residence in a temporary office at Provo City Hall shortly after he was elected in November. According to Curtis, it has been a heady two months.

"I am so excited," he said. "All around me I see great things happening."

Provo residents can expect to see things happening soon as well, Curtis said.

The mayor said his first official city act will be to issue a joint resolution with the Provo City Council during Tuesday's inauguration ceremonies.

Curtis is keeping quiet on the details, but he said he hopes it will be the first of several such resolutions, marking an era of cooperation between the city's executive and legislative branches.

"I anticipate a very strong relationship with the City Council," he said. "You will see several joint resolutions in which we are working together on things. It's our goal to reach a joint intent statement for the city."

Curtis faces some challenges, including anticipated changes in the council, which will gain three new, inexperienced council members Tuesday — Sterling Beck, Laura Cabanilla and Richard D. Healey. The council will elect a new chairman, who will replace the term-limited Cynthia Dayton.

"There still is some uncertainty about personalities in the council," Curtis said, referring to the anticipated leadership changes. "Still, the one thing I learned during the campaign is that there is far more that we agree on than we disagree on. That doesn't mean we won't disagree. It's how we disagree and work together to find the right answers that will be important."

Curtis also plans to soon release, in conjunction with the council, a list of what city leaders aim to accomplish in the first 100 days of 2010.

"A lot of groundwork has been laid so we can move forward with this," he said.

Among those items will be dealing with an expected shortfall in revenues for the city's 2009-10 fiscal year that could reach $3.5 million. Outgoing Mayor Lewis Billings left some recommendations for meeting the shortfall, but it will be up to Curtis to resolve the problem.

Curtis seeks to solve that problem by examining the city's budgeting process. He has assembled a financial advisory committee — which Curtis calls "an all-star team from the city" — to examine city finances and find solutions.