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Three major appointments to Mayor Jackie Biskupski's administration will come before the Salt Lake City Council for approval Tuesday, including Mike Reberg, who had earlier withdrawn as a candidate to head up the Department of Public Utilities after critics complained he was not qualified for the post.
This time around, Reberg, who has been a veteran Salt Lake County administrator, was tapped by the mayor to head up the Department of Community and Neighborhood Development.
Biskupski also has nominated Laura Briefer as director the Department of Public Utilities. Briefer has served as the deputy director of public utilities for the past eight years. She would replace Jeff Niermeyer, who retired in December.
In addition, the mayor has forwarded the nomination of April Townsend for director of the Department of Public Services. Townsend has served as associate director of Finance and Operations for the Salt Lake County Library System since 2012. She would replace long-time director Rick Graham, who was not retained by Biskupski.
If the trio was to be approved, it would leave the mayor with three top posts yet to be filled: directors of the redevelopment agency, economic development and information management systems.
Council members said last month they admired Reberg, who most recently was the director of Salt Lake County Animal Services. He also had worked for former Congressman Jim Matheson. But several council members had concerns that Reberg was not a civil engineer and lacked the expertise needed to oversee Salt Lake City's water system.
Despite the criticism, the mayor continued to back Reberg for the job.
At the time of his withdrawal, Council Chairman James Rogers said he hoped Reberg would be considered for other positions at City Hall.
Like Reberg, Briefer does not hold an engineering degree, although she does have experience as Niermeyer's deputy.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Utah.
Prior to joining public utilities, Briefer served as assistant administrator for the town of Alta, as well as executive director of the non-profit conservation organization Friends of Alta. She has managed intergovernmental relations, emergency management, land management, and provided expertise on watershed and environmental matters for governments throughout Salt Lake County, according to a statement from Biskupski.
As nominee for public services, Townsend would oversee the largest city department that is responsible for city's streets, parks, garbage and more. Like Reberg, she was plucked from Salt Lake County ranks. Earlier, Biskupski, a top assistant to County Sheriff Jim Winder, recruited three other county managers to City Hall: her chief of staff, Patrick Leary; deputy chief, David Litvack and Julio Garcia.
From 2005 to 2012, Townsend served then-County Mayor Peter Corroon as director of administrative services, charged with providing support for all county agencies. While there, she oversaw facilities management and real estate services, fleet management, telecommunications and volunteer services.
The council will interview the candidates Tuesday at its regular 2 p.m. work session at City Hall, 451 S. State. A formal vote on the nominations is scheduled for the body's 7 p.m. formal meeting.