This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Jordan announced the retirement of City Manager Tom Steele earlier this week, but Steele is now alleging he was forced out.
Steele was approached by Mayor Melissa Johnson earlier this week after the City Council met in a closed session, he said in an interview, and told he had three options — resign, retire or be fired.
Steele said the news was a surprise — he claims to have received positive employee evaluations since taking the city's top job one year ago, and while serving as assistant city manager since 2001.
"It's one of those 'good job, good job, good job — you're fired,' " Steele said.
The city recently made some changes to its public works department which upset some residents, Steele said, combining several maintenance divisions into one. The idea was that departments could help with the most pressing matter at hand, rather than performing just routine maintenance, so the whole department could help with snow removal or other emergencies.
Johnson approached Steele late last week to tell him public works was going the wrong direction, Steele said. Two working days later, he was forced out.
Johnson declined to comment on the specifics, saying the mayor and council are legally not allowed to discuss actions taken in a closed session, but denied any malfeasance. Every past city manager has had strengths, she said, but the city is still feeling the effects of the recession, and is focused on finding a new manager with a "fresh set of eyes" who can help cut spending without cutting service.
"We're hopeful the person we select will be able to continue with all of the things we are doing well, and help us correct some of our less successful programs and operations," Johnson said.
City Recorder Melanie Briggs will act as interim city manager during the search, but some residents are hoping a new manager is never found. Steele believes the city could be making a push to change the form of government to a "strong mayor" system. Residents have led two recent campaigns, asking the city to abandon the city manager post in favor of a full-time mayor. Johnson is part time and makes $18,366 a year.
"I am so tired of over-paid city managers," resident Russell Case told The Salt Lake Tribune. "I'd much rather have somebody who answers directly to the citizenry lead the city."
Steele was making $128,000 a year, significantly less than the $178,000 salary of Gary Luebbers, whom Steele replaced. The city was forced to pay Luebbers a hefty $309,000 in "separation pay" when he left, accumulated from saved overtime, vacation and sick days. Steele did not receive a payout at retirement, said city spokeswoman Kim Wells.
West Jordan now has more than 100,000 residents, and is Utah's fourth largest city. Case believes the larger workload deserves a full-time mayor, like Salt Lake City and Sandy. Several more residents have indicated their support for the movement on the WJResident Yahoo! discussion group, saying the time is ripe for change. Making the change would cost the city an estimated $2.9 million, according to a 2009 analysis.
Johnson denies the city is making a power play, and said any change of government rests in the hands of West Jordan residents, who would need to petition to put it on the ballot.
Steele is considering various options, including applying for another city-manager position or doing consulting work. His biggest concern is the public perception that he left the city in dire straits.
"What I really want is for people to know that I didn't jump ship," Steele said. "I didn't abandon the city in the middle of a hard time."