This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Orem • Right now, he is the Frasier Crane of Utah mayors.

Like the TV sitcom's beloved psychiatrist, he is listening — to folks for and against a planned library expansion, to ideas for turning around a troubled fiber-optic network, to notions about how to boost business in a bruised economy, to anyone who has anything to say about how to improve Orem.

In fact, James T. Evans' listening tour started soon after the City Council named him mayor. During the yuletide lighting at City Hall, a woman brought her young daughter up to meet him. The girl, Evans said, was scared and buried her face in her mother's jacket.

"I said, 'Where do you go to school?' " Evans recalled. "She kind of peeked her head around, and I started to ask her what grade she was in, and this and that. Then, she lit up and said, 'I go to Suncrest Elementary,' and I asked her if she liked her teacher, and she said, 'Yes.' "

Once the child realized Evans just wanted to hear about what was important to her, she let go of her fear.

"People just want to know that their voices are being heard," he said.

It's a principle the new mayor of Utah's fifth most-populous city is applying as he guides Orem and its 88,000 residents.

A member of the state Board of Regents and chief operating officer for Xactware, Evans took the city's reins in late October, replacing longtime Mayor Jerry Washburn, who died in September after a battle with cancer.

"Orem is lucky to have a Jim Evans," said Bill Hulterstrom, executive director of the United Way of Utah County. "Jim has always had a phenomenal ability to lead, but he does that through a base of common interest."

Hulterstrom is confident Evans, who is United Way's chairman, will keep Orem on the track Washburn set for the past 12 years.

After all, this is not Evans' first foray into city politics. He was named to the council in 1988 — after narrowly losing a council election the year before — and won a term in his own right in 1989.

Four years later, he stepped away, citing the time commitment of public office.

"I'm going to be sitting on the sidelines and observing," Evans said in a 1994 interview.

But he wound up doing more than just watching. He served on the Alpine School Board, worked as regional director for the Department of Workforce Services and labored with the regional planning Mountainland Association of Governments. Today, he sits on the boards of the Mountainland Applied Technology College and the Utah College of Applied Technology as well as the state Board of Regents.

In those nearly two decades, Evans tried to return to politics. He challenged Washburn in 1999 for the mayor's office. While the two were political rivals, Evans said he respected Washburn — on and off the stump.

"Even though we were campaigning against each other, it was like we were campaigning for each other," Evans said, explaining that he and Washburn shared similar views of city affairs.

When Washburn died, Evans almost didn't enter the race. But as the filing deadline neared, he noticed some of the candidates had ties to issues facing the city.

Former state Rep. Norm Nielsen and ex-Councilman Les Campbell, for example, were active in the SCERA cultural-arts group, which opposes the planned Center for Story library expansion.

So Evans jumped into the mix. "I felt like I could come in as someone without an agenda," he said.

Former Orem Mayor Stella Welsh, who served with Evans on the City Council and supported his 1999 run, predicts Evans will be a good, low-key mayor.

"I don't think he'll burn down any houses or do anything spectacular, but he will do a good job," Welsh said. "He's very likable and very capable."

Welsh said Evans had a reputation for being fair and striving to understand the issues.

That's what he has been doing since taking the city's top post, listening to the public and policymakers on all sides of the issues.

And there's been no shortage of folks offering advice. Evans said he gets approached by people who courteously give their two cents.

But he's not just sitting back and waiting for residents to come to him. One of his first acts was to visit with SCERA, whose advocates fear the Center for Story, a storytelling wing to be built at the Orem Library, will infringe on the group's duty as the city's sole cultural-arts agency.

Evans hopes to understand SCERA's role so the storytelling center can better dovetail with the group.

Adam J. Robertson, SCERA's president and CEO, said he appreciated Evans' willingness to learn about the group and its mission.

"I really believe he will be someone who will listen to what has been said," Robertson noted, "and make a wise decision."

Evans is also assembling a group of experts to examine UTOPIA and find ways to better promote the fiber-optic network and make it profitable.

"UTOPIA was a decision that was made to benefit the city," Evans said. "It's there, and there is a need for that kind of a network."

When Evans left the council nearly 20 years ago, the city's economy was booming, with University Parkway joining State Street as a main commercial corridor.

Now, the sales-tax dependent city is grappling with the aftermath of the Great Recession and the looming departure of Nordstrom from University Mall.

Evans said economic development will remain a priority. He envisions a twofold approach: reaching out to existing businesses while recruiting new ones.

While Orem has been held up by some as a poster child for redevelopment abuse, Evans argues the use of tax incentives to attract businesses has strengthened the city's tax base.

As for his own future, Evans said he will decide in 2013 — when Washburn's term would have expired — if he wants to keep the job.

For now, though, he's listening.

dmeyers@sltrib.com Twitter: @donaldwmeyers facebook.com/donaldwmeyers —

Orem's new mayor

Name • James T. Evans

Age • 56

Day job • Chief operating officer at Xactware

Current public service • Orem mayor, chairman of United Way of Utah County board, member of the state Board of Regents, trustee of the Mountainland Applied Technology College and Utah College of Applied Technology.

Past experience • Orem City Council, Alpine School Board, regional director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services.