Salt Lake City Councilman W.M. "Willie" Stoler lobbied a city employee for support of a Sugar House development in part by reminding the employee that his boss - Mayor Palmer DePaulis - may not always be in office, an official said.
But Stoler denies his action violates state law prohibiting members of the legislative branch from giving orders to employees of the executive branch.Stoler, chairman of the council, is backing a plan by Clark Development to build a 17-acre retail center anchored by a ShopKo in his Sugar House district in southeast Salt Lake City.
While the project has cleared several major hurdles, Mayor Palmer DePaulis and other executive branch officials want to further negotiate whether the developer is responsible for mitigating traffic complications stemming from the project. The city wants Clark to take some responsibility for traffic improvements to account for the 32,000 cars per day in the area expected to result from the development.
Stoler said he believes the traffic issue could be a "project killer."
Last month, Stoler approached the city's Public Works Department to urge the department to be flexible on traffic-related issues, Public Works Director Joseph Anderson said Thursday.
In a conversation between Stoler and Assistant Public Works Director Brad Stewart, the councilman expressed his enthusiasm for the development and sought full support from the department, according to Stewart.
But Stoler also implied that the department should cooperate because DePaulis may not remain in office.
"He said, `Look you guys, things change, you need to always be willing to work with your elected people,' " Stewart said.
Stewart made notes of the conversation and forwarded them to Anderson, who said he disposed of the memo.
"He didn't threaten him," Anderson added, "he just said that Palmer (DePaulis) may not always be around and that staff shouldn't be so rigid."
Stoler denied he threatened the department by saying DePaulis may not remain in office.
"I don't remember saying that. . . . What I'm saying is that politicians come and go, and the bureaucracy has to remember that we do come and go, and you need to be working with the citizens. They're going to be here forever, and we're going to be here for a short span."
Councilwoman Sydney Fonnesbeck said Thursday she has heard Stoler has designs on running for mayor himself.
"When (former Salt Lake Mayor) Ted Wilson was talking about not running (for office) several years ago, I know that (Councilwoman Florence Bittner) told me that Willie was going to run and she was going to support him."
Stoler denied he has higher political aspirations.
A state statute prohibits members of the city's legislative branch from interfering with employees working for the executive branch of city government, of which public works is a part.
"The council shall not give orders to any subordinate of the mayor . . . but may make suggestions or recommendations," reads section 10-3-1217 of the Utah Code.
Stoler downplayed any violation of the ordinance, saying DePaulis permits council members to talk to department heads when necessary. Stewart was acting in that capacity when Stoler met with him in June, he said.
Stoler called the issue a "tempest in a teapot" and Stewart said the pressure applied by Stoler was no different than that shown by other council members.
However, Stewart said other council members have not made reference to the the mayor's political tenure.