After a two-year court battle, the names of the finalists for Orem's city manager post are public record.
The city turned over the names and resumes of the finalists Wednesday, complying with 4th District Judge Anthony W. Schofield's court order.Schofield ruled in September that the city was not acting in the public interest when it denied The Daily Herald newspaper's requests to release the candidates' names and resumes.
The finalists and their positions at the time they applied for the Orem post were: Neal G. Berlin, Arvada, Colo., city manager; Lawrence A. Asaro, Peoria County, Ill., county administrator; James H. Robinson, Town and Country, Mo., city administrator; Douglas W. Lowe, former Yuma, Ariz., city manager; Edwin R. Ivey, Longview, Wash., city manager; and Michael Dyal, North Las Vegas, Nev., city manager.
Dyal was eventually hired as Orem's city manager.
The Herald sued Orem in November 1994, arguing that keeping the names under wraps violated the state's Government Record Access and Management Act and denied the public a chance to evaluate the selection process.
City officials argued that releasing the names to the public would jeopardize the candidates' existing employment and reduce Orem's prospects of attracting a qualified candidate to the position.
But Schofield ruled the city's arguments "evaporated" because Orem officials made no promise of confidentiality and allowed the candidates to meet with business and civic leaders who were not sworn to secrecy.
Of the other finalists, only Ivey is still working at his original position. And only one of the finalists contacted by the Herald agreed with the city's reasoning.
"There might be eight finalists. I don't think people want their jobs or family life jeopardized for a one-in-eight position," said Robinson, who now works as the town manager of Corte Madera, Calif.
Jeffrey J. Hunt, the Herald's attorney, said the city turned over the material after deleting references to the candidates' home addresses, phone numbers and marital statuses.
"This is the last chapter," Hunt said.