Dan Snarr won't take the oath of office for another six days, but Murray's mayor-elect already is fighting his first major in-house political battle.
A proposed ordinance requiring certain appointed officials to live within Murray's boundaries went to the City Council for a vote at a special 2 p.m. meeting Tuesday over the strenuous objections of Snarr and two councilmen-elect, John Ward and John Rush.Snarr said he sees the 11th-hour proposal as an effort to block his hiring of D'Arcy Pignanelli, the wife of long-time Democratic Party stalwart and former lawmaker Frank Pignanelli, as his chief of staff.
"This really disappoints me," Snarr said. "It's just petty politics. They're trying to tie my hands and shackle me so I can't do my job."
Rush said that if the ordinance passes Tuesday, he will propose another ordinance at the Jan. 13 council meeting seeking to rescind the residency requirement until the new council has time to give the issue proper study.
The ordinance, proposed by Councilman Gary Ferrero would require five of the city's top appointed staff to reside within Murray or buy a house here within one year after being hired.
Those five include the police chief, the fire chief, the public services director, the executive director to the city council and the executive assistant to the mayor.
Snarr asked Pignanelli, who has experience as a city administrator, to work as his executive assistant with the title of chief of staff.
The last city council meeting of the year was canceled a month ago because of the holidays, but was subsequently rescheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Shannon Smith, council executive director, said the special meeting was called to pass resolutions honoring four city officials leaving office Monday. She said the ordinance was added to the council agenda after the special session had been rescheduled and set for the early meeting time.
Ferrero said there is "nothing personal or political" about the ordinance or the decision to have a council with two departing members act upon it.
"For a long time, I've had a lot of constituents ask why Murray city employees did not have to live in Murray city," he said. "I feel strongly that people in high-profile positions should be residents."
Ferrero, an assistant city attorney for West Jordan City, said he doubts it would be legal to require all city employees to live within city boundaries.
"But there is language in the state code that allows the governing body of a city to put residency requirements on appointed officials," he said.
The residency issue extends beyond Pignanelli, Ferrero said, noting that Murray's police chief will retire soon.
Councilman Leon Robertson, who lost a close mayoral election to Snarr in November, has indicated he also supports the residency requirement because it will help keep key department heads in contact with the people they serve.
Incoming council members Ward and Rush question the timing of the proposal.
"The main thing I'm curious about is the timing," Ward said. "I'm not saying I'm opposed to the ordinance, but I think this requirement needs a closer look."
Rush said he's informally polled constituents in his district about imposing a residency requirement and found "mixed feelings."
"This is a serious issue that deserves some careful study and thoughtful debate," he said. "I think the 2 p.m. meeting time is a well-defined strategy to limit public participation."
"Why were those positions selected and not the city attorney or city engineer?" Ward asked. "I think this is something the new council should consider."
Ferrero disagrees, saying that the residency requirement needs to be established before Pignanelli is hired.
"I don't know D'Arcy Pignanelli. I can't even recall having met her. But this isn't a matter of who she is - it's where she lives," he said.
Snarr said he's concerned the ordinance is "vindictive" and may be an indication current council members are going to be resistant to the changes he pledged to make.