Twenty-three faces greet Mayor George Stewart each morning as he takes a seat behind his desk at the Provo City Center.
The living room window-size portrait of his wife, 11 children, four sons- and daughters-in law and six grandchildren watches his every move from across the room."That reminds me what's important," says the man whose tenure overseeing a $94 million budget for a growing city of about 100,000 residents is coming to a close. "On a comparative basis, family to me is still the most important responsibility I have." That philosophy has guided Stewart in several hotly disputed decisions.
Stewart has no hobbies or avocations. He doesn't play golf or fly fish. His play is his work, whether that has been as a top executive at Franklin Quest, his last employer, or at the helm of Provo City. Everything other than work is family. He spends his leisure time attending concerts, plays and sports that involve his children. He has coached most of them in Junior Jazz basketball. He's the parent who's always there.
Still, his family urged him not to seek a second term, which he won't. And never planned to.
"Then I'd never have to make decisions based on whether I'd get re-elected," Stewart said.
Stewart, 57, has made his share of unpopular decisions the past three years. He's taken the lead on issues that would make more media-savvy politicians run for cover. If he had any public relations handlers they'd have given up in despair long ago.
Nevertheless, the frank, hard-charging Stewart can claim more than modest success during his administration. Provo continues to thrive under his leadership.
Stewart's wife, JoAnna, said she was surprised on election night at her husband's first encounter with a television camera.
"He acted like he'd done it all his life. I thought, `Who is this person?' " she said.
Stewart took up residence in the mayor's office the same way, like he owned the place. He loves being in charge. He relishes tough decisions and doesn't mind taking the heat for them, especially when he's convinced he's right.
Early in his administration, city workers described him as "dictator" and "loose cannon." He came to be known as "King George."
The label doesn't bug him.
"Actually, it's kind of a compliment," he says. "If you're a benevolent king . . . "
Some critics see Stewart as anything but compassionate, especially toward those with whom he disagrees.
"I think basically he's responsible for a very heavy-handed administration that doesn't tolerate dissent," said 21-year resident Toni Billings.
Stewart tries to surround himself with people who think like he does. He openly supported three City Council candidates in the last election, only one of whom won. The outcome prompted the mayor to abort a possible run for Congress. He couldn't see his agenda being carried out in his absence.
Maybe Stewart doesn't mind the unofficial regal title he has picked up because he's the descendant of a monarch. A family member traced Stewart's lineage to Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, a western European ruler of the Middle Ages who helped impose Christianity on the Saxons after a 30-year war.
Hmmm. Sounds familiar. Some might say history repeated itself in Provo.
Stewart himself stands accused of trying to impose his own brand of Christianity on Provo - not that his diverges from the 95 percent of residents who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The mayor closed the city-run Veterans Swimming Pool and Eldred Center for senior citizens on Sundays, saying the community considers the Sabbath a common day of rest. The move alienated a segment of the population - including Billings - that thinks otherwise. Stewart wanted to close the city's East Bay Golf Course on Sundays, too, but turned it over to a private management firm instead.
Controversy erupted the likes of which peaceful Provo had never seen. The city came under intense media scrutiny. Television, radio talk shows and newspapers had a roy-al time portraying Stewart as a religious zealot.
Salt Lake radio talk show host Tom Barberi told him, "It's guys like you that make my job pos-sible."
Councilwoman Shari Holweg, one of the mayor's sharpest critics and runner-up in the 1993 mayoral election, says Stewart has no business dictating to people how they should or shouldn't exercise their personal belief systems.
"His style is very patriarchal," she said, not intending a compliment.
The affable mayor remains undaunted, although he had to take high blood pressure medication during the pool-closing issue.
"Some people say to me, `It's a shame you're going to be remembered for that.' I say, `No, it isn't,' " Stewart said. "It's those very issues that define this community."
The mayor now is pushing to ban alcohol and tobacco sales through convenience store drive-up windows.
Stewart, who has dozens of newspaper stories about himself and Provo at his fingertips, pulls one highlighting Provo as the top-rated city in the nation for the percentage of married families with children - 88 percent. Religion and education are key factors, he says. He digs out a chart showing Provo has the ninth lowest crime rate among the 12 Utah cities with more than 40,000 residents, and with far fewer police officers.
To keep the crime rate low, Stewart has hired 20 police officers and boosted the police department budget by $2 million during his tenure.
The mayor also lists among his successes construction of a west-side fire station, citywide road and sidewalk rehabilitation, and breaking ground for a regional shopping mall.
Interestingly, Stewart isn't a product of the Utah Valley culture he touts so highly. He's a native of Arizona, where he gained an affinity for American Indian art. Paintings and statues adorn his down-town office.
"I just appreciate their culture," said Stewart, who grew up near the Papago Indian Reservation south of Phoenix. "They're a very spiritual people."
With only six months left in office, Stewart has become introspective. He's known to meditate under the flag pole he received as a Father's Day gift. He isn't sure about his next career move. He recently updated his resume.
Stewart, however, knows Provo was the right move for his family when they stopped to visit his sister 19 years ago and never left. "For a place to raise a family," he says, "there isn't a better one."