Salt Lake Tribune: Brigham City Mayor Escapes Another Call to Resign

Recklessly frittering away taxpayer dollars has become Brigham City's most recent claim to fame, of course

More "action" in the philandering Brigham City Mayor affair, (or perhaps we should more properly label it inaction) as the Salt Lake Tribune reports this morning that the gutless Brigham City Council couldn't muster even enough votes last night to pass a nonbinding resolution seeking disgraced Mayor Dennis Fife’s immediate resignation:

• Brigham City mayor escapes another call to resign

The Council's already"clipped his mayoral wings" and "stripped him" of "of his powers to hire, fire, supervise and discipline city officers and employees;" so for all intents and purposes he's nothing but Brigham City "dead wood." Nevertheless, the majority of the BC Council believes it's apparently just fine for him to be still drawing a salary for doing essentially nothing. Recklessly frittering away taxpayer dollars has become Brigham City's most recent claim to fame, of course.

We'll think about the Brigham City Council the next time we contemplate labeling our own Ogden City Council as "spineless," we suppose.

Salt Lake Tribune: Affair Leads to Less Power for Brigham City Mayor - Updated

Heck, he's still drawing a city paycheck; and that's all that's important, right? 

More blowback in Brigham City, Utah government this morning, as the Brigham City townsfolk roundly rebuke their philandering Mayor Dennis Fife, and his city council colleagues vote to "strip him" of "of his powers to hire, fire, supervise and discipline city officers and employees":

• Affair leads to less power for Brigham City mayor

Nary a good word was spoken of the politically out-of-touch mayor at last night's council bitch session; yet the tone-deaf little feller remains stubbornly resolved to "hang in there," if only as a mere figurehead, we guess.

Heck, he's still drawing a city paycheck; and that's all that's important, right?

Update 12/22/12 9:00 a.m.:  The Standard's all over the story this morning, too:

• Brigham mayor won't resign despite council stripping his powers

Standard-Examiner: Response to Brigham City Mayor's Affair: Bill for Recall Election

Sadly, we'll not be holding our breath

Intriguing story from yesterday's Standard-Examiner, reporting that "State Rep. Lee Perry is preparing a bill for January’s legislative session to create a recall election law in response to concerns expressed by Brigham City residents about the lack of a way to remove [the philandering] Mayor Dennis Fife  from office":

• Response to Brigham City mayor's affair: Bill for recall election

Here's the fundamental question, wethinks.  Does the GOP-dominated Utah Legislature have the guts to set up even a narrow legal process to oust creepy sickos like Fife from their duly-elected political offices?

Sadly, we'll not be holding our breath.

And what say you, O Gentle Ones?

Residents Respond to Brigham City Mayor’s Adultery

Stick a fork in the deluded little dude; he's done

You are a disgrace, sir. And your chief of police is too.

Brigham City resident Ron Aldridge
Residents say Brigham City Mayor’s affair creates ‘a wedge’
December 7, 2012

...I am concerned that we have people in this city of ours that you were involved in them being released from their positions. And now you have done the same. And you stand there and say you will retain your position.

Brigham City resident Flora Reiter
Residents respond to Brigham City mayor’s adultery
December 6, 2012

As a followup to this week's earlier stories, we incorporate this morning's lead paragraphs from the Salt Lake Tribune: 

City Hall was packed in this small northern Utah city as residents hoped to weigh in on whether Mayor Dennis Fife should remain in office or resign.

Earlier this week, the 67-year-old mayor, husband, father and grandfather wrote a letter of confession to constituents, explaining he had had an affair with a woman he once counseled as a Mormon bishop.

GULP... Major screw-up!

Both the Trib and the Standard offer a taste of the flavor of future Brigham City council sessions, as the philandering Mayor Dennis Fife digs in his heels and stubbornly refuses to tender his resignation:

• Residents respond to Brigham City mayor’s adultery
• Residents say Brigham City Mayor’s affair creates ‘a wedge’

Seriously.  What did Mayor Fife expect? A standing ovation?

Stick a fork in the deluded little dude; he's done.

Breaking: Brigham City Mayor Admits to Extramarital Affair - Updated

Mayor Fife hopes to remain in office despite questions over his ability to lead

According to morning stories in the Standard-Examiner and Tribune, a reckless $100,000  excess of government largess isn't the only problem facing Brigham City, Utah government officials these days, as both Northern Utah newspapers reveal yet another whopping lapse of judgment on the part of of Brigham City's Mayor Dennis Fife:

• Brigham City mayor admits to extramarital affair
• Brigham City mayor discloses affair in letter to residents

While Utah does not appear to be among the states which criminalize clergy sexual relations with adult congregants, nevertheless as a Ward Bishop, Fife not only admittedly occupied a position of ecclesiastical authority over his erstwhile paramour, but was also was cloaked with an additional special fiduciary role as her spiritual counselor.  It would thus follow that  Fife was probably bound by a similar fundamental ethical responsibility to this woman in his care as therapists generally owe to their current or former clients, notwithstanding the lack of specific Utah penal sanctions.

As a result, his ethics and fitness for office naturally come into question.

Fife is now exerting extreme effort toward damage control; and we'll be closely following this story to find out whether it'll sell with his ultra-conservative constituents (and government colleagues) of Brigham City.

So whaddaya think, folks, will Fife succeed in sweeping his admitted adultery under the rug?

Update 12/5/12 8:00 a.m.:  Looks like we can add hypocrisy to the fast-growing list of "endearing" traits of the wonderful Mayor Fife :

• Officer fired for alleged affair files lawsuit against Brigham City

Don't forget, folks. This A-1 screw-up Fife is Matthew Godfrey's chief cheerleader in Brigham City government.