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If the recent dust-ups between mayors and city councils in Syracuse, Bluffdale and Lehi have taught Utahns anything, it's that politics at all levels can be a roughly played game. Living next door to your colleagues in city government is no guarantee you'll get along.

The Syracuse and Bluffdale circumstances are similar insofar as majorities of the city councils decided to strip titles and/or responsibilities from their mayors and create city manager positions.

Those city managers, then, went from assisting the mayors to managing the municipalities' day-to-day operations under the auspices of the city councils.

Lots of citizens in both cities objected to midstream, non-election year changes of government by city councils without the consent of local voters.

In Syracuse, more than 1,700 people signed petitions demanding a vote of the people decide; an election will be scheduled for later this year. And in Bluffdale voters actually reversed the city council's decision.

Now there is a bill moving its way through the Legislature that addresses the issue of city councils changing their form of government. Senate Bill 41, as currently constituted, would require a vote of the people prior to creating a manager form of government -- or, conversely, "disestablishing" a manager form.

We support SB41, since governmental form should be altered only by a vote of the people. It could be argued that personality conflicts played a large part in the Syracuse and Bluffdale experiences. But whether or not they did -- certainly there are people who would disagree with that -- these tempests revealed that local ordinances defining titles and powers of various city leaders are sometimes confusing and vague. It's possible some cities may not be in absolute compliance with state code regarding forms of government.

In fact, we saw fit previously in this space to encourage cities -- especially those smaller communities that are just now experiencing rapid growth -- to review their ordinances and make sure they offer clear and distinctive definitions of responsibilities for mayors, council members, and city administrators and managers.

Making sure the state and municipal codes are in synch would prevent future headaches.

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