After almost two hours of discussion on Tuesday, members voted 17 to 8 to remove Renteria, who is a Salt Lake City mayoral candidate, from office during the center's monthly membership meeting. Then, there was confusion about how many votes were needed to remove him, and Renteria said he wanted a recount.

Richard Montaño, the board's vice president, was ultimately named acting president under the center's bylaws. About 50 people attended the meeting, which a member said was unusual since often the board members are the only ones who show up.

During the meeting, Renteria said it is impossible to work with a board that doesn't want to change things.

"We can't do it with the old-timers on the board who are in control," he said. "Removing me - is removing the future."

Montaño, a center member since 2002, said he wants to continue Renteria's vision of reorganizing the center and developing plans to improve the agency and its facilities. One of his main goals as acting president, he said, is to get more Latinos involved in the agency and politics. The center, 155 S. 600 West, was started in 1938 to serve as a venue where the Mexican community could celebrate and promote its culture and holidays.

Montaño also said he wants to make sure the board and members stick to the center's bylaws to eliminate any issues in the future.

"We're going to be a little bit more in touch about what the bylaws have to say," he said after the meeting.

In June, Renteria was ousted from his position by the board while he was in jail for three weeks on a probation violation. Renteria then called the action to remove him "ruthless and pretty ignorant" and claimed the board violated the center's bylaws.

But board member Margarita Rodriguez had said the board met to remove Renteria and voted her acting president, adding the board had had issues with Renteria for months because he routinely made decisions without consulting the board.

Renteria and some board members eventually solicited mediation from state and community leaders.

Seven of the nine board members later signed a three-page letter dated July 14 and mailed it to the center's membership inviting them to Tuesday's meeting to remove Renteria as president.

Alberto Bernard, a 20-year agency veteran and one of the board members who signed the letter, declined an interview after the meeting but said, "It was done in a democratic way and the people spoke. I don't have anything against [Renteria] personally, but I don't think he's a good example because of his problems with the law."

jsanchez@sltrib.com