Mayor Ralph Becker picked Wilford Sommerkorn as his planning director after Davis County's longtime head of community and economic development topped a recruiter's coast-to-coast search.

The first-year mayor, himself a planner by trade, said he was surprised to find someone with Sommerkorn's planning chops in his backyard.

"He is known and respected around the state and nationally," Becker said. "He's always thinking about applying the best, most innovative practices."

Some remain skeptical of Becker's parochial choice.

"My fear is we're going to do what's comfortable," said Stephen Goldsmith, the city's planning director from 2000 to 2003. If Sommerkorn doesn't fight for significant changes, Goldsmith worries, "we'll be excellent in mediocrity."

"Someone like Wilf knows the barriers. The question is how hard is he willing to push?"

A Salt Lake City native, Sommerkorn has worked as a Davis planner and development boss for nearly 30 years.

"This is a great opportunity to come back home," he said. "Salt Lake City is the capital city. It's the primo place in Utah. And it really needs to be that again."

Key in that pursuit is Sommerkorn's clout at the Legislature, where Becker expects his new hire to pump plenty of hands. "We intend," the mayor said, "to rely very heavily both on his expertise and his relationship to get some help at the Capitol."

Becker's predecessor, Rocky Anderson, had a famously fractious relationship with Davis County, angering its residents with his stance on commuter pollution and the long-delayed Legacy Parkway.

Mary De La Mare-Schaefer, who served as the city's acting planning director and now is the deputy, compared Monday's move to hitting the "jackpot."

Sommerkorn would not telegraph specific moves, but pledged to implement changes recommended in a recent audit that scolded city planning for a decade of dysfunction. He predicted some rules will be rewritten or overhauled and pinpointed customer service and transparency as top priorities.

"One of the biggest things that can help with morale is consistency," he said. "And that includes the staff."

Sommerkorn replaces George Shaw, who was ousted by Becker earlier this year. He completes City Hall's new planning team, which includes Frank Gray as community and economic-development director and Bob Farrington, named recently to oversee the city's economic-development function.

Pat Comarell, who represents audit author Citygate Association, praised Becker for making serious strides and showing "courage."

"You really have a star team," she said. "Wilf has a great breadth of vision for planning - not just what it is, but what it can be."

Seconds after the introduction at the city's so-called "Buzz Center," a planner clapped her hands and let out a brief squeal.

"Oh, good, I know him."

djensen@sltrib.com

Wilford Sommerkorn

* Age: 54.

* Experience: Davis County planner since 1981; community and economic development director since '94.

* Education: Bachelor of science, University of Utah; master's in science planning from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

* OCCUPATION: Legislative chairman, American Planning Association.

* Salary: $107,000.