After going through nine mayors in 11 years, and having problems with several city officials, one Eagle Mountain councilman thinks it's time to run background checks on candidates for public office.

However, it may have some legal problems. There are limitations on who can receive criminal-background information.

Councilman David Lifferth wants an ordinance that would allow the city recorder to conduct background checks and then make those results public. Then, he said, voters can cast more-informed ballots, and possibly spare the city headaches from officials behaving badly.

Lifferth specifically singled out mayoral candidate Richard Culbertson and Councilwoman Linn Strouse as inspiration for the proposal.

Culbertson, who had his real-estate license revoked and had to pay a $40,000 administrative fine for "equity skimming," said the plan appears to be motivated more by a personal political agenda rather than genuine concern for the people of Eagle Mountain.

Strouse is facing second-degree felony charges for failing to report a loan she allegedly accepted from a developer. She could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

Lifferth, who is not up for re-election this year, said voters should be aware of such allegations.

Under his plan, which he has posted on his personal Web site - www.davidlifferth.com - he proposes that background-check results be published in a city-sponsored voting guide, with supporting documentation posted on the city's Web site and made available at City Hall.

He said it is no different from running a background check on a prospective employee.

However, Utah law requires that people sign waivers before submitting to background checks for employment purposes. Those waivers must explain who will receive the data and how it will be used. The law says that background-check information only can be disseminated to those who will be involved in the hiring decision.

Lifferth said he has submitted his proposal to the city attorney for review - but has not heard from him. The attorney, Gerald Kinghorn, also could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

Culbertson said he hasn't seen the ordinance or even looked at Lifferth's Web site. But he believes the proposal is part of a political attack - not an attempt to educate voters.

"It's clear he is a supporter for [mayoral candidate] Heather Jackson and opposes me," Culbertson said. "I think everything he does is politically motivated."

Lifferth disagrees. He compared his proposal to the background checks the city routinely runs on high-ranking employees. Lifferth said he would even be willing to submit to a background check.

However, he has had his own problems in the city. Earlier this year, he acknowledged using a city credit card to purchase a computer hard drive and then submitting a request for reimbursement. Lifferth repaid the money and no charges were filed. He said the episode was the result of a miscommunication with city employes over how to handle the purchase.

dmeyers@sltrib.com