Norm Bangerter once said there are friends and there are political friends and it's prudent to know the difference. The former Republican governor had "loyal supporters" who quickly bolted in 1988 when Jon Huntsman Sr. said he would challenge Bangerter's bid for re-election at the GOP convention. The deserters returned to Bangerter's camp as soon as Huntsman decided not to run. Bangerter won re-election that November and the flip-floppers "assured me that they had never left my side," he recalls with a chuckle. Such do-si-dos are so common in Salt Lake County government it could be described as one big barn dance. The latest to face that reality is embattled Mayor Nancy Workman, who watched in court last week as her once-loyal aide David Marshall testified against her. Workman was bound over to face trial on two felony counts of misusing public funds. Her defense attorneys tried to put the blame on Marshall, Workman's chief of county operations, who they allege carried out the budget manipulations now characterized as Workman's crimes. But not too long ago, Marshall swung the hammer for Workman, not against her. The target then was former Republican Salt Lake County Commissioner Brent Overson, to whom Marshall had previously been a loyal aide after working as an ally to former Democratic County Commissioner Randy Horiuchi (pause for breath), after Marshall had vilified Horiuchi while working for Republican Commissioner Tom Shimizu, whose seat Horiuchi challenged and won. Confused? Just think how Workman must feel. The word racing through Government Center now is that as soon as the county scandals began tarnishing Workman's aura, her erstwhile hatchet man contacted Democratic mayoral candidate Peter Corroon to ask for a get-together. That was confirmed this past week by a Corroon campaign strategist. Marshall previously was Shimizu's chief of staff when Horiuchi challenged Shimizu in 1990 and Marshall publicly accused Horiuchi of a conflict of interest after the Democrat won the Utah Public Employees Association's endorsement because Horiuchi had been a paid, part-time consultant to the UPEA. After Horiuchi and fellow Democrat Jim Bradley won seats on the three-member commission, Marshall was kept on in the county bureaucracy and eventually became associate director of Human Services. When Overson was elected to the commission in 1994, Marshall was made chief of the commission staff. He was Overson's loyal comrade until the form of Salt Lake County government changed from commission to mayor-council. Workman was elected mayor and Overson, who had been one of her key campaign advisers, was retained as a special assistant to the mayor. But Overson became too controversial for Workman's comfort, an irritation heightened by the fact that key Republican Councilman Russell Skousen had represented former Salt Lake County Attorney Doug Short in a contentious lawsuit against Overson and other commissioners. Marshall became Workman's henchman in moving his old friend out. Now, Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, who recently went on a family trip to Ireland with Workman and her husband, is in write-in candidate Ellis Ivory's camp. Workman had been a useful friend to Dolan, using some of her political capital to support a Dolan-backed bill at the Legislature that shifted money from Republican Sheriff Aaron Kennard's budget to the cities. She also gave Dolan's son Mike a job in the county Department of Development Services. Also on the county merry-go-round, Leslie Reberg cut her political teeth with the late Democratic County Commissioner Dave Watson, only later to land with Republican Shimizu and helped campaign against Horiuchi - until he won and she eventually became Horiuchi's chief of staff. Then, she landed a top administrative job with Workman, until the scandals became too hot. She has taken a leave to work on Democrat Jim Matheson's re-election campaign. One more. Former Salt Lake County Republican Chairman John Rosenthal was a strong Workman supporter and landed a $100,000-plus job as her economic development director. As soon as the scandals began tainting the Workman administration, he headed out for the private sector. Norm Bangerter once said there are friends and there are political friends and it's prudent to know the difference. The former Republican governor had "loyal supporters" who quickly bolted in 1988 when Jon Huntsman Sr. said he would challenge Bangerter's bid for re-election at the GOP convention. The deserters returned to Bangerter's camp as soon as Huntsman decided not to run. Bangerter won re-election that November and the flip-floppers "assured me that they had never left my side," he recalls with a chuckle. Such do-si-dos are so common in Salt Lake County government it could be described as one big barn dance. The latest to face that reality is embattled Mayor Nancy Workman, who watched in court last week as her once-loyal aide David Marshall testified against her. Workman was bound over to face trial on two felony counts of misusing public funds. Her defense attorneys tried to put the blame on Marshall, Workman's chief of county operations, who they allege carried out the budget manipulations now characterized as Workman's crimes. But not too long ago, Marshall swung the hammer for Workman, not against her. The target then was former Republican Salt Lake County Commissioner Brent Overson, to whom Marshall had previously been a loyal aide after working as an ally to former Democratic County Commissioner Randy Horiuchi (pause for breath), after Marshall had vilified Horiuchi while working for Republican Commissioner Tom Shimizu, whose seat Horiuchi challenged and won. Confused? Just think how Workman must feel. The word racing through Government Center now is that as soon as the county scandals began tarnishing Workman's aura, her erstwhile hatchet man contacted Democratic mayoral candidate Peter Corroon to ask for a get-together. That was confirmed this past week by a Corroon campaign strategist. Marshall previously was Shimizu's chief of staff when Horiuchi challenged Shimizu in 1990 and Marshall publicly accused Horiuchi of a conflict of interest after the Democrat won the Utah Public Employees Association's endorsement because Horiuchi had been a paid, part-time consultant to the UPEA. After Horiuchi and fellow Democrat Jim Bradley won seats on the three-member commission, Marshall was kept on in the county bureaucracy and eventually became associate director of Human Services. When Overson was elected to the commission in 1994, Marshall was made chief of the commission staff. He was Overson's loyal comrade until the form of Salt Lake County government changed from commission to mayor-council. Workman was elected mayor and Overson, who had been one of her key campaign advisers, was retained as a special assistant to the mayor. But Overson became too controversial for Workman's comfort, an irritation heightened by the fact that key Republican Councilman Russell Skousen had represented former Salt Lake County Attorney Doug Short in a contentious lawsuit against Overson and other commissioners. Marshall became Workman's henchman in moving his old friend out. Now, Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, who recently went on a family trip to Ireland with Workman and her husband, is in write-in candidate Ellis Ivory's camp. Workman had been a useful friend to Dolan, using some of her political capital to support a Dolan-backed bill at the Legislature that shifted money from Republican Sheriff Aaron Kennard's budget to the cities. She also gave Dolan's son Mike a job in the county Department of Development Services. Also on the county merry-go-round, Leslie Reberg cut her political teeth with the late Democratic County Commissioner Dave Watson, only later to land with Republican Shimizu and helped campaign against Horiuchi - until he won and she eventually became Horiuchi's chief of staff. Then, she landed a top administrative job with Workman, until the scandals became too hot. She has taken a leave to work on Democrat Jim Matheson's re-election campaign. One more. Former Salt Lake County Republican Chairman John Rosenthal was a strong Workman supporter and landed a $100,000-plus job as her economic development director. As soon as the scandals began tainting the Workman administration, he headed out for the private sector.

Clarification:

Last week I mentioned that political consultant Eddie Mahe was retained as a campaign adviser to Workman. He met with Workman helpers he has known as friends to devise a campaign strategy before she was the target of a criminal investigation. But he has never been a paid consultant to Workman. Understandably, Mahe doesn't want anyone to think he has been involved in Workman's strategies over the past few weeks.

- prolly@sltrib.com