This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Sept. 8, Provo Municipal Councilman Steve Turley urged two council colleagues to share his vision for property he hoped to develop near Slate Canyon.
But at the time, the council was considering drafting a land-use plan for Slate Canyon. And Turley's colleagues worried that he had an obvious conflict of interest because the plan might enhance the value of his development.
A week later, Turley would formally recuse himself from any council discussions about Slate Canyon. But a group of citizens who have filed a complaint about Turley say it's just one example of his ethical lapses.
Turley has denied any wrongdoing.
The Sept. 8 discussion was captured on a recording released Tuesday by Provo Councilwoman Sherrie Hall Everett, who said she made it during a meeting of the council's Land Use Committee.
On the recording, Turley talks with Everett, council Vice Chairman Rick Healey, and council Executive Director Matthew Taylor about his efforts to work on the property.
"I invite you to drive up there with me," Turley says on the recording. "That's the problem: People don't drive past the piles of asphalt. You get up there and say 'Oh, my gosh, … that should be a Footprinters Park and we could put four baseball diamonds back to back on it.' "
In an interview, Everett characterized Turley's discussion as more than just providing information. "I felt we were being lobbied pretty hard," she said.
Turley said he was only responding to questions.
While Turley does answer questions on the recording, he also talks freely about how he obtained options to buy the property. He describes his failed attempts to trade the land to the U.S. Forest Service or donate it to the city, and says he eventually filed an application to build houses to dispel rumors he was going to open a massive gravel pit on the site.
Healey and Everett can be heard telling Turley that his position as a councilman raises ethical questions about his development plan. Healeypoints out that if the city went along with developing a park near Turley's property, it would increase the value of his land.
At the end of the meeting, Turley agrees to recuse himself from future discussions on Slate Canyon, but asks his colleagues to not "blindly" make plans for the area. On Sept. 15, he presented a notarized letter to the council stating his intention to avoid discussions on the area.
In an interview, Turley accused Everett of attempting to record the meeting without his knowledge, and then reneging on a promise to use it only for personal reference by releasing it publicly.
Everett said she did not hide the fact that she was using her cell phone to record the meeting. She said she initially intended to keep the recording private, but circumstances prompted her to make it public.
"But an effort to characterize them as 'secret' recordings and a heightened public interest in their content widens my perspective to consider another viewpoint," Everett said in a statement on her Web page. "I have come to the conclusion that whatever I do as a public servant must always result in an opportunity to dispel incorrect assumptions, support an effort to create more trust between the public and our elected officials, and promote greater and greater transparency."
Turley said he has always been open about his plans for the property and that he is trying to clean up a neighborhood blight — the property was once used as a city dump and police firing range.
twitter.com/donaldwmeyers —
On the Web
O Listen to Sherrie Hall Everett's recording of the Land Use Committee meeting. > sherriehalleverett.com