After news broke that West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder was using a pen name to write articles that cast his community in a favorable light, journalists and public-relations professionals denounced the deception as unethical. Many commenters on media sites blasted the mayor.

But the handful of people who emailed City Hall supported Winder and said he was just trying to get good news out.

"Honestly — good for you for pointing out positive happenings in the community — and clearly, the articles were so good and so newsworthy that they actually merited being printed in the papers!" wrote Brenda Griego of Henderson, Nev., in an email to Winder. "I think your use of a pseudonym for a brief period of time is absolutely immaterial."

Similar sentiments came from Dave Clark, president and CEO of the Sandy-based Liberty Homes. He wrote that he is confident most constituents are appreciative of Winder's aggressiveness on their behalf.

"I must admit that part of me wants to congratulate you on your creativity in trying to get the good things out there and written about," he wrote.

The messages were among the correspondence sent to West Valley City government email addresses that discussed articles Winder wrote as "Richard Burwash." The city released them Nov. 23 to The Salt Lake Tribune in response to a request made under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). There were no letters, only emails.

Many of the emails were links to news articles that staffers forwarded to each other. Five writers, including Griego and Clark, either agreed with Winder's actions or were sympathetic to the reason behind them.

The mayor has said he was frustrated that the Deseret News had drastically reduced its city government coverage after layoffs last year, but not its crime coverage. Winder wanted to "try to restore balance."

Longtime West Valley City resident Don Maruji forwarded an email he had written to KSL television that said he is "often dismayed at what appears to be a bias against the West Valley when reporting news."

And Californian Roy Cooper wrote, "If I lived in Utah I'd vote for you and help the campaign. I love what you did. … Perhaps it's time for somebody to launch the Salt Lake County Good News Paper."

Bluffdale Mayor Derk Timothy urged Winder not to let his critics deter him.

"If you were a mediocre mayor, no one would even pay attention to you," Timothy wrote. "We both know there must be opposition in all things. The better person and better things you do the more opposition you will have."

West Valley City Councilman Don Christensen wondered in an email to City Manager Wayne Pyle if public-relations staffers were doing their job the way they should, given Winder's efforts to get positive news out. Pyle responded that the best way to get good publicity is to focus on "those things that would produce good stories," such as lowering the crime rate.

He added that the public-relations department's job is not to write stories but to communicate with the media.

"Just like it's not PR's job to do the media's job, neither is it Mike's," Pyle wrote. "I know what he was trying to do was help the city out, but he definitely went about it in the wrong way."

In an email to her fellow city council members, Carolynn Burt complained about a May 27 article in the Oquirrh Times weekly newspaper about Tom Huynh announcing his candidacy for a seat on the council. Although no byline appeared on the story, Winder has acknowledged he had a hand in it.

The article, headlined "WVC's Tom Huynh running to be city's first minority councilman," includes praise for Huynh from former Gov. Jon Huntsman and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon. Winder is quoted as saying, "I won't be taking sides or endorsing anyone in this election, but I've known Tom for years and can speak to his work ethic and integrity."

The vote was 825-426 for Huynh over his opponent, Brent Fuller, who has served for almost 20 years on the West Valley City Planning Commission and who had Burt's endorsement.

Burt called the article a "puff piece" and said in her email, "Shame on you mayor. … I think that could have changed the outcome unfairly and could possibly be illegal."

Winder said that Huynh put together the story and he just helped "polish it."

"I told Brent [Fuller] that I would be happy to laud his experience and credentials, as well, if he would like with a similar quote (which gesture he appreciated, but never took me up on it)," he responded to Burt in an email.

Winder also said: "It is understandable for you to be disappointed in me. I am sorry for my good intentions to have gone down this wayward path."

pmanson@sltrib.com Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC —

Work by "Richard Burwash"

West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder used the name "Richard Burwash" to submit articles published in the Deseret News, KSL.com and the Oquirrh Times, a community newspaper.

A photo of the St. George town square attributed to "R. Burwash" was published in The Salt Lake Tribune on Oct. 27, 2010. The paper requested the photo from West Valley City, and Winder provided it, saying it should be credited to "R.Burwash." The Tribune was unaware of "Burwash's" identity and has removed the credit from the photo in its archives.

Deseret Connect editors were unaware that he was the writer behind the Burwash byline, according to Winder, who revealed his deception last month. He said the Oquirrh Times editor, Howard Stahle, knew he was the author; Stahle has said that he did not know.

Winder resigned Nov. 15 from his job as director of public affairs for The Summit Group, a public-relations and lobbying firm, in response to the pen-name controversy. —

By "Richard Burwash"

Several articles and a photo were submitted to local media outlets by West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder using the name "Richard Burwash." › E3