This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Mayor-elect Ben McAdams introduced a bipartisan transition team Wednesday that will help "lay out the agenda and priorities" for his administration when he takes the helm of Salt Lake County government on Jan. 7.

The 37-year-old Democrat reached across the political aisle to make Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall, a Republican, one of three leaders in his effort to slide smoothly into the post that retiring Mayor Peter Corroon has occupied for the past eight years. Wall will be joined by Maura Carabello, managing partner of The Exoro Group, a public affairs firm, and Michael Weinholtz, chief executive of the staffing firm CHG Healthcare Services.

They will be assisted by Deputy Mayor Nichole Dunn, who will coordinate transition team interactions with county staff in the effort to know what's working and what could be done better, and by Justin Miller, who was McAdams' campaign chairman and is a likely candidate to be the mayor's chief of staff.

"The mandate I received was from Republicans as well as Democrats," said McAdams, contending his appointees "have a diverse wealth of experience and fresh eyes" for examining the county's needs. He cited Wall's record in leading Taylorsville city, Carabello's "clear strategic thinking" and Weinholtz's knowledge of workforce solutions and positive organizational cultures.

McAdams said they will assemble subcommittees — volunteer members are being sought, he added — to focus on various branches of county government and to report their findings by Dec. 14.

By that time, he also expects to begin filling key positions in his administration.

How many of those are carryovers from the Corroon team remains to be seen. McAdams said about 30 of Corroon's political appointees — the mayor's office staff, department heads and some associate directors — are being asked to resign Jan. 7, although they may apply for their jobs on an "equal footing" with all other candidates.

"I'm not for change for change's sake," the mayor-elect said. "We want the best and brightest talent from around the county. … I expect to have a mix of new ideas and people who are used to working in the trenches."

Corroon pledged to work closely with McAdams to ensure the transition is smooth.

Twitter: @sltribmikeg —

Changes online

O To keep up on Salt Lake County Mayor-elect Ben McAdams' transition into office, go to http://benmcadams.com/transition.