"As a group of friends, we're going to sit down and talk," Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan, a Republican and longtime Workman friend, said Friday. "It needs to be a candid discussion to see what is best for her."

Dolan said top GOP leaders - whom he would not name other than to say many are returning to Utah from the Republican National Convention in New York - will meet with Workman before the end of the weekend to discuss her fate.

The Sandy mayor, who talks to Workman daily, said the 63-year-old county leader needs to "work through" what is in the best interests of herself, her party and her constituents.

"My advice has been to take some time and think about yourself," he said. "Think about your circumstances in life right now. She needs to have this discussion with her husband and her children."

As soon as Tuesday, Workman could face two felony charges of misuse of public money for allegedly skirting the law and tapping Health Department funds to pay two successive accountants at the nonprofit South Valley Boys and Girls Club, where the mayor's daughter is the chief financial officer.

No charges have been filed, but a bipartisan panel of prosecutors who screened the case said in a report this week that there is evidence to support two felony charges against the mayor.

Workman campaign manager Chris Bleak said Friday the mayor "absolutely" will sit down with party leaders. "The beauty of our legal system is that you are innocent until proven guilty and the mayor believes she is innocent," Bleak said.

Former Gov. Norm Bangerter, the honorary chairman of Workman's re-election drive, said he hasn't spoken to the mayor since the panel's findings were released, but added that she faces some serious decisions.

"I don't know what she should do," Bangerter said. "She's got to evaluate [whether to resign or get out of the race]."

Bangerter disagrees with Workman's constant allegation that District Attorney David Yocom is politically motivated in the investigation.

"I would discount the politics of it," Bangerter said. "Yocom's handled it . . . reasonably and rationally."

While withholding judgment on whether the mayor broke the law, Bangerter said Workman walked a fine line by giving money to an agency where her daughter works.

"It's always dangerous when you start dealing with family and friends in these situations. You do everything you can to keep yourselves away from potential circumstances of that nature. The press and the people don't like it."

If Workman did commit a crime, he said, she should follow the lead of former County Auditor Craig Sorensen, who resigned amid a county vehicle-abuse scandal. Sorensen confessed to theft and pleaded guilty to third-degree felony misuse of public money for using his county gas card to fuel his personal vehicles.

"Mr. Sorensen handled it pretty well, frankly. He said, 'Yeah, I made a mistake' . . . and took his medicine," Bangerter said. "If the [potential] charges [against Workman] are valid, then she ought to do that. If she hasn't violated anything, she ought to fight it."

The panel of prosecutors from four neighboring counties said Workman's account about how the Boys and Girls Club staffer was hired differs from the accounts of her chief administrative officer, David Marshall, and her Human Services Department director, Kerry Steadman.

All three were interviewed by investigators. But the panelists said they don't believe Workman, who was not under oath.

"We find that Nancy Workman lied to co-workers, to investigator Craig Watson and to the panel," they wrote. "That conclusion is based on the fact that [her] statements over time are inconsistent and her accounts are fluid to cover her own tracks."

Workman has acknowledged a paperwork mistake, but has publicly blamed some of her top aides - including Marshall - and accused them of giving her bad advice.

On Thursday, the District Attorney's Office sent a letter to Workman advising her that those top aides - who were interviewed by investigators - are now protected under whistle-blower laws.

"Although your Cabinet members are appointed and at-will, state whistle-blower statutes and protections apply to anyone, including at-will employees, participating or giving information in an investigation, and impose limitations on your authority over them," Deputy District Attorney Karl Hendrickson wrote to the mayor in a letter obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune from the mayor's office.

The District Attorney's Office declined to release the letter or say what precipitated it.

Bleak said the release of the letter by Workman's office was not approved by the mayor and violates attorney-client privilege. Bleak later faxed the letter to the news media and chastised Yocom for "a new low," accusing him of releasing it to The Tribune.

The fax number on the letter shows it came from the mayor's office.

Bleak added that it is "somewhat amazing that the District Attorney's Office is now interested in providing legal advice to the mayor. They are now offering advice, they could have offered this advice [on employee matters] several months ago."

According to the report by the prosecutor panel, Yocom's office was never asked for advice on the position at the Boys and Girls Club.

On another point, Bleak said there is a big difference between Workman's situation and that of the former auditor.

"Craig Sorensen hid for two weeks" after questions about his vehicle abuses surfaced, Bleak said. "The mayor responded the day the report came out. She's not shying away from this."

State Republican Party Executive Director Spencer Jenkins said Workman remains the GOP nominee and that the party supports her "in that respect."

"Everyone knows we need to sit down and make sure we're on the same page," Jenkins said. "It [the meeting with Workman] will be about the campaign and more or less getting up to speed and making sure everyone has the same information."

tburr@sltrib.com

Development

* Salt Lake County District Attorney David Yocom plans a news conference for 10 a.m. Tuesday to announce whether Mayor Nancy Workman will be charged with two felonies. He declined to say Friday if charges will be brought and, if so, whether a special prosecutor would handle the case. The County Council will meet Tuesday and, if she is charged, could place her on paid leave and name Deputy County Mayor Alan Dayton as the acting mayor.

Health officials may want money back

* Salt Lake Valley Health Department officials next week will discuss whether to ask the county to reimburse the $17,262 that Workman allegedly tapped from health funds to pay two successive employees who helped her daughter with accounting work at the South Valley Boys and Girls Club.

The money is a key element in potential felony charges against Workman.

Department spokeswoman Pam Davenport confirmed that health officials will discuss the matter Thursday. Board Chairwoman Cheryl Cook said this week at a meeting that the funds were spent "inappropriately."