Their discussion, they said, would be kept secret.

Workman - who faces two felony charges of misuse of public money but still is running for re-election - has caused concern among some Republicans who fear her legal woes could damage other close county and legislative races. The county's GOP Central Committee - the decision-making body - has set a special meeting for Oct. 5, a day after Workman's preliminary hearing in 3rd District Court.

Executive Committee members who met with Workman on Thursday decided to make their meeting "confidential" so they could be more candid with the mayor. They voted to not talk to the news media about the meeting.

Member Steve Dickson said he wanted to shut out the news media and others because he worried Workman would give a "canned campaign speech. And that's not what I want."

Earlier, County GOP Chairwoman Tiani Coleman said that the party had been "taken off course a little bit" and urged everyone to get back to helping party members win election. "Let's get back on focus," she said.

Workman, 63, was charged Sept. 7 with the two felonies after a bipartisan, independent panel of outside prosecutors found evidence to sustain the criminal charges.

According to court documents, the mayor, who has been placed on paid leave, allegedly skirted the law to tap Health Department funds to hire two bookkeepers at the South Valley Boys and Girls Clubs, where Workman's daughter is the chief financial officer. Prosecutors say the mayor misled her co-workers and made "calculated acts" to circumvent safeguards preventing the misuse of taxpayer funds.

Workman denies any criminal wrongdoing and seeks a trial before the Nov. 2 election to vindicate herself. She says Democratic District Attorney David Yocom is politically motivated in charging her and has aired television ads quoting supporters saying the charges are "just politics."

The County Republican Party has backed the mayor publicly since the charges, but if party leaders change their minds, it's unclear if they could remove her from the ballot without her agreeing to the move. The mayor could only be replaced on the ballot if she were medically certified as physically or mentally incapable of serving.

Ballots for the general election already have been printed, but stickers could be used to modify the ticket.

tburr@sltrib.com