After all the speeches and swearings-in, a rousing recital of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" by a Calvary Baptist Church soloist punctuated the transformation.

The excitement - and relief - was palpable.

Out is Republican County Mayor Nancy Workman, who was charged with two felonies alleging she misused public funds and later was removed from the ballot. In is Democrat Peter Corroon, who took the mayor's oath as his famous cousin, former presidential candidate Howard Dean, watched from a few feet away.

"Being mayor is not just a job, but a trust that has been given to me," said Corroon, his voice choking with emotion.

Promising a "fresh start," the 40-year-old political neophyte led a procession to the podium that included a new deputy mayor, two new County Council members (along with two who were re-elected) and a new county auditor.

These new faces in Salt Lake County represent a fraction of the newly sworn-in commissioners and council members who assumed county positions across the state Monday.

"I hope none of them will squander this moment and this opportunity," said Alan Dayton, who served four months as acting mayor after Workman's exit.

The boyish-looking Dayton tossed a curve into the ceremony's staid production - Utah Symphony musicians and a white-gloved color guard took part - when he invoked the man in black, the late Johnny Cash.

Cash's song, "Five Feet High And Rising," Dayton told the standing-room only audience at the Salt Lake County Government Center, expresses the past four years of county government. But, he noted, the hopeful ending in the otherwise-ominous flood lyric proves "good things always come from being tested."

"Today is another day to sow good government," said Dayton, the one-time deputy mayor who was praised for his short but influential stint atop the county that included passage of a landmark ethics overhaul.

Corroon, who vows a 30 percent cut in the mayor's office and a transparent management style, inherits a nine-member County Council with more political balance. Republicans hold a slimmer majority, 5-4, but Democrat Jenny Wilson picked up the third countywide seat - giving Democrats that trifecta - and became the first woman on the council.

Still, Democratic Councilman Jim Bradley warned that the new administration will face plenty of battles. He said Corroon and the new council are capable of providing "an esprit and positive leadership," but will encounter an entrenched and "very talented bureaucracy."

No problem, according to Dean, who helped Corroon during the campaign. The 2004 presidential hopeful and former Vermont governor said he didn't realize "what a terrible, emotional trauma Salt Lake County had gone through until I saw the emotion in this room."

"It's clear people are willing to come together," Dean said, "and I think Peter's the person to lead it."

Corroon, who said he won't hesitate to call his cousin for advice, pointed to that emotion as evidence that "people really believe in those coming into office today."

Besides Wilson, council members inaugurated Monday included Republican Mark Crockett - who won the open seat vacated by Russell Skousen - and returning Republicans Marv Hendrickson and Michael Jensen.

To a person, the council members have suggested that conducting county business can and will be nonpartisan. But Jensen, who will be appointed council chairman today, said in order for Corroon to "be effective" he must be bipartisan.

Also taking oaths Monday were Deputy Mayor Karen Suzuki-Okabe and County Auditor Sean Thomas, who promised "tighter management."

Last summer, Thomas became interim auditor when he replaced longtime Auditor Craig Sorensen, who resigned after admitting he stole fuel with his county gas card. "There won't be a need to hide things," Thomas said.

djensen@sltrib.com

Corroon's stated priorities

* Strengthen ethics policies.

* Create a unified police authority that centralizes county functions but allows for local policing.

* Seek alternatives to incarceration for drug addicts and mentally ill inmates.

* Focus on regional planning.

* Work with universities to create economic development activities.