At least that was the implication Friday by the former mayor's defense team, which says an initial misunderstanding between Workman and her top lieutenant was magnified as other county employees made additional "missteps."

Workman purportedly believed the county could "loan" an employee to assist her daughter, who worked as an accountant at the South Valley Boys and Girls Clubs. The defense claims the mayor's subordinates failed to correct that misconception.

One purported misstep occurred in June 2003, when Salt Lake County Personnel Director Felix McGowan approved hiring the new employee.

McGowan, testifying for the defense, said he reviewed a portion of Alina Iorga's job application on his computer screen and saw no irregularities.

But McGowan never hit a computer key that would have brought up additional information and raised a red flag.

McGowan said Iorga was listed as an "office specialist," which entails data entry and other clerical duties.

But in the "remarks" portion of the job document - which McGowan did not see - is information indicating Iorga was to be a "community liaison, working out of the mayor's office."

McGowan said there is no such job and he would have questioned it.

"I would have followed up with the hiring analyst," he said.

Workman, 64, is charged in 3rd District Court with second- and third-degree felony counts of misusing public money. Prosecutors claim Workman intentionally and illegally arranged to have Iorga and a second woman paid from county Health Department funds, even though they worked exclusively for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Salt Lake County Auditor Sean Thomas testified that according to their W-2 forms, the women were paid a total of $18,002 by the county.

Robert Dunn, executive director of the clubs, testified that Workman's daughter, Aisza Wilde, approached him in spring 2003 about obtaining help from the county to fund a full-time accountant.

Dunn said he asked Wilde, "Is it legal?" He said he was also concerned there might be a conflict of interest because Wilde's mother was the mayor.

But Wilde claimed it was a routine donation of services, according to Dunn. He added that he assumed there would be some paperwork to seal the deal.

"I never followed through [with the paperwork]," Dunn testified. "Big mistake. We should have had a contract."

Nevertheless, Dunn claimed it "didn't seem unusual," because other government entities had donated employees to the club, including police officers, health workers and teachers.

Furthermore, Dunn said the Salt Lake County Council is a strong supporter of the clubs and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.

During cross-examination by defense attorney Jack Morgan, Dunn claimed neither Workman nor her daughter had benefited from the alleged hiring scheme. Dunn said Wilde still carried a full workload, although her duties changed from accounting to fund-raising.

But under questioning by special prosecutor Michael Martinez, Dunn acknowledged he really didn't know if the mayor and Wilde derived any benefit.

Former Boys and Girls Clubs accountant Jennifer Schroder, who replaced Iorga, testified, "I believed I was a donated employee from the county."

Schroder said she mailed time sheets to the county offices, where they were signed by Workman.

In addition to claiming 40 hours per week from the county, Schroder said she claimed 15 hours a week from the clubs. She said she earned $13 per hour from the combined wages.

Testifying for the defense, Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan and former Murray Mayor Lynn Pett testified about Workman's reputation for honesty and integrity.

Dolan called Workman "one of the finest people I'll ever know."

Pett called Workman "a good person" who would "do her best" to be honest.

The trial continues Tuesday, with prosecutors planning to call one more witness. The defense is expected to call additional witnesses but it was unknown whether Workman will testify.