John Patterson, who left Ogden's government in January to become Corroon's public works director, will return to that city by month's end as chief administrative officer (CAO).

His annual salary will jump from $109,000 to $117,000 and, as Ogden's second in command, Patterson will have more power.

"This job is probably more up his alley," County Councilman Randy Horiuchi said Wednesday. "John is kind of like a field-general type."

Corroon downplayed any role recent county scandals or restructurings - 40 percent of Patterson's operation was folded into a new Administrative Services Department - played in the departure. Corroon noted Patterson developed a close bond with Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey during his two-year stint as the city's public-services director.

"Once Mayor Godfrey had the opportunity to woo John back, that's what he did," said Corroon, who is considering an internal candidate and an outside hopeful in his search for a replacement.

For his part, Patterson says he fell in love with Ogden's vibrancy, downtown and people, and he considers the move a career boost.

"It's greater security," he said. "I'll have a contract with Ogden with a severance clause. I have nothing here. I need to have mountains to climb."

The 52-year-old former Georgian praised Corroon's administration for its competence and compassion. He says ongoing "challenges" with the county's fleet and landfill operations kept him energized and focused but concedes that losing nearly half his responsibilities "obviously doesn't help a résumé."

News of Patterson's exit surprised several county leaders. They saw the former longtime West Valley City manager, who left that job amid controversy, as just hitting his stride.

"This is a shock," said Danny Mecham, the county's sanitation director. "He looked like he was going to be very good here. I'm sad he's leaving."

During Patterson's brief tenure, embattled Fleet Manager Nick Morgan was ousted and the county's vehicle operation overhauled. Patterson later hired Jason Godfrey - brother of Ogden's mayor - as his associate director after Godfrey spent a short stint as interim fleet manager.

Patterson also ordered layoffs as part of sweeping cutbacks at the county's landfill, which stands to lose 40 percent of its business to a new dump in Tooele County.

Employees say Patterson is a quick study.

"He likes having a lot on his plate, and we're happy to serve him up," said Godfrey, adding he was "distraught" when Patterson left his team.

The Ogden mayor warns the new position is broad but well-suited for Patterson. "Part of it is crisis management, part of it is being very strategic," he said. "It's a very dynamic position."

Yet not all Ogden City Council members support Patterson's return. They approved the hiring late Tuesday in a 5-2 vote.

Jesse Garcia, who is seeking a fourth council term this year, voted against confirmation.

"I had a list of concerns and discussed them with John for a couple of hours Tuesday," Garcia said. "With his responses, I told him I didn't think I could endorse him. I don't feel he's the guy for the job."

While Garcia conceded Patterson had done a good job as Ogden's public services director, "there were things in his past that made me uncomfortable," Garcia said, without elaborating.

Council Chairman Rick Safsten was the other dissenting vote - as he had been in November 2002, when Patterson stood before Ogden's council as Godfrey's pick for community-services director, a position which later expanded to include the city's public works department.

Safsten, who had praise for the way Patterson previously served the city, refused to discuss why he felt strongly enough to vote against him for the CAO post. He also declined comment on whether his reasons remained the same as they had been in 2002.

At that time, allegations swirled around Patterson - who had just resigned as West Valley City's high-powered city manager - and his relationship with a former secretary, Cindy Johnson.

Patterson married Johnson in 2003 after he and wife Barbara divorced. She had accompanied him during his 2002 session with Ogden's City Council.

"I voted against him and slept well because of it," Safsten said, and left it at that.

While Safsten felt Patterson's salary of $117,000 was justified as Ogden's second in command, Garcia did not.

"He'll be making 5 percent more than [former CAO] Nate Pierce did when he left Ogden," Garcia said. "And no one's worth 5 percent more than Nate."

By ordinance, the city's CAO is required to live in Ogden, a move which Patterson did not make during his previous position with the city.

djensen@sltrib.com

cmckitrick@sltrib.com

John Patterson, 52

* Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, master's in business administration, University of Georgia

* Background: Finance director and city administrator, North Myrtle and Conway, S.C., 1979-85;

city administrator, Smyrna, Ga,. 1985-91; city manager, West Valley City, 1991-2002; community/public services director, Ogden, 2002-04; public works director, Salt Lake County, January-August 2005.