Hooper City Council tables ordinance shifting mayoral power
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- Mayor Sheri Bingham looks on during a Hooper City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
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- A standing-room-only crowd looks on during a Hooper City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
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- Council member Ryan Hill speaks during a Hooper City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
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- Council members Dale Fowers, Lisa Northrop and Mayor Sheri Bingham prepare for a Hooper City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
HOOPER — Before a standing-room-only crowd at the Hooper City Civic Center on Tuesday night, the Hooper City Council voted to table an ordinance that would shift the mayor’s executive and administrative powers to the council at large.
The impromptu meeting and proposed ordinance followed months of mounting tensions between Hooper Mayor Sheri Bingham and the City Council, which have played out publicly in meetings and work sessions.
At the heart of the council’s move to strip Bingham of her mayoral powers — and effectively change the way in which Hooper city government operates — was her decision not to retain the city’s attorneys. Council members also stated that Bingham had refused to place certain items on meeting agendas and created new positions at the city without the council’s input.
During the meeting, Bingham addressed these and other issues. Regarding the search for new or permanent legal representation, the mayor cited compliance with state law, noting that attorneys Brandon and Reed Richards had not been under contract with the city. Bingham recently issued a request for proposals for new counsel.
The motion to table the potential shift of mayoral duties — until June 5 — was made by Councilman Ryan Hill, who opined that tensions within city government and among residents could be traced to a family dispute between Bingham and Councilman Dale Fowers, Hooper’s former mayor and Bingham’s brother.
“I’ve lived here since I was 5 years old and I’ve never seen the division quite as bad as it is right now,” Hill said. “I’m not pointing fingers and I’m not saying it’s anybody’s direct fault, but what I saw as a person running for office for the third term last November was a division I’ve never felt and seen before as long as I’ve lived here. That division originated from Sheri and Dale’s family. I mean, it is what it is; that’s the division that’s crept into our community.”
Ultimately, Fowers joined Hill and council members Lisa Northrop and Debra Marigoni in voting to table the ordinance, while Councilman Bryce Wilcox was the sole dissenting vote. Council members also vowed to come together behind closed doors and address their issues in the weeks to come.
Additionally, the council voted unanimously to reverse Bingham’s firing of the city’s attorneys and to reinstate them on an interim basis until the city completes the process of contracting permanent representation. Bingham also was directed to issue a formal apology. The council did not take action on an item related to the city planning commission.
Prior to the meeting, some residents expressed concern about the potential move to change the city’s government. Gene Larsen referred to the situation as “a total circus.”
“The City Council is trying to take away the rights of the mayor because they don’t agree with some of the things she’s done or hasn’t done,” Larsen told the Standard-Examiner. “It’s sad. It’s a sad state of affairs. That’s what’s going on in our little town.”
“This goes way back,” Lisa King said of the family dynamic in play. “There’s some bad blood, and I think that there’s some vitriol that’s being manifest in ways that don’t have anything to do with the city.”
Despite the attention Tuesday’s meeting drew, Bingham said what transpired was a positive development for the city and its public officials.
“I came home feeling really good about the meeting,” Bingham told the Standard-Examiner. “No one ever likes to feel like their dirty laundry is aired for everyone to see. So, that part — I will be honest — it makes me feel uncomfortable. But if this is what needs to happen for our city to move on and do better, then that’s good. That’s what needed to happen.”
Bingham added that she would “lead out” on correcting issues, opining that both she and the rest of the City Council have “things we need to work on together.” The mayor also said she was pleased to see the community turnout for the meeting.
“I think this resembled the heart of Hooper,” Bingham said. “We have a really good community. We have just outstanding residents who care about our community. So, they came.”
