Provo, Utah - City Administration

City Administration

Provo is administered by a seven-member city council and a mayor. Five of the council seats are elected by individual districts of the city, and two of the seats are elected by the city as a whole. These elected officials serve a term of four years, with elections alternating every two years. Provo has a "mayor council" so the mayor and the council are separate but equal branches of government. The mayor is equal to the executive as the council is equal to the legislative branch. The seats of council members Midge Johnson, Cynthia Dayton, and Sherrie Hall Everett were up for election in 2011. No incumbents were seeking re-election.

The current mayor of Provo is John Curtis, having been in office since January 5, 2010. In addition, Laura Cabanilla, Rick Healey, and Sterling Beck were elected to the council. Shortly after being elected, Council Member Cabanilla was deployed to active duty, leaving the council operating with six members.

Mayor John Curtis was a partner and the COO of Action Target, a Provo-based company which provides firearm training and products to police departments and military bases throughout the United States. His previous employers include OC Tanner and the Citizen Watch Company. He has also served on a number of community and advisory boards including the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce (now Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce), the Mountain Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Utah National Parks Council of the Boys Scouts of America, and the Utah Valley Healthcare Foundation.

Former police chief J. Craig Geslison, a 31-year veteran of the Provo Police Department, announced during an external investigation of the Provo Police Department, his retirement effective January 3, 2011. After a nationwide search for a new chief, Rick Gregory was selected and sworn in on June 28, 2011.