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Show S.L Commission Holds Spotlight With Firing and Reorganization ;i Salt Lake City Commission this week held the news spotlight spot-light with its firing of Chief of : Police W. Cleon Skousen and reassignment of three depart-! depart-! ment heads. In rapid fire order this is what happened: ; By a three to two vote of the ; commission a move by Mayor J. j Bracken Lee to dismiss the police po-lice chief was approved. Voting with the mayor were Commissioner Commis-sioner J. K. Piercey and Ted L. Guerts. Voting against the action were Commissioners Joe L. ; Christensen and L. C. Romney. Later that day Mr. Skousen j went on radio and television to tell his side of events which led to his dismissal. This included charges that Mayor Lee did not want strict law enforcement in ; Salt Lake City. The mayor said that the former chief would not carry out his orders. The mayor, prior to the Wednesday reorganization, reorgani-zation, was head of the Public Safety Department and in charge of the police department. Wednesday the Commission was reorganized with former Water Commissioner Piercey taking the Public Safety Department De-partment and Mr. Geurts taking over the water department. Mayor May-or Lee became Finance Commissioner, Com-missioner, the post previously held by Mr. Geurts. Commissioner Piercey said he would at once begin a search for a new police chief and said the former chief, nor Capt. L. C. Crowther, who is serving as temporary tem-porary chief, would be under consideration for the post. A front runner in speculation over the post was Dale R. Curtis, former FBI man and a candidate for sheriff of Salt Lake County on the Republican ticket in 1958. |