Councilman denies resigning

 

SPRING CITY—Not even 1,000 feet.

That’s how far Cody Harmer has moved outside of Spring City limits.

That was enough for Mayor Cynthia DeGrey to say that as soon as Harmer did not maintain continuous residence in Spring City, his city council seat was “automatically vacated,” Harmer said.

“I wanted to continue to do the job, but I wasn’t given the option to do that,” Harmer said.

According to the city, Harmer resigned. In an interview with the Sanpete Messenger, Harmer said he wanted to “set the record straight.” [“I don’t want to think that people think I didn’t want to do the job anymore,” Harmer said.]

“I actually did not resign,” Harmer said. “My seat was vacated and taken from me because I sold my house and I moved outside city limits. … when I sold my house, I could not find a rental that was within Spring City’s boundaries, so I had to take something just outside of town for the time being.”

“I still have a business in Spring City; I still pay my utilities to Spring City, all of that stuff. It’s kind of a crappy thing, I think,” Harmer said. “I wasn’t given any option… I was just told that it was just automatic.”

Harmer, who was on the city council for six years, wants to continue to serve in elected office.

“I’ve got my eyes set on maybe running for county commissioner when a seat becomes available,” Harmer said.

Harmer said that he and his wife are not leaving Spring City.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Harmer said.

“We still own Das Café and I own property in Spring City … we’re just not living within Spring City boundaries is the only thing that’s changed.”

Harmer said the circumstances makes him “sad.”

“It’s my favorite job I have ever had is representing the people of Spring City and I feel like we’ve done a lot of good things and so I enjoyed it,” Harmer said. “One of the things that I loved about it was to look out for everybody and do everything legally and right and in the best interest of the people of Spring City… We’ve done amazing things with the fire department and amazing things with the city; I would have loved to continue my work there.”

“I love serving everybody,” Harmer said, mentioning how much he enjoys being on the fire department and involved with other entities.

“I need to find another capacity where I can serve my community,” Harmer said.

Harmer said the situation is “funny” because the council position is not high-paying.

“It’s $75 a month, so it’s really a volunteer position, so to not allow someone the opportunity to serve the community and serve the people there, it’s a little strange—you are turning down somebody’s volunteer help,” Harmer said.

Harmer is “waiting to get everything in order to build another house” and he has property.

“We very well could find ourselves within city limits within a few months,” Harmer said.

However, the law with city boundaries for running for city council is that you have to live in Spring City for 12 consecutive months, Harmer said.

“I would not be able to apply for candidacy in the spring for seats that are available, so it would literally be two years before I could run for council again,” Harmer said.

When asked at the end of the interview if he would like to comment further, Harmer said, “That’s about all I dare say.”

Harmer said he has his theories about not being on the council anymore, but if he was to share them, it may be “borderline slander.”

“There are a few people who are pleased to see my seat [vacated],” Harmer said. “You can’t make everybody happy when you do that job.”

Harmer said he doesn’t want to cause any controversy in Spring City.

“I’ve learned so much about life and service,” Harmer said about his “amazing experience” as a councilman.