SALT LAKE CITY — In the months since Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski requested nearly all city department heads and mayoral staff to submit resignation letters, two department heads have left City Hall.

Jill Remington-Love, former director of community and economic development, and Jeff Niermeyer, longtime director of the public utilities department, voluntarily stepped down from their positions when former Mayor Ralph Becker exited office.

But their resignations weren't determined by Biskupski. The mayor's spokesman said the two directors stepped down before Biskupski had time to consider keeping them at City Hall.

"We wish them well and thank them for their years of service," Matthew Rojas said.

Biskupski announced Friday that three department heads will be staying: City Attorney Margaret Plane, Justice Court Director Curtis Preece, and Finance Director Gina Chamness.

The mayor also announced former Salt Lake City Council candidate Nate Salazar, who ran unsuccessfully against now City Councilman Derek Kitchen, will be working in her office as community liaison.

"My office will continue to be open and transparent as we work to build a team to serve the people of Salt Lake City," Biskupski said in a prepared statement. "This is a deliberate process, and the people of Salt Lake City and city employees should know these decisions are being made with the utmost care and will be made in a manner than ensures a smooth transition."

In November, Biskupski called for resignation letters from all department heads except interim Police Chief Mike Brown and Fire Chief Brian Dale. Remaining positions still under consideration are:

• Airport executive director
• Information management director
• Emergency management program director
• Human resources director
• Public services director
• Redevelopment Agency executive director
• 911 Dispatch Bureau director

David Everitt, former chief of staff under Becker, credited Niermeyer with preventing an environmental disaster in 2010 when crude oil spilled from a Chevron pipeline, contaminating Red Butte Creek and flowing into Liberty Park pond.

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"It was his quick thinking and his intimate knowledge of the way our stormwater drain system works that really did save the day," Everitt said, since the oil was prevented from reaching the Jordan River or the Great Salt Lake wetlands.

As for Remington-Love, Everitt said she brought "energy and fearlessness" to City Hall in her various roles over the years.

Prior to being appointed to director of community and economic development by Becker in March last year, Remington-Love served as Becker's deputy chief of staff, as well as 12 years on the Salt Lake City Council, from 2002 to 2014.

"Both are just incredible examples of what public service is all about," Everitt said.

A replacement for Remington-Love has not yet been chosen, but Biskupski announced Niermeyer's successor Thursday.

Mike Reberg, who has managed various organizations in local and federal government throughout his career and currently serves on the board of directors for the conservation group Save Our Canyons, will start as the new public utilities director on Feb. 1.

"In selecting the director of public utilities, I was focused on finding an individual with a high degree of management experience in the public sector, a proven record of environmental stewardship, and a demonstrated commitment to customer service," Biskupski said in a prepared statement.

But as for the other department heads, Biskupski is still considering who will stay and who will go.

"We'll release that information when we're ready, " Rojas said. "We're doing this on a case-by-case basis. (The mayor) wants the opportunity to work with a lot of these individuals and evaluate their roles for City Hall."

In total, Biskupski requested resignation letters from 34 positions — 12 department heads and 22 mayoral staff. However, only 11 individuals submitted resignation letters, Rojas said.

When the resignation letters were requested, some city employees were concerned that if they resigned they would forfeit severance packages that they would otherwise receive if they were terminated. But Rojas said Biskupski's staff emailed a clarification to employees that their severance packages were protected with resignation.

"We have no idea why individuals chose not to submit letters of resignation," he said. "It was their choice."

Of the 11 resignation letters, Biskupski has so far accepted two, both coming from the mayor's office: Michael Stott, who has served as the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, and Shawn McDonough, a community liaison. Salazar will be replacing McDonough, but Stott's replacement has not yet been announced.

But as is common with administrative transitions, the majority of the mayor's staff has been replaced.

Only two exceptions have thus far been announced: Biskupski is retaining Lynn Pace, senior adviser for intergovernmental affairs, and Yolanda Francisco-Nez, coordinator or the Office of Diversity & Human Rights.

Previously, Biskupski announced appointments of Patrick Leary as chief of staff and David Litvack as deputy chief of staff.

Also among the new appointees are Jennifer Seelig, a former Democratic leader in the Utah House, and Holly Mullen, a former journalist who recently served as executive director at the Rape Recovery Center.

Seelig will serve as director of community relations, and Mullen was named deputy communications director, according to Biskupski's website.

Rojas, who served nine years as director of membership for Lambda Legal, the nation's largest LGBT legal rights organization, has taken over as director of communications.

Simone Butler, who worked on Biskupski's election campaign, has been named executive assistant to the mayor. The mayor's office manager will be Robin Pratt, who has served in administrative capacities at several nonprofit organizations over the past year.

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