There is a new boulder in the stream that is Eagle Mountain.

Council members on Tuesday unanimously voted to hire John Hendrickson as the city's new administrator.

Forty-eight people had applied for the position, and that number was whittled to two in late February. Council members interviewed both candidates at that time and announced on Tuesday that they chosen Hendrickson, 63, of Sandy.

After the announcement, Hendrickson said he would be a rock in the political turmoil of the city, which has never seen a mayor serve a full term.

"People have commented that the city has had its own political turmoil," he said. "Sometimes that is the best place to go to work if there is a commitment to get past those rough days. I think one has to be the boulder in the stream, and not be moved by the turmoil."

His first professional action will be to listen, he said. He will spend the next two weeks meeting the staff and discovering the priorities of the City Council.

Mayor Don Richardson said the city was "very, very fortunate" to have Hendrickson.

Hendrickson thanked council members for their unanimous approval of his contract, saying "that makes me feel good."

"I am hoping we improve as a team and just make this the greatest place to live," he said.

Hendrickson said he first served as city administrator in Payson in 1975, and has since managed cities in Utah, Idaho and California. He said he has no immediate plans to move to Eagle Mountain because of family issues.

Improving the city's economic viability will be one of the city's top priorities, he said.

"We really need to work on that vision and ask what really works, what is realistic, what can be done and how we are going to improve that capacity," he said, noting the city needs a diverse and well-balanced economic base. "If you are only working on residential property taxes, that is a pretty thin margin to work on."

Hendrickson also said he would work to ensure the city's financial footing.

"I have never left a city in a fiscally worse position than when I came," he said. "I have always improved it fiscally."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.