They Just Keep Going, Etc.

As more evidence of the current administration and city council's steely determination, John Wright reports that Ogden City has now hired a professional lobbyist to browbeat members of the Utah legislature into reinstating the condemnation power back to our Ogden RDA. Despite the wide grass-roots popularity of Senator Bramble's S.B. 184, (which stripped the eminent-domain power from the RDA toolbox last spring,) -- and various national polls that demonstrate overwhelming public opposition to the government use of the condemnation power for economic development (in the neighborhood of 95%,) our Ogden City government still continues to "persevere" and blindly "move forward."

It's a short article, so I'll just incorporate it in full:

OGDEN -- City officials have hired a lobbyist, at a cost of $45,000, to represent their interests at the Utah Legislature.
Mayor Matthew Godfrey said the lobbyist, Robert Jolley, of Salt Lake City, will deal with a variety of issues on the city's behalf, including potential changes to state law concerning redevelopment areas and the use of eminent domain.
In the past, the city typically has sent an employee to the Capitol to act as an internal lobbyist, a practice Godfrey described as very disruptive.
Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill that eliminated eminent domain as a tool for redeveloping blighted areas.
The bill is blamed for stalling two Ogden projects -- the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter at 21st Street and Wall Avenue and the riverfront development project between 18th Street and 20th Street and Washington Boulevard and Kiesel Avenue.
"There's broad consensus across the state that some of the actions that were taken were damaging," Godfrey said. "My assumption is that will be a main topic this year, and he'll (Jolley will) be key to staying on top of that for us."
City Council Chairman Rick Safsten said the council is supportive of the administration's efforts to ensure that legislators understand Ogden's perspective on RDAs and eminent domain.
"We need this legislation to be able to move forward," Safsten said.
Jolley declined to comment.

I'll give these folks at the City Politburo and Chamber of People's Deputies due credit for one thing -- their actions certainly aren't poll-driven. I'm sure indeed that there is a "broad consensus" within the Utah League Cities and Towns echo-chamber, at least.

"The people be damned," says People's Deputy Safsten. "We're gonna edumacate the legislature this session, and edumacate them good!"

And what say our gentle readers about this? Will Comrade Safsten succeed in educating Senator Bramble and the rest of the state legislature this next go-round?