Last Night's Council Hijinks

I suppose it's time to offer a few more words about the ongoing Ernest Health flap, which has driven certain elements of our community into a complete tizzy. As you'll all recall, our new city council asked Ernest Health's front-man, Darby Brockette, a few basic questions during the January 10 RDA session -- simple stuff like "Who are you?" and "Does your company have the financial capacity to justify the RDA Board's going out on a $7 million limb?"

Our extremely well-paid city administrative staff had somehow "neglected" to ask the fundamental qualifying questions that any prospective partner, lender or investor would ask in any normal prospective business relationship, even though they'd been been negotiating for almost a year. When the RDA Board spoke up and exercised their sworn duties like actual adults two Tuesdays ago, all hell broke loose.

In the forefront was the local neoCON propaganda organ, which has been on a misinformation blitz all week, spinning the facts and flailing the new council members in the manner of an deranged angry nanny. For examples of true blistering one-sided journalism, you can check out the Std-Ex articles here, here and here . And according to the Standard-Examiner, Ernest Health is the best thing since sliced bread, as is "reported" in this reportorial hack-job, and this airheaded Std-Ex piece. Of course we assume that neither ace reporter Scott Schwebke nor the Std-Ex editors have actually had the opportunity to review the actual Ernest Inc. financials and bios either.

Remember: Wayne Ogden looked good to Ogdenites, until his house of cards came toppling down. Outward appearances can certainly decieve.

For sheer editorial snarkiness, today's lead editorial takes the cake. And the Std-Ex doesn't stop there. For an example of journalistic "piling-on," (ten yard penalty to the Std-Ex,) be sure to read Scott Schwebke's latest tall tale, also straight from today's edition. Schwebke is still hammering the meme that the RDA board was overly-aggresive at the 1/10/06 RDA session.

Anyone with the fortitude to plow throw the preceding barrage of Std-Ex rubbish will no doubt emerge with the distinct impression that the local newspaper of record has embarked on a mission from God -- GODfrey, that is. The propaganda spin machine is running full-tilt -- and the new council will be put in its rightful place -- at the foot of the throne of Matt Godfrey.

On another note, I attended last night's council session; and I have to give due credit to Bill Glasmann. He apologized last night for any offense that might have been taken by Mr. Brockette, real or perceived, without backing down on the need for more information. He conducted himself as a gentleman, and not a politician, and tried to make public amends for whatever feathers might have been ruffled. He didn't need to apologize, but he did so anyway. I believe that's the mark of a true gentleman, a man worthy of the Glasmann name. For the full text of Councilman Glasmann's comments, mouseclick the following link.

Last night's council meeting was quite the event, by the way, so I'll give you a quick rundown of the facts which are germane to this article .

Prior to the public comments session, Councilman Glasmann lightened the mood, holding up a kevlar flak vest which he'd no doubt borrowed from one of his friends in the Ogden Police Department. Being aware that he and the other new council members were about to endure a public grilling as a result of the stories spun all week by the Standard-Examiner, he used this simple prop effectively, drawing laughter from the crowd in the council chamber, thus setting a lighter tone for the evening.

Among the citizens who addressed the council were four women from the Ogden business community, each of whom has a significant financial stake in the redevelopment of downtown Ogden. Their comments were thoughtful and gentle. Their tone was non-hostile and non-confrontational. In a nutshell, they advised the new council to keep their minds open, and their eyes on the object of building a better Ogden. Curiously, each of them prefaced their comments with the disclaimer -- "you can't always believe what you read in the Standard-Examiner."

Also taking their place before the council podium were three city council election also-rans, Steve Prisbrey, Dori Moshure and Steve Larsen. This parade of defeated Godfrey lackeys were obviously Mayor Godfrey's "chosen" proxies for the evening, and their message naturally boiled down to the philosophy of taking the mayor's word for everything -- with no questions asked.

Gold's Gym's Gary Nielsen took his three minutes at the council podium, reminding the council that top corporate executives like Mr. Brockette are actually fragile and timid folk, little flowers who wither like schoolgirls when subjected to any form of questioning. The best tactic, Mr. Nielsen advised, with a completely straight face, is "grovelling." Dori Moshure also chimed in on this theme, to the utter amusement of almost everyone in the room.

The highlight of last night's session, was Mayor Godfrey's short statement. Responding to charges that his administration had failed to provide all the information requested by Board members prior to the January 10 RDA Board debacle, he forthrightly announced that he and his well-paid staff had indeed responded to every information request that the council had sought -- everything that had been put into writing, that is.

That's right, folks. Mayor Godfrey seems now to be hiding behind an obscure council procedure which was practiced on the former "gang of six." The administration only responds to written information requests. Verbal requests will apparently be ignored completely. Rather than step forward and voluntarily offer all the pertinent information to a "green" council, in order to actively promote his latest pet project, Mayor Godfrey honors a bureaucratic rule of procedure plainly designed to isolate the council from the administration. And there we have it: bureaucracy at its best. Two branches of a city government operating inside the same downtown building, who will only exchange information via chains of written communication. Somehow the whole posture has an other-worldly quality to it, like something from a bizarre inside-out sci-fi universe, I think -- or maybe an old Monty Python skit.

As councilman Glasmann wryly remarked last night, our local busybodies at the local ski apparel company seem to have ready round the clock access to every business that Mayor Godfrey is courting. Yet Godfrey wouldn't even schedule a private meeting with council leadership. Something's rotten in the land of Oz, I believe. The new council obviously has plenty of work on its hands. This procedural rule (which none of the new council knew about, despite months of intensive "training") is something that needs to be addressed forthwith. Lots of changes need to be made here in MattGodfreyWorld, I think.

I could go on and on, but I believe it's time to turn this thread over to our gentle readers, who always know what's best. Is there anyone out there who attended last night's event who'd like to fill in all the information that I've left out? Do any non-attendees have any comments or questions?

The floor is open for your gentle comments.