It's been nearly a year since we warned about Boss Godfrey's new scheme to generate massive city revenue by wringing-out "fines" from Ogden citizens, through Boss Godfrey's new Ogden Justice Court. "The new court will be a cash cow", neoCon City Administrator Mark Johnson gleefully exclaimed, during a Salt Lake Tribune interview last year.
Well, the newly-remodeled court is almost ready for business, as the Standard-Examiner reported last week. All that that's needed now is a steady stream of hapless citizens to be processed through the court turnstiles, unceremoniously relieved of their cash, and released out the back door, with a kick in the butt and a cheery "Thanks for doing business with Ogden City... do come back again!"
And the other necessary component of this grand revenue-raising scheme is also near-complete. In order to generate the projected massive revenue, Boss Godfrey has concocted a truly evil scheme to keep the court's massive numbers of court "customers" coming back. He's already doubled the number of "traffic officers," as this morning's Troy Arrowsmith guest editorial reports, and instituted a salary-tied citation quota system. And he intends to increase the citation quotas even more in the future. Business will truly be booming in the new Ogden Justice Court, we think.
OPBA president Arrowsmith cuts to the chase and identifies the core problem, in a few short paragraphs:
In 2005, Ogden officers had to write in excess of 20,000 citations just to get their wages to feed their family. This means that every man, woman and child who are Ogden citizens will receive a citation, at a minimum, every few years.And Officer Arrowsmith doesn't slow down or mince words in his concluding paragraph:
Are your elected city officials representing your views on this? Is this fair to you? Why are they trying to raise funds in such an underhanded way? Your elected officials are using the police department as a revenue generating machine instead of the job we were sworn to do: public safety.
Are your elected officials truly serving you by forcing officers to watch a stop sign in hopes that they reach their ticket quota and get a raise? We feel that as police officers we swore an oath to protect and serve the citizens of Ogden. We feel that this not only means that we protect you against criminals, but in rare occasions such as this, we must protect you against your elected officials. We need your help, and ask that you call Mayor Godfrey and your City Council members and let them know that you support your police officers in this endeavor. [Emphasis added.]And what say our gentle readers about all this? Will we sit back and dawdle, while Ogden's Finest are morphed by Boss Godfrey into a motley pack of collection agents with badges? Will we tolerate our great City's continued path toward having the lowest-paid police force in the west? Sending your email protests to the Ogden City Council would be a good start, for those gentle readers who don't relish these prospects. And showing up to offer your support for our police officers at tonight's council meeting (where OPBA representatives will again petition the council for a re-visit of the salary issue) wouldn't be a bad idea either.
Comments, anyone?
What are our gentle readers thoughts on this issue?
20 comments:
I am intrigued with today's SE article re carbon monoxide detector legislation considered by Ogden.
This is another money raising scheme for the new Justice Court.
My thinking is that anyone who does not presently have a detector in their dwelling is not going to bother to replace the batteries in any detector when they go dead.
If the new ordinance is written so that the detector has to be connected to electricity then Ogden can write in a fine for Utah Power for failure when there is a power outage.
How would the City enforce this ordinance without hiring new Smoke Detector Enforcers?
When are we going to get an ordinance regulating how low britches can be worn on the backside--it makes about as much sense.
Yeah, to hell with those CO2 monitors....what's a life worth these days, anyway?
And, heaven forbid, why would we want ANY revenue coming into our town, like Garcia is concerned with. We have enough money in the hopper already. Who needs more?
Wow, his commentary sounds more like the stuff we here on this board. Sure hope he is able to back up the quota comments or he might end up losing any credibility he might have.
Actually mayor Matthew Godfrey should not be called “Boss Mayor”...Give him Credit where credit is due. The real Title is “Boss Hogg Matthew Godfrey”.
Like that Dukes of Hazards county.
I would lay odds that if you got a search warrant on Matthew Godfrey’s home you would find the entire collection of the Dukes of Hazards on video, and possibly not a picture of the prophet Gordon B. Hinckley on his den wall but, a picture of Boss Hogg himself as the Mentor for the Mayor.
Don't worry boys, Uncle Jesse is on the case!
In addition to Boss Hogg, I be bettin the little ol mayor also has a nudie picture of Daisy Duke in his desk drawer under his most recent copy of the "New Era" magazine.
All of you are forgetting that the mayor is for less regulations, less government, and less government employees. Yea Right!!!!!
Please don't pick on my brohter-in-law, 3rd cousin twice removed.
Seems like there is an implication that this conspiracy has been going on since the mayor was elected 6 1/2 years ago. To finally culminate in this method to raise revenue by increasing ticket writing at the same time as opening a justice court.
I doubt very many people are smart enough to work out that complicated of a conspiracy let alone politicians. But if you guys hold the mayor in that high regard inteligence wise, then good for the mayor.
The truth of the Matter is Mayor Godfrey is all that smart, no matter how cleaver he may think of himself. Sounds just like Boss Hogg, very few of Boss Hogg scheme every go according to plan. Both have little man syndrom. Both have the top Law enforcement officer in their pockets. And most of the community really don't trust either of them.
Oh by the way here is a Webb site that depicts Ogden as Ogdenville. This was produced by Fox Media. It is several years old but it is very canny to lift/Ogden
Lift/Ogdenville Hollywood
When I hear people saying; “the Cops shouldn’t have used the blue flue.” The blame is the Mayor and the majority of the City Council. These cops deal with the worst people of society. Cops shouldn’t have to fight for their economic life also.
Mayor Godfrey is an embarrassment to his political party, religion, and his city.
When I hear people saying; “the Cops shouldn’t have used the blue flue.” The blame is the Mayor and the majority of the City Council. These cops deal with the worst people of society. Cops shouldn’t have to fight for their economic life also.
Mayor Godfrey is an embarrassment to his political party, religion, and his city.
What do you mean that he is an embarrassment to his political party. This is the essence of the hard nosed political party that he belongs to.
Just read the bloggs on this Webb page that are written by "patriotic" .
Why do you think that the Camber of Commerce backs him up and the Board of Realtors and the Ogden City Council?
You haven’t heard the Utah Republican Party denounce him yet? Have you over these 5 plus years?!!!
Matt Godfrey is an embarassment to the human race let alone any political affiliation. The republicans wouldnt touch him with a ten foot pole. The guy is a decietful vindictive little man. And patriotic is an embarrasment also.
I nominate the sitting City Council tonight who passed the smoke detector law without any discussion to be known as the Gestapo 7.
Shades of Adolf Hitler! if they want police going into homes to be safe from carbon monoxide then buy each police person a belt detector and leave us poor homeowners alone to take care of ourselves.
The police need a meth detector much worse so why didn't the Council do something bout that?
The sneakiest part of the whole deal is that they will only ticket a homeowner if they are in the home for another reason and discover the smoke detector is missing.
This is a money raiser in disguise if you look at the fines they voted for.
This thing turns my stomach.
Carbon Monoxide detectors for all!!! This is another money maker for the Godfrey jaugernaut with the close cooperation of his little spineless pal Fire Chief Mike Mathieu, if you can make a spin on an unfortunate event, we can make a ton of money for the half assed schemes that the administration dreams up and that need to be passed by the neutered City Council. Oh, by the way we'll screw the Cops and Fire Fighters while we are doing it, as long as it doesnt cut into Mathieu's retired in place giant heavy compensation program.
Welllll, actually the City Council did not pass the CO2 detector law tonight.
In fact there was a lot of discussion on the thing. Way too much actually. Everybody had their very own CO2 story, and the damn thing went on and on and on and on.
The biggest surprise of the evening, and perhaps the entire history of this council, is that the supreme numb skull Stephenson actually had some very smart comments about the whole bill.
His concerns and objections surrounded the "slippery slope" aspect of big brother government intruding into our lives. He also strongly objected to the draconian fines that were proposed to be attached to this bill.
The upshot is that the bill was tabled for further discussion and mitagation of these offensive fines for non compliance.
So Stephenson saved the day! He is still a completely clueless dolt, but he did have one brief shining moment tonight.
When CO detectors were suggested for all firefighters and policeat a Council meeting recently...Deity answered that the fire trucks have 'one' and that it is not necessary for each cop to have one as the cops always have the paramedics on the scene.
Well, the 3 cops who were overcome and came so close to death...were at the scene by themselves when they entered a dwelling where a man had died of CO poisoning in his own home.
No one to warn them...no detectors worn, and no firefighters at the scene when they went in to investigate an at home death.
Yes, Godfrey is a disgrace and an insult to all that is decent.
He has never had the welfare of the citizens of this city in any of his plans. Only what makes HIM feel good and powerful.
We must defeat him. Pray that the Council will not vote to amend the general plan.
Is Thomas leading over Greiner???
I was an election judge in democrat country. Only one voter affiliated with the Republican party so they could vote in the County Commissioner race.
The Primary determines who will be on the Nov ballot...but so few understand that.
Dopey Democrats....wouldn't vote cuz they were so damned ignorant!!!
Just looked at the election results.
I'm heartsick. I can't believe Greiner received so many votes.
Look for yet another stooge for Godfrey.
I hope that every time a cop hands out a ticket to make the quota, they say to the recipient, "Sorry...you don't really deserve this. I have to feed my family. You are free to protest to the mayor and Chief Greiner."
And with Ashton on the bench...bet nobody gets off.
To all the police and fire, here is a real question to think about.
Remember when Jesse Garcia made a run for the office of Mayor.
And many of you supported him personally!
Where was he when you needed his support?
On the city Council all during this time?
Was he there for you?
Now you know his true colors and where his true allegence lies.
We need to find out where the candidates for Weber County Commission stand on this issue? We don’t need another repeat on the county level. We need to hold them responsible if they treat the cops the same way as the Mayor and Council did!!!
Jon Greiner and Sturt Reid - BOTH Matthew Godfrey people. We really have a choice here.....
How about a write-in campaign for Curmudgeon?
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