HOT SEAT: Based on legal advice, we have decided not to pursue our case against the Ogden City Council over public access to applications for a vacant council seat. Instead, we will work to close what I call a loophole in the state's Government Records Access Management Act that allows for applications for appointment to an elected position to be treated the same as regular job applications with a government entity.As an added bonus, Editor Howell throws in some anecdotal information -- and some sage advice -- for those who have future political aspirations in our 21st-century information age:
What concerns me, however, is that during negotiations with theA Weber County Forum Tip o' the Hat to the Standard-Examiner for having kept the City Council's feet to the fire on the GRAMA denial issue. And we agree with the editors' ultimate decision. It's time to apply the Std-Ex's legal resources productively, we think, in a manner best calculated to prevent the occurrence of similar problems in the future.
city, it was mentioned that some of the 39 applicants feared they and their
supporters would be harassed by bloggers if their applications were made public.
My advice to these applicants is if you can't stand the heat, stay out
of Ogden politics.
As for Mr. Howell's sage advice, we couldn't have said it better ourselves. Political insiders, machine-cronies and back-room dealers, who've become accustomed over the years to dealing in secrecy, are now put on notice that the lunpntownsfolke will continue to shine a very bright light on the doings of our local government. Public scrutiny ain't necessarily harrassment, by the way.
And in our own cranky way, we'll re-phrase Andy's sage advice slightly, in our own decidedly UN-diplomatic way:
Cockroaches don't like the light of day, and will scurry away when you pick up whatever it was they were hiding under. So long as electrons continue to flow back and forth along the internet information highway, we'll continue to shine a very bright light on everything our public servants do.
That goes double for the six-legged varieties.
14 comments:
How nice to get a tip o' the hat from Andy Howell!
One could surmise that those 30+ scaredy-cat applicants for the Council seat read the blog?
If so, then they should have taken note that we always give a hat tip to the good guys..and, yeah, the bad guys don't fare too well on here.
Cockroaches can't stand the lite...(hand out new batteries, Dorrene), but critters who hide under rocks 'bug' us too.
The SE editor hit it right on the head on this one. If you stand for public office [any elected public office], you become by the very act of standing for the office a "public person." If you don't want to deal with the scrutiny and public contact [some of which will be, I grant, discourteous or even downright nasty], then don't stand for the office.
The willingness of candidates and office holders to come under public scrutiny more or less continually and to deal with the occasional hot-headed profanity- spewing constituent should garner them --- yes, even the ones I disagree with mostly, and yes, that means even Republicans --- a measure of respect from the citizenry.
You're getting soft, Curm...getting soft.
As one of the people who applied for the open city council position I would like to say:
Thank heavens I didn't get picked. Those people work way too much (and much of it is a waste of time, in my opinion). Anyway, Susie looks to be just dandy. Somebody good got picked who wasn’t me – the best outcome.
In the beginning I didn't care if my resume was made public, and I never asked for it to be kept private, but I appreciated the city council keeping it private all the same. I thought it was a nice gesture. I have to wonder what you people are so curious about.
Once again the idiots at the SE got it wrong. Here we have all these important issues in this community and this triviality is what they focus on, and on, and on. Andy Howell says, “My advice to these applicants is if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of Ogden politics.” OK Andy. Since you’re a public figure and public figures should be willing to take the heat, how’s this: You are a complete idiot who doubtless got your job, silly as it is, by kissing or knowing the right person. Go lick some more boots and see if you can find something interesting to write about once in awhile like the real reporters work for real newspapers. How’s that, Andy? And do let us see your resume, which is what, about three lines on a page, in crayon?
Really, what we are dealing with here is a bunch of lightweights who want to feel like patriots, exercising one of their presumed “rights” that they think is at risk, while overlooking the many and much more important rights that are being trampled to dust every day. Either that or it’s just an ego trip for a bunch of losers who are pissed when they ask for something and don’t get it.
And I don’t appreciate the fact that the council showing some consideration for us candidates leads to us being branded as “cockroaches” scurrying from the light, especially since I never asked for such consideration. We need good people to step forward. Telling them to plan for regular halogen illuminated rectal exams under pain of accusation of being hoods doesn’t help such people feel like stepping forward.
Try to focus on the big issues folks, to work to sustain our rights and privileges as free people, to support good folks who are on our side, and save the snide remarks for useful purposes – you know, like this.
Well, Applicant, I feel your pain. You've made some good points.
It is true that the Council has too many meeitngs...and too much time is expended on them. The Layton Council does not have as many meetings, and they only have 5 Council members to oversee a city almost as large as Ogden.
No one is putting on a glove and asking you to bend over and cough. If You had run for a Council seat in the elction of '05...for Glasmann's seat, perhaps....you would have participated in 'meet the candidate ' meetings...I'm presuming. You would have published campaign literature with your qualifications for all to read.
I rec'd a NEW one almost every day from Greiner, it seemed!
VOTERS have a right to know who is seeking to represent them. When Glasmann resigned, the VOTERS did not have any say in his replacement. If you recall, those of us who attended the two 'paring down' Council meetings, didn't have any say then, either.
We could, and most did, email the City Council with suggestions. But, we were stymied there also. Unless we actually were acquainted with the applicants, we couldn't put in our 2 cents then!
So, it wasn't unreasonable for the folks to want to know who y'all are.
There were several of you who applied whom I thought could/should have been selected.
Thank you so much for applying. It was impressive to see how many informed, community minded people we have in Ogden who are willing to step up to the plate.
I don't know you, I guess, but thank you for wanting to serve. Perhaps you already do, on committees?
I'm really beginning to resent all of the bad blogging that cockroaches are receiving, after I'll I've done to metamorph their reputation. Besides, you are mixing your kitchen metaphors -- either it is cockroaches scurrying or it is too hot.
With that said, civic involvement even it seems to be a surreal trial at times, is apparently a necessity or we might turn into SoCal sleazy, which is far worse than any insect.
Please, lighten up on the cockroaches.
No, no, no, Franz.
Not "mixed" metaphors...
Two entirely different metaphors.
Whereas Andy Howell invoked the familiar "too much heat in the kitchen" metaphor, we substituted the "cockroaches hate light' metaphor.
The latter, of course has been a common literary theme throughout the 19 month history of Weber County Forum. We also prefer it because of its more visceral qualities. And "too much heat in the kitchen" is a little bit trite too, dontcha think?
We will concede that we were tempted for a moment to tinker with Andy Howell's metaphor, and point out the problem in the Emerald City Big Scheming Kitchen was actually not not enough "heat," but rather not enough light."
In the interest of bandwidth, however, we just switched mataphors, and dropped the kitchen reference entirely.
Now back to "literary device reference 101" with you, Franz.
The real Franz Kafka is probably rolling in his grave over your cross-comparitive blunder.
And if there's ANY literary ghost you don't want to piss off, it's gotta be Franz Kafka's.
Well well,
It looks like that most of the bloggers just don't get it. What the paper is saying that when you do put you hat in the ring for a public office you are now in the public light and as such what gives the city and better yet bill cook the authority to with hold that info from the public and where in the law does it state that a person that is applying for the seat needs a resume? I always thought and correct me if I’m wrong that a person’s qualification was that he or she needs to be 18 years of age and a registered voter and a resident of the area that he wants to represent. Pres JFK said it best “that no man is qualified to be pres. until he is elected to be pres.” so why the resume? Because some one is given a piece of paper that says that he or she has a degree does not give them common cense? So I think that the paper was right and that all info should have be released to the public and especially the newspaper that is the eyes and ears of the community.
"So I think that the paper was right and that all info should have be released to the public and especially the newspaper that is the eyes and ears of the community."
Bingo!
And to the little S***head (applicant)who complained that Andy Howell hasn't released his resume either...
We'll remind our commentator that Andy Howell has never applied to be appointed to elective public office, in the same manner that "applicant" did.
Should Andy ever do so, we're convinced, based on numerous private transactions that have revealed to us Andy's unimpeachable integrity...
We predict that he would reveal his application information in a New York Minute...
And that he would not would not try, in such a circumstance, to hide behide a veil of privacy.
On a somewhat related matter....
Charles Trentelman has a column this morning on Ogden City's policy of "investing" so to speak in the good health of its employees, and the benefits [both medical and financial] that have resulted for both the City and its employees. Trentelman provides some interesting numbers to back his point. Click here for the article.
Wow,
Did anyone notice the number of jobs available in the paper today. Five full pages and not just minimum wage positions either.
Lift Ogden, we have a problem in this town, not enough people to fill all of the positions available out there!
Hello! Anyone with a subscription to the S-E. Please! Curmudgeon or Dian or Dan....there was an article on Thursday, Nov 30 or Wednesday, Nov 29 concerning the snowpack in the Rockies over the last 50 years. Could anyone please post a link to this article? I think it is very important to our cause, especially the part about ski resorts at lower altitudes being the most affected. Good stuff! Thank You!
At your service, anonymous:
Expert: Rockies snowpack shrinking
(Curmudgeon also posted this link in a lower comments section on November 30.)
Two more global warming/winter sports links:
Global warming sends a chill through winter sports
Alison Gannett
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