Finding no genuine nutritious political 'red meat" in this morning's northern Utah news, we offer up this lo-calorie menu of selected news story morsels for today's Weber County Forum Light Lunch:
Gondola Non-news: In yet another Standard-Examiner reportorial oddity, we again read about an event that has not yet happened. We incorporate here the lead paragraphs from this morning's Standard-Examiner Top of Utah headline story:
OGDEN — A multimillion dollar proposal for a resort at Malan’s Basin and an elaborate gondola system may include significant changes before it is finalized, Mayor Matthew Godfrey said Monday.Let's see now.... a proposal which hasn't been even yet presented may be modified before it is finalized; but then maybe not. And the Boy Genius On Nine has no idea at all when the bumbling Chris Peterson, (who has been missing in action for the past several months,) will have anything to offer in the way of a substantive offer. "Could be years, actually," we infer from Boss Godfrey's snarky comment.
A final proposal from would-be developer Chris Peterson could be presented to the city in a matter of weeks or months, Godfrey said.
“There could be significant changes and there could be no changes,” he said, declining to speculate on details that may appear in the proposal.
Peterson could not be reached for comment.
It's this kind of gibberish that would lead the cynical among us to surmise that even Boss Godfrey and Chris Peterson are no longer talking to each other. This is a mite disappointing, we grumble, after Peterson's incessant year long 2006 propaganda blitz.
Query: Is there anyone left in Emerald City (aside from Boss Godfrey and the Geigers,) with an iota of confidence that Chris Peterson is the man who would have the capability to build the project that would be the next best thing to the "coming of the railroad" 1n 1869? We believe the evidence amply demonstrates Mr. Peterson is all talk - no action. "Big hat; no cattle;" as our friends in the magnificent Lone Star State would call it.
Junction Project Scheduled for Spring Opening: Five years after Boss Godfrey knocked down the shopping mall, parts of the ambitious downtown Junction project will finally be ready for operation in the spring of this year, meaning that Emerald City will at long last be able to generates some rental income to apply to our city's year-old revenue bond obligations, according to this morning's Scott Schwebke story.
Hansen Throws Hat into Mayoral Race: Amidst continuing pleas from the Emerald City citizenry for a formidible challenger to Boss Godfrey in the upcoming 2007 municipal election, we learn from this Std-Ex blurb that Representative Neil Hansen, elected five straight times to the Utah House District 9 seat, announces his candidacy for the Emerald City
What about it, gentle readers? Is Neil Hansen the man to send Boss Godfrey packing, and restore our wonderful city to peace, harmony and sanity?
For our own part... we like his candidacy a lot.
Dig in, gentle readers. We're sure that some of you must be harboring some pent-up thoughts, following this morning's inexplicable 8-hour host server outage. We appear to be back up and running now however, so we think now's the time to chime in, before the whole blogger.com host system goes bust again, heh-heh-heh.
Who will be the first to comment this Tuesday p.m.?
Update 1/9/07 3:54 p.m. MT: Alert and gentle reader "Mike Snow" graciously provides us an email heads-up on today's Kristen Moulten/Salt Lake Tribune article, adding much-needed professional reporting detail regarding the rapidly morphing yet still-embryonic Peterson Plan story.
Have the Emerald City Dysfunctional Duo & European Travelling Companion Combo (Godfrey and his goofy sidekick Chris P.) thrown in the towel on the concept of despoilng our Emerald City Crown Jewel? Will Chris Peterson be content to give up multi-millions of prospective real estate profits... and instead settle for owning a moronic downtown "hot in the summer - freezing in the winter" Emerald City amusement park ride?
We turn this latest story development over to our gentle readers for further discussion...
14 comments:
Peterson is a sham? Why have we allowed this sham to slowly desensitize us? He is killing us slowly. Doesn't "The Art of War" explain this tactic of slowly conquering your enemy with in-action, false info, speculation, etc?
Check the Trib's coverage on this one.
Caril here,
The Trib says: . . .Godfrey, in a meeting with The Salt Lake Tribune's editorial board, said Peterson may not buy the Mount Ogden Golf Course, as previously envisioned, and the developer may propose that he own - as well as operate - a gondola from downtown to the foothills.
This is, indeed, news!
People in previous posts have hinted that the Golf Course sale "is a done deal" or "is closer than we know." If they really know something, I'd like more details
One of the "benefits" of living with Godfrey is a great distrust of the man and his friends. Everything is suspect.
I can almost hear Bush saying, "You're doing a great job, Mattie."
I think its hilarious that Mayor Godfrey says "I don't think there's any doubt. It's my opinion the two will eventually connect." Even though it has been said many times and was reiterated again by Clint Ensign that "The two resorts will not connect". I think he put the "my opinion" part in just so he doesn't get sued by Sinclair. As for the comment that "it took Alta and Snowbird many years of operating as neighbors before they allowed skiers to pass between the resorts". You will see the consolidation of all four cottonwood resorts before you ever see a link from a rinky-dink resort as planned at Malan's to Snowbasin.
How come the Standard doesn't just ask Peterson to either shit, or get off the pot?
I think the best comments that came out of the mayor's interview with the Salt Lake Tribune are below. These comments say a lot about the man we have as mayor.
The first comment per the article,
"The mayor said Monday that he had committed to raising $5 million from private sources toward the costs, with the golf-course sale providing the remaining $20 million to $25 million." He's now finally admitting that the urban gondola is going to cost more than his original estimate. It’s about time! Let see 20mil to 25mil plus 5mil sounds a lot like 30mil to me and I would not be surprised to see it get a lot higher before we get the final number.
The real winner comments though are both below,
"Many residents in this northern Utah community of 78,000 - the mayor insists it's a majority - embrace the notion of a gondola from downtown linking to the foothills,"
and
Godfrey rejected the notion of allowing Ogden residents to vote - even in a nonbinding referendum - on the project he has described as the biggest thing to hit Ogden since the railroad in the 1800s.
"It would set a precedent for the public to vote on ............, subverting the democratic process", he said.
The first comment is negated by the second comment that shows his lack of confidence to let the decision go to the residents and ultimate payers of this boondoggle.
His later comment that allowing the vote would subvert the democratic process is reflective of his thoughts as to what democracy is all about. Now that he is in office and untouchable for the next twelve months he’s going to do what he wants and the hell with what the resident’s want. Godfrey have you ever read “Animal Farm”?
Just want to note that there still is in fact no "Peterson proposal." However, not to worry. The Mayor says one may appear "in weeks" or "months." And it may or may not involve buying the golf course. And maybe Mr. Peterson will build a downtown gondola too. Or maybe he won't. And maybe he still wants to buy the sixty acres of public land adjoining and up-slope from the golf course for up-scale housing. Or maybe he doesn't.
Well, glad the mayor finally cleared all that up.
Don't let Godfrey's indecisiveness fool you. He's just playing head games with the people who pay his wages -- just remember that when you vote next November if his name is on the ballot. Also remember his definition for democracy --"Don't let them vote! That's Godfrey-style Democracy!" My take on Peterson being unavailable is that his attorney, Ellison, told him to get lost and keep his mouth shut, because he was such an embarrassment and a liability they couldn't afford.
Don't doubt for a minute, that Godfrey and Chris are still making plans to ruin Ogden. They've got the City still working for them.
Since this is a somewhat miscellaneous thread, I'll take the opportunity to address an issue that everyone seems to have completely missed. Has anyone noticed that ogden is probably the lagest city in the country without a downtown post office. The definition of a town was based on the presence of a post office. To be granted a post office location was a celebration in a growing nation. Yet Ogden apparently allowed the USPS some years ago to costcut our magnificent downtown post office into oblivion. My understanding is that there is not a postmaster for Ogden. At least not at the 28th/Washington station. Can you believe that our "downtown" station is now located in a decayed strip mall, complete with extremely hazardous potholed parking lot. Let's not forget the empty dollar store next door. Does this piss anyone off!! Could Godfrey have the leadership nuts to demand our Downtown Post Office reinstated. We now see suburban post offices popping up all over with gleaming metal architecture and lots of glass, ample parking and well kept lawn. Compare to the Harrison/4600S station. What the hell is wrong with Ogden and it's leadership. If Ogden is reemerging will downtown be identified with a main post office. This is key to a pedestrian and vital city.
Anyone else given this any thought.
Who needs a post office when you have a gondola! Maybe Chris Peterson can build a post office at Malan's Basin. Only problem is there wont be any roads to it. Right Chris? Right?
tec,
I agree completely. Unfortunately, USPS has been abandoning downtown areas nationwide, in favor of suburban locations that offer easy auto access but are extremely hostile to pedestrians. I'm not sure how much say, if any, local elected officials have in these decisions. I hope USPS will eventually relocate the "downtown" Ogden post office to a pedestrian-friendly location a bit farther north. Meanwhile, isn't it ironic that most of the new housing that's being built downtown, and all of the new housing that will be part of the River Project, won't even be within walking distance of a post office? Closer proximity to the post office is one of many reasons to favor the recommended 26th Street transit corridor alignment, over the mayor's preferred 23rd Street alignment.
Did anyone ead the Tib's article about Matt Jone and Tarwater? What do you suppose that Greiner promisd Tarwater to do the investigation
Nancy
We've searched the SL Trib site, but can't find the article, Nnncy.
Do you have a link?
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4985794
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