A Reader Challenge: Be An Emerald City Philosopher-king for a Day

By Moroni McConkie

Now that the mayoral race is on, we need to know which candidate can implement and execute a smart plan to revive Ogden's fortunes. The current mayor has acknowledged that Ogden needs more high-paying jobs and laments that his own siblings had to leave Weber County to earn a decent living, yet his preposterous gondola obsession has proved that he doesn't have the wherewithal to be the player we need.

Historically, Ogden never had to grapple with how to become great. Its golden goose, the railroad, was not the end-result of a chamber of commerce campaign or a major tax credit scheme from a legislature; it was a historical accident. When the golden goose died, Ogden's principal economic pylon collapsed. So Ogden has no tradition of figuring out how to jump-start its fortunes.

I'm disturbed that Ogden can't supply its citizens with many essential services. All the legal work for Union Square was handled by Salt Lake firms. The elegant Wattis house on Eccles Ave. is being restored by experts from Salt Lake. There's not even a Weber Club anymore; Ogden society now heads for Salt Lake's Alta Club. For Ogden to be truly great, it must be able to supply these kinds of needs from within.

It's not at all clear that becoming the outdoor sports hub we're reputed to be can make Ogden appreciably richer. What would it take to attract major economic engines? How do other cities do it? Is it a matter of federal largesse? Could WSU gear up to become more of a research park-type magnet for federal money than it presently is? What kind of industries could we get? Health care? Financial services? Insurance?

The arrival of the FrontRunner in 2008 offers a means to reinvigorate Ogden. Instead of merely being a place of embarcation to Davis and Salt Lake Counties, could Ogden market itself as a reverse-commuting destination? Could we attract industries and employers that would get white-collar commuters from Davis going north instead of south? Could we create a retail and entertainment district that would induce the consumers of Brigham City, Logan, and even Idaho to stop here instead of continuing on to Salt Lake? Does this mayor's hostility to alcohol and Sunday hours preclude entertainment forums that would attract the big spenders?

I believe a suitable mayor would've long ago begun scheming to advertise Ogden as a cool and fun (and ideally, even lucrative) destination via the FrontRunner. Is there any sign of such effort? (No, because it would detract from the gondola.) The silence from City Hall is deafening.

What would each of our gentle readers do if he/she were Ogden's philosopher-king?