Right on schedule, Friday morning has rolled around once again, so we thought we'd launch a weekend kickoff discussion by devoting the top paragraphs of this space to a couple of items that have been simmering on the Weber County Forum back-burner since early this week.
Lawn Sign Wars. We've had a few comments in earlier comments sections about the mysterious disappearance of non Godfrey-branded 2007 election candidate lawn signs, and the sudden proliferation of the veritable dandelion patch of those gawdawful Boss Godfrey signs, which are suddenly blooming throughout the East Bench neighborhoods of our beloved Emerald City. Lawn sign vandalism is nothing new in Emerald City of course. We get reports of instances of it during every election season. Earlier this week however we received a report with a unique twist. As you'll read below, one mayoral candidate, Neil Hansen, seems to have possibly caught a perpetrator red-handed:
In that connection, we obtained an interesting public document earlier this week. We post it without further editorial comment, except to say that we think it may shed some light on the above-mentioned "lawn sign disappearance mystery."
It will be interesting to follow this story, as it winds its way into the courts system. Indeed, it will be interesting to see whether it winds up in the court system at all.
Best Ogden Lawn Signs. Secondly -- and sticking to the lawn sign topic for the moment -- we include to the right a less than perfect photo image of a most excellent mayoral campaign lawn sign, planted smack dab in the middle one Emerald City citizen-activist's front yard. Our crack Weber County Forum team of award-winning photojournalists (we gave ourself an award this morning, just as the Std-Ex does) captured the image yesterday, while prowling the Emerald City east bench like Diogenes the Cynic, searching in vain for a lawn sign of a candidate other than Boss Godfrey, Royal Eccles and Kent Petersen. We'll also offer that we agree in substance with the political message expressed in this very creative use of a white bed sheet. "Anybody but Godfrey" is one danged fine political motto, we think.Tourist Trap Hot-spot. We also spotlight here a front page article appearing in this morning's Standard-Examiner, reporting that Emerald City is now an "officially recognized" tourist hot spot. Hotel receipts and tax revenues are up for the year, thanks in part to a new "transient tax" -- and aggressive room rate gouging, of course. We suppose this story is good news for Ogden however, now that we're
Godfrey-lemming Endorsement. We'll also direct our readers' attention to the latest Godfrey Letter Mill candidate endorsement letter, which points to the website of Royal "Pain" Eccles, Blessed Boss Godfrey's personally-ordained candidate for the open At-large Council Seat "C." This one's a true work of art. In apparent awareness of the Std-Ex policy against publication of candidate endorsement letters, this "masterpiece" of Godfreyite misdirection is cunningly framed as a candidacy withdrawal announcement. "What's the matter with these Godfreyites anyway," we ask. Don't they realize that this particular Std-Ex policy is regularly ignored by Std-Ex editors, and honored most often in its breach? Like all Godfreyites, these guys don't get out much, except for the Gondola Cult meetings, that is.
Community Bitch Session. And as a demonstration of our WCF community-mindedness we link below notice of a public meeting which will be held next week. Emerald City residents who've grown accustomed to having gravel and chunks of rusty metal dribbling out their culinary watertaps have been graciously offered an invitation to gather together with selected Emerald City officials to "spout off" about the condition of our water system. Lumpencitizens who believe that Boss Godfrey has completely dropped the ball in re our city water infrastructure should definitely put this one on their calendars and plan to attend. Don't forget your pitchforks and torches.
That's it for today, gentle readers.
Time for Weber County Forum's own to blow off some pre-weekend steam.
Update 8/25/07 7:32 a.m. MT: Emerald City Council communications specialist Chad Phares has transmitted to us a FAQ sheet PDF , concerning the August 28 town meeting mentioned in yesterday's above article. Our perusal of this informational document reveals that the city administration is indeed apparently on the verge of implementing a wholesale fee increase in monthly Emerald City water rates. Having since the year 2005 frittered away (to the Salomon Center Project) BDO revenue which had been previously and prudently earmarked for water and sewer infrastructure improvements, Boss Godfrey now evidently intends to play "catch-up," and impose substantial new taxes upon the citizens of our city, under the mendacious label - increased water rates. So much for Godfrey's "no new taxes" claim. If the citizens desire a properly-functioning water & sewer infrastructure they'll pay extra. Godfrey will blame it all on the council, of course.
