With the primary election poll-opening less than 24 hours away, we begin this week's discussion with the text of a wonderful Standard-Examiner letter to the editor appearing in yesterday's edition. It's brief ; so we'll incorporate it in full:
It's election time, and suddenly our mayor has decided to listen to residents who've told him the sale of the Mount Ogden Park would seriously damage Ogden's trail system -- an astounding and puzzling change of heart considering that on Sept. 28, 2006, an Ogden resident asked Mr. Godfrey why he was trying to "force the gondola project down our throats." Mr. Godfrey said it was "...because everybody I talk to thinks its a really good idea."We couldn't have said it better ourselves. And we'll add that a promise from Boss Godfrey and a couple of bucks will get you a cappuccino at Grounds for Coffee this morning, tomorrow morning, or any other morning.
I guess he meant everybody but the questioner and all the other Ogden residents who opposed the project.
Again, on May 16, 2006, at the Weber Center, our mayor declared he would be there promoting the Peterson project until he died.
I can't imagine a more clear declaration of intentions.
Heavens knows why Mr. Godfrey chose to push this highly divisive issue as far as he did. With so many projects we can agree on, why did he fight so hard for one that pitted neighbor against neighbor? The reasons may be hard to discern, but his single-minded devotion to the issue was not.
And now, with elections looming, he's changed his mind.
It's just too convenient. I beg you, citizens of Ogden, consider carefully what this man might do to our open space if we put him back in office. The recall process is long and difficult. It's time for someone who listens to all the people, all the time, to be our mayor.
Catherine Gerwels
Ogden
On the same topic, we're going to again highlight Dan Schroeder's excellent guest commentary, which also speaks about mayor Godfrey's true priorities.
We're calling it a guest commentary, although it really isn't that at all, because the Std-Ex editors declined to print the article in the first place, under circumstances that would have made Joe Stalin's propaganda minister blush. Professor Schroeder provides the details at the foot of today's article insert:
"This commentary was recently submitted to the Standard-Examiner. The editor agreed to publish it before the upcoming primary election only if Mayor Godfrey would write a companion column on a similar subject to run alongside. Godfrey declined to write such a column. I have therefore chosen to print and distribute this commentary at my own expense."
Shame on the Standard-Examiner, we say. Boss Godfrey has found a new way to impose press censorship, by simply "hiding out in his bunker" -- and the Standard-Examiner is complicit in this tactic.
Undaunted, the Dan Schroeder has on his own nickel now distributed this piece as a paid insert in this morning' Std-Ex edition; and we hope all Std-Ex readers have taken a good long look.
And we reiterate: Shame on the Standard-Examiner.
Boss Godfrey's pathological "gondola obsession" is a matter that brought the citizens of Ogden together like no other matter within recent memory. For two straight years, the Little Lord tormented the citizens of Emerald City with this lunatic pipe dream, a project that he arrogantly informed us "would happen," regardless of our objections. He labeled us "naysayers," "oppositionists" and "anti-progress." His Gondolist thugs demeaned us, mocked us and shouted us down at community meetings. We lumpencitizens nevertheless stood our ground. And then -- on the eve of an election -- Godfrey pretended he was listening to us.
We tremble with eager anticipation at the prospect of tomorrow's primary.
Time to show Boss Godfrey we're not a mere flock of gullible and forgetful sheep.
Adiós, Boss Godfrey. If all goes well, you won't make it past the primary.
51 comments:
Rudi:
Yes, not one of the SE's nobler moments: permitting the Mayor to prevent publication of a guest commentary that the SE found otherwise worthwhile by refusing [i.e. by the Mayor's refusing] to submit a companion piece of his own on the same topic when the SE invited him to do so. No newspaper should ever permit a public official to control its op-ed page content in that way.
The SE has had some proud moments in its history. Even in its recent history. This was not one of them.
Rudi,
Thanks for highlighting my commentary once again. One minor correction: The Ogden Sierra Club didn't pay for inserting the commentary in today's paper; I paid for it personally. To save money I restricted the distribution to zip codes 84401 and 84403, so readers elsewhere will just have to look it up on the Ogden Sierra Club web site.
I agree that after Godfrey declined to write a companion column, the Standard-Examiner should have gone ahead and printed my commentary on its own. But the Stalin comparison is uncalled for. There is a reasonable (though not particularly strong) argument for not printing such a commentary so close to the election. I was offered the choice of shortening the commentary to a 250-word letter (which I did), or letting them publish the longer version after the primary.
The most ironic point, mentioned in a footnote in the web version, is that the mayor actually promised me, back in July, that he would write an editorial on this subject.
Hmmmm. Sort of like how he has promised us all he will not sell Mt. Ogden Golf Course.
I guess that when the newspaper feels that that have a monopoly in this community that it is time that some of start competing with them for their money that they rely on. I'm not talking about printing another paper, I'm talking about getting the word out though this blog and other blogs, though tel-marking and also signs in the voters yards. what would the paper do if we decided to tell people to not take the paper, lets two time a week and we did this though tel-marking. do you think that would get there attention. may when we hit them in the pocket book then they will start being fair in their reporting.
Did anyone else in 84401 or 84403 either not receive Dan's insert with this morning's paper or get just a torn corner of the page?
Rudi
You didn't mention the letter to the editor in this morning's Standard from one David Phipps.
It is one more silly and perverse example of Godfrey speak if I ever saw one. It repeats the same old Godfreyite mantra of the mayor actually lowering the city debt, and RDA debt is not city debt but belongs to the developers.
Apparently this numb skull has not looked at the city's own books wherein it very clearly states that RDA debt belongs to the city, and that the city debt has ballooned to $93 million dollars.
These numb skulls either do not understand the basics of TIF (RDA) financing or they are intentionally lying about the true nature of it.
The bottom line with this
TIF scam is that the developers issue a bond, put the money in their own pocket, and the bond is then paid off over time with the incremental increase in property tax. In plain english that means that the developers get the cash in front and society gets to pay it back over time. It is a semi sophisticated transference of wealth from the people in the town to the developers, lawyers, bankers, brokers and other blood suckers who are on the inside of the deals.
This Phipps drivel is another example of this disingenous group's ability to totally ignore the truth as they spin their web of deception.
The parts I got the biggest laugh over was where he blames the Woodbury fiasco on the former administration that entered the original Woodbury contract (never mind it was Godfrey who blatantly violated the contract by arbitrarily tearing down the Woodbury building without permission), and also where he voices his distaste for people who create lies by accusing other people of lying, which of course is exactly what the lame dude is doing in this piece!
Nothing in his ramble verifies or documents the false accusations he makes. Of course that is typical Godfrey logic. Baffle em with bull shit and diversionary tactics and make up a bunch of crap that sounds logical.
Does anyone know this Phipps guy or the business he claims to be bringing to Ogden? Is he a one man band, or is he bringing more thousands of jobs to Ogden? He conveniently leaves out any reference to just how big a deal his company is.
Ogdenlover:
I live in 84403 and my copy of the SE delivered to my home this morning did not have the Dan S. insert in it.
I received only the lower right-hand corner of Dan's insert.
Just read an on-line obit for actress Jane Wyman [who died yesterday]. Contained this:
Warner Bros. was notorious for typecasting its contract players, and Wyman suffered that fate. She recalled in 1968: "For 10 years I was the wisecracking lady reporter who stormed the city desk snapping, `Stop the presses! I've got a story that will break this town wide open!'"
Ah, Jane... where are you now that the Standard Examiner needs you....?
Dan's excellent letter was in my paper delivered to 84403.
I am concerned because it was on white paper and readers may not have noticed what it is.
I find it rather disturbing that the Standard prints letters like the one this morning from this Phipps fellow without verifying the truth of what he writes. Especially as the Standard knows darn well that the guy is lying about the RDA debt, the city debt, the Woodbury lawsuit, and the $2 million Mr. Godfrey lost over the Union Station condos. That Woodbury lawsuit incidently cost the tax payers of Ogden many millions over what it should have without Godfrey's disingenuous manipulations which is totally opposite of what this letter writer asserts.
The claim that Godfrey has created 6,000 jobs and a billion dollars of investment in Ogden is so laughable that it goes deep into the ridiculous category.
Shame on the Standard for printing such bald faced lies.
It is imperative that we find out today who this David Phipps is who is bringing his company to Ogden.
Did he ever live in Florida?
How old is he? What kind of company is it?
Please let the Blogmeister know if you do not want to post publicly.
Is the David Phipps letter writer David Joseph Phipps from Florida?
I received a letter from Councilman Safsten today, paid for by the Godfrey campaign, urging me to vote for the G-man in the upcoming election. In this letter, Safsten notes that our system of government sets up "natural conflict and beneficial debate which is meant to generate thoughtful, well-considered decisions. City leaders should arrive at a course of action only after careful scrutiny and much discussion." I agree. But Mr. Safsten, as a member of the council for the past several years, how can you write this and then still endorse the mayor? How many times has council asked for more info from the mayor in order to engage in careful scrutiny, beneficial debate and thoughtful, well-considered decisions only to be denied that info and then told months later that they need to vote on the issue because time is running out? Even more troubling, think of how many times you and the citizens of Ogden have been given inaccurate information from this mayor's office. Yes, good government can result from conflict and beneficial debate. This mayor seems to want neither.
Don Porter is too busy being a toady to verify anything! He nitpick over every statement I made in a letter...which is not printed!..and he, Andy and Dave are too lazy or too arrogant to pick up a phone and verify any statements.
This Phipps guy is a fraud. If he's so proud of his business acumen, why doesn't he identify his 'bidniz'?
He makes the same unsubstantiated claims that all the Godfreyites are making...and Porter lets them slide by.
I live in 84403...and no Dan S. letter! Just drivel from Phipps the day before the election.
If I had a parakeet, he'd refuse to poop on such an inferior rag as the SE.
FYI to those in 84401 or 84403, the "advertisement" from Dan S is in the middle of the paper with other single page ads, like the one from Dirk Youngberg. I wouldn't have noticed either if they hadn't fallen out when I was opening the classifieds section.
Headline we would like to see Wed:
Godfrey by a landslide.
er, I mean
Godfrey killed by a landslide.
Here is your David Phipps. http://janelleanddavid.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html
Thanks but this is not the right Phipps.
Ogden City has no business license issued in the name of David Phipps.
Another 84403 with a small fragment of Dan's letter and a Dirk Youngberg flyer. BTW what's up with Charlie T. aka the Wasatch "Rambler" and he certainly lived up to his column title with that Sunday [not sure what to call it] waste of paper and ink.
My paper came with no flyer, 84401, purchased it a 7-11 on 24 monroe
Lance:
I don't think newspaper machines included zip-coded enclosures. I think those are limited to home delivery. Probably an extra fee to distribute to all news machines too.
Cato:
Searched my paper carefully. Opened all advertising flyers. Went through it all. No Dan S. enclosure.
Unless this is a widespread thing, I'm not particularly concerned. I imagine there is a stuff-error rate as there is an error rate in any distribution program. So long as the error rate on this distribution is not significantly above the normal error rate, I figure que sera sera.
thanks curm
Godfrey is so tiny beacause he doesn't have to hurt his back stooping so low.
Today, some voters (addressee's came off voter lists) rec'd an embarrassing missive signed by Monica Godfrey.
She tells how Matthew spends so many hours honing his fine integrity. "Their integrity is more important to them than any city projects."
Good Lawdy...now he's got her telling whoppers.
She begs for a campaign donation at the end of the letter because "Campaigns are so expensive".
Since this is the day BEFORE the elction, where will those begged for donations go? On a another gondola trip in Switzerland and Italy?
Perhaps to go on the lam as the Feds close in?
This is the abuser husband/mayor who has been outed slapping his wife in front of a cop. Now he has his hapless wife pimping donations for him.
What a sorry-ass piece of crap he is!
Went thru the paper. No Dan S.
Jeske had several of her flyers crumpled by the SE "folders"...and not all paid for went in!
Contact Wicks and put some signs up for her. The "sign fairy" has been flitting around again.
Sorry, I forgot to mention another waste of paper and ink - this one in the form of a Rick Safsten vote for little "g" endorsement letter. I'm real glad Safsten decided not to run.
I did not recieve anything from the paper, and I live in the 84401 area. However, I did recieve, by mail, a letter from the little mans wife. Yep, a personal letter, named by family name, from the little woman behind the littler man. Disgusting. In the last week, I have recieved, in the mail, four flyers from the liar. I mark them, "return to sender" and hope they charge his worthless butt for the return postage.
The letter from Monica Godfrey soliciting for her husband states
"Paid for by the People to Re-Elect Mayor Matthew Godfrey".
That begs the question - how much has this organization raised in campaign funds in addition to the $82,118.18 left on hand that Matthew Godfrey reported on his Candidate Financial Report?
Plus the $37,728.12 from December 2003 hasn't been accounted for.
Sounds like a nice retirement fund for the Mayor.
It would be nice to know how many more financial committees are floating around in addition to these.
I saw the ususal suspects' signs in Safsten's yard...all for Council seats...and NO Godfrey sign!!
Safsten's wife has some big time medical problems which is why he says he isn't running again. If true, it is the most stand up thing the prick has ever done.
He sure sold the citiznes of Ogden down the tubes with his votes and behind the scenes manipulations over the last few years. He spent his whole time on the council with his head so far up Godfrey's ass that he couldn't tell night from day.
He is also the one who finagled the deal that got Godfrey and Reid off the hook for the little theft of $43,000 of tax payer money that they pulled off, and which went into Reid's pocket.
Feel sorry for he and his wife, but I sure would of liked to see the voters of Ogden kick his ass out of office instead of him going out on his own hook.
Good ridance in any event.
The downside of all this venom:
There is a downside, you know, to all these venomous attacks on Council members, letter writers, etc. like Mr. Phelps and Mr. Safsten. It's one of the things that discourages people... good people, with some experience and knowledge... from standing for public office, that they will have to put up with these kinds of attacks from people with whom they disagree about matters of policy.
Mr. Safsten, for example [he is my Councilman, meaning I live in his district] supported the Administration far more often than I was comfortable with. But he was not a blind knee jerk supporter of all things Godfrey. He did not support the extra two floors on the Junction Office Building that Godfrey wanted [at the city's risk], he did not support adding Mr. Chapman to the planning commission, which the mayor proposed; he did vote to limit the Mayor's authority as RDA CEO following the Bootjack matter. Three examples off the top.
We need to at least consider the possibility that those on the Council, and those who write letters to the editor, who take stands different than ours, may be doing so for reasons they find compelling, that disagreeing with us does not make them corrupt, sycophants, "pricks," and so on. It means they disagree with us on matters of policy more often than not. And disagreeing with us... or even with me [though that is always ill-advised] does not necessarily mean the disagreers have "sold out" or are sycophants, liars, criminals etc. I've seen people here who've praised a Council member to the skies, until she cast a vote... one vote... they didn't like, and instantly the same people denounced her for "selling out" etc. One vote was all it took.
All this venom aimed at Council members or letter writers or business owners who think differently than we do is not good for Ogden, not good for democracy in the city, not good to draw good candidates for public office. Not good in any way for Ogden City.
Come about 11 PM on election day in November, someone will have won every office up, and someone will have lost. There will be celebrations galore in some camps and somber faces in others. But the next morning, whoever turns out to be in whichever of the two camps, we are all going to wake up living in Ogden, we're all going to have to find a way over the next two years and four years [next council elections and mayoral elections] to work together for the benefit of the city.
Yes, even with those we opposed if they win. Attacking them as corrupt stupid dishonest pricks can make that difficult if not impossible.
Go after them on the evidence. Go after them on their policy stands. Go after them because their election will likely mean the sale of public lands for the personal profit of a handful of the Mayor's cronies. Attack their campaigns with fact, illustration, example.
But for the good of the city, leave the gratuitous venom out of it. It does nothing to improve the election chances of the candidates we favor, and the more it occurs, the less likely decent, good candidates will be willing to stand for office in the future.
Other than making the venom-tossers feel good for a few minutes, it serves no purpose. And it hurts the city.
[I suspect the above is tilting at windmills, but I thought it important enough to give it a shot.]
Is anyone else listening to KLO? They are broadcasting from the pit in downtown, and it's all about the mayor. Can they do this with the election in the morning? Seems to me the little man better claim this in his campaign, yes? Talk about free publicity.
Makes me sick
Graceann:
The "equal time" provisions that used to apply to TV and radio during elections were repealed well over a decade ago. So the answer is "yes, they can do this." Even on election eve.
Hey, Graceann, KLO is the right-wing whacko station that carries Bill Orally, the Loofa King. What did you expect from a right wing Republican outlet? Ethical conduct on the eve on an election involving a Republican candidate for mayor?
Ok Mr. Nice guy Curmudgeon.
You gave three examples of Sasten not voting for what the Mayor wanted. The insinuation seems to be that there are more, perhaps many more.
Turns out you also gave the only three times in his time on the council that he didn't bow to the little PRICK.
The damage they both have done to the tax payers of Ogden will take years to make up, if ever.
Seems like you have as hard a time accepting the truth about these arrogant jerk offs Godfrey and Sasten as they do.
ON 25 AND LINCOLN IT SHOWS HOW GODFREY SLAPS HIS WIFE IN A BIG PICTURE WINDOW, EVERYONE SHOULD GO LOOK AT IT.
Did anyone go to the dog and pony show at the red cross building. Little matty is touting his 23% reduction in crime. More smoke and mirrors.
Curm, remember me telling you awhile back, I would NEVER vote Rep again. Well, I start my new role in the Democratic party in the morning. Please, do not alert the Arringtons of this. I was a proud Republican just to spite that old Uncle jack of mine.
victor, et al.,
If you want another example of something good that Safsten has done, he argued for some positive changes to the Mt. Ogden Community Plan at last Thursday's work session. For example, he argued against a provision (which Montgomery wanted in) to favor the eventual widening of 36th Street. He also argued against some of the postivie provisions that are already in the draft plan, so on balance, I'd say his contributions were about neutral.
I share the disappointment with Safsten that many on this blog have expressed. It's especially irritating to hear him when he frequently grandstands from his council seat, attacking his fellow council members or attacking citizens who care enough to get involved. He certainly likes to listen to himself talk, and he often likes to argue just for the sake of arguing. But he listens to citizens often enough that it would be tactically foolish (not to mention morally wrong) to call him names and effectively shut off all communication.
More generally, the name-calling and other extreme venom on this blog is a tactical blunder that actually strengthens the Godfrey camp. It ensures that the only people who read this blog (more than once) are those who already agree that Godfrey needs to go. And it gives ammunition to those who claim that anyone who opposes Godfrey is an unconstructive extremist. Sure, it's fun to vent, and I laugh at Jason's "squirrel patrol" posts as much as anyone, but the personal attacks and Hitler/Stalin comparisons are only marginalizing our whole discussion.
Rick's wife is very ill, and he's done the correct thing in opting to be with his family.
He's on the wrong side of the fence politically, but his heart is good and they are facing hard times.
I hate to see Curt denigrated. Every time Jason belittle's Curt's nose, I cringe. That is not funny.
Please don't do that.
HAHAHA...what are you talking about?
T'was a time when candidates were not to be mentioned for 72 hrs before an eleaction...but that is not the case anymore. Otherwise, the SE couldn't have gotten away with Phipps letter today. UNsubstantiated, of course.
Anon:
KSL did. They just did coverage on their nightly news, quoted the mayor's 23% decrease in crime, reported that "he's not willing to give that up," and reported a handful of new "anti gang"/crime steps just announced. [Phone numbers to report crimes, new crime reporting website, giving neighborhood watch patrols minicams with night vision, etc.]
All on the eve of the vote tomorrow. A good example of maximizing his incumbency. [For which, by the way, I can't criticize him. If I were advising my mayoral candidate on the timing of such announcements and press conferences if he's elected, I'd do the same.]
However, KSL was under no obligation to cover it tonight. It wasn't exactly hot news. Coverage tomorrow, post election, would have done as well. [Hmmmmm.... isn't KSL the LDS owned station in SLC?]
In regards to the Mt. Ogden Community Plan
The council is wrong in their acceptance of the city's suggestion of incorporating the neighborhood south of 36th St. into the Mt. Ogden Community without first getting that neighborhood's thoughts as to that incorporation. They also shouldn't entertain the idea of accessory housing in that neighborhood without first enlisting the opinions of the residents in that neighborhood first in a community meeting.
Accessory housing is a downgrading of a single family neighborhood to that of a mixed neighborhood including rental property into that area. This is not consistent with the Mt. Ogden community vision spelled out in the community plan and it is not consistent with the current zoning of that area either (even if the city has illgally allowed that type of housing in the area relative to the current zoning).
By including this area into the Mt. Ogden community, and then in effect rezoning it, is not fair to the residents in either community.
The single family residents in that area will see their property devalued (and their neghborhood life style changed)and it opens the door to multi-family housing within the Mt. Ogden community(as this type of housing will now be part of that community). Likewise with the rezoning of the east side of Harrision between 30th and 32nd St.
I want to say THANKS to you persons who spend your time and talents to make this Blog possible for those of us who have no other place to vent our frustration and dislike of the Godfrey administration.
I appreciate the effort you take to post a new article or timely subject so that we can express our opinion.
And I also appreciate the time you take to monitor inappropriate comments.
Thanks so much!
Poling Places Have Changed:
If you intend to vote tomorrow, make sure you know where your polling place is. It may not be where it usually is. We normally vote at Wasatch Elementary, but got a card from the City about ten days ago saying for this election, our polling place is Polk Elementary [even though Wasatch Elementary is open as a polling place for this election too]. I am suspicious.
The Ice Sheet is not according to the city website a polling place this time [it usually is], but the Dee Events Center is.
City website lists polling places by County Consolidated Voting Precincts. Which information is, naturally, not on our voter registration cards [which list only state leg and senate and congressional districts].
If you're working and only have time to make one pass at voting, please make sure you know which polling place is for you. It may not be the one you think it is for this election.
Curmudgeon
I caught that little Godfrey and Greiner show on KSL tonight myself. A real lame bit of last minute electionering for sure.
I got a big laugh out of the Godfrey statement about the new telephone number the citizens could call. He said, "So it's not just an answering machine that you leave a message on, and then you wonder what happens."
What he didn't say was: "like it has been since I've been mayor and turned the force into a money making traffic ticket writing machine that ignores real crime and focuses on extracting as much cash as possible out of the motoring public"
And Dan,
I do agree with you to a certain point on the aggressive nature of some on the WCF. However, I think people look at this blog, and most others, as not only a forum to discuss issues, but as a place to vent and be entertained. There is a certain element of show biz for everyman here. It is how clever the insults and banter is that entertains folks. The blatant insults just for the sake of insulting doesn't make the grade in the funny department. I think most people that participate in blogs are able to differentiate ranters and nut cases from the serious discussions, and dismiss the former without just going away because its to rough and tumble. Hey, you and Curmudgeon keep coming back
And Sharon, I'm with you on the gross insults, especially the "potato nose" biz that definately isn't funny. I think making fun with Bobby about his shortness works because of the classic perception of the short man complex and the ridiculous length some short guys go to inorder to prove themselves. And of course Bobby lives up to that stereo type regularly. However to make fun of papa G. because of his nose really doesn't have any comedy merit - in my opinion. The "squirrel patrol" biz is marginal, sometimes funny, sometimes not. The "Ski is beautiful blue" seems to be too much of an insider joke of some kind to be very amusing to most.
But hey, in this medium anything goes, and people that don't come back because of the racuous nature herein can just get their kicks on the Standard's terminally boring blog sites. They are there, they are vanilla as you can get, they are not nearly as aggressive as WCF, and of course they only get a very small fraction of the traffic as this site does.
COME ON VOTE AND VOTE WISE NO MORE BULLSHIT !!!!! ANYONE BUT SMIEGEL.... THATS THE NEXT SIGN IF O TOWN DOES NOT PONY UP AND VOTE !!! NATTY TIME CHOP SHOP IS OUT
Anon (10:24):
I agree that the city should make more effort to consult with residents on the block south of 36th Street before incorporating that block into the Mt. Ogden Community and adopting provisions into the Mt. Ogden Community Plan that will especially affect them.
Regarding "accessory dwelling units" (ADU's): It's important to realize that an ADU would be allowed only if the home is owner-occupied. So this provision could actually encourage owner occupancy, instead of what you have now which is a bunch of rental houses with absentee landlords. Given the option of renting a house to 3 unrelated people or selling it to someone who could live in it and rent the ADU to 1 or 2 people, I may very well choose to sell. Or the income from an ADU may allow an elderly couple, whose kids have left, to hold onto their home longer, rather than selling it to someone who would convert it into a rental.
With the owner present, most properties will be better maintained and the renters will be better screened and better controlled.
Also, a lot of this area used to be zoned R2 which allowed duplexes (whether or not owner-occupied) and many of these are still grandfathered as legal nonconforming uses. So a secondary hope is that the ADU option would encourage the gradual conversion of these duplexes into owner-occupied homes (with ADU's). Again, there are many benefits when the owner is present.
On the east side of Harrison between 30th and 32nd, virtually all of the houses are rentals. Having so many driveways emptying onto Harrison is a hazard. Good zoning principles would dictate that you put some sort of buffer zone in between a single-family neighborhood and a major arterial road like Harrison. The preferred solution in this case would be to allow townhomes and some limited commercial (coffee shop, hairdresser) on the corners, with vehicle access from an alley in the rear. In my opinion, this could really enhance the neighborhood by creating walking opportunities and more demand for transit.
Zoning is a tricky business. Everyone's knee-jerk reaction is to say they want only single-family homes in their neighborhood--duplexes, apartments, offices, retail, and industry should all go somewhere else. "Somewhere else" ends up being where people are too poor to be politically influential. Extreme isolation of uses causes several problems. For one thing, it forces people to drive farther for their everyday needs--and incapacitates anyone who is unable to drive (children, elderly, poor, handicapped). Also, it segregates everyone by income level which contributes to social problems such as high crime rates and students not being able to afford to live in decent neighborhoods. So good planning requires that we avoid the knee-jerk NIMBY attitude and take a broader view of the city's needs.
Just wanted to say some words to the five term Utah State Representative Neil Hansen.
Thank you for your service and all you’ve done for us cops and firefighters.
I really hope you win the primary for Mayor.
I know we’ll never be able to repay you for your service but we can try by voting for you. I know you’ll continue to be our voice and understand that we only want to protect our community and I know you do too. I want to continue our partnership; especially on the City Level.
God Bless and good luck Tuesday.
Dear Sharon and HeeHaw:
You have me confused with another, far more brilliant poster who often posits about THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE's facial features; I denigrate THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE for his Michael Eisnerian arrogance, his unmitigated gall, his self-aggrandizement and his apparent love of onions. Short-deck, on the other hand, has been thusly named, again by another far more intelligent comrade, for his seeming mental incapacities. And contrary to what many of you think, I stand in great awe and tremendous fear of these two true patriots and salute their valiant efforts as leaders of Wayne Peterson's famed Squirrel Patrol and the historic charge to string gondolas all over OTown.
THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE
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