"The graveyards are full of indispensable men."
Charles De Gaulle
Military Leader & Statesman
1890-1970
We're happy that people like Mike Dowse took the time to thank the citizens of Ogden for their support. Such thanks are quite overdue, we think. But we do have a few suggestions for people like Mike Dowse, whose multi-billion dollar multi-national companies companies are nevertheless on the public dole:
Keep a lower political profile; and butt out of our local politics.
Whether your aware of it or not, the lumpencitizens of Ogden are now in the process of kicking our little mayor to the political curb. In case you didn't notice, Boss Godfrey got trounced in last Tuesday's primary by a 3-2 margin; and we'll finish the job in November. The citizens have good reason to bring Godfrey's administration to an end, including, but not limited to: gross incompetence, malfeasance and cronyism.
We're glad you moved your sports companies here. For those of us who already lived here and already loved Emerald City, we viewed your decisions as a "no brainer." But leave our politics to us, Mike Dowse and friends. And we assure you you'll all love working with Mayor Van Hooser, once you get to know her. Once you do, we think you'll find that Matt Godfrey is nowhere near indispensable.
And turning to the article itself, we'd like to highlight these wonderful excepts:
"His (Godfrey's) energy in enhancing outdoor options for all includes a sincere vow to respect and protect the environment...We dang near fell out of our chair when we read those parts. Boss Godfrey, after all, spent the last two years scheming feverishly to pave over our east bench parklands, and plant 400+ McMansions in our pristine foothills, and over our existing trails.
"We came on the awareness that this city has grown more... environmentally friendly during the past eight years."
We don't know what possessed these otherwise fine sports company folks to affix their signatures to a Boss Godfrey endorsement letter. Perhaps they're merely ignorant of the true facts.
In that connection, we suggest that they consult with another sports industry colleague, whose name was strikingly absent from this morning's endorsement. Peter Metcalf, a bona-fide Utah-based sports industry guy with whom we're sure you're all familiar, can provide some real information about Boss Godfreys so-called "environmentalist" credentials.
Talk to Peter Metcalf the next time Curt Geiger sticks a letter under your noses, our newly-arrived sports industry friends. That way you won't appear to be Godfrey dupes, as you appeared from the point of view of informed Ogden City citizens, upon reading this morning's Std-Ex.
Update 9/15/07 6:27 p.m. MT: Final Score: Utah Utes - 44; ULCA Bruins (#11 ranked) - 6. Go Utes!
48 comments:
It is primarily a campaign piece touting Godfrey's re-election. The equipment manufactures praise the Mayor's "vision", credit him for bringing them to Ogden and for Ogden revitalization, predict his continued occupation of City Hall will lead to even greater things. It has as a sub-text an attempt to refurbish Godfrey's "green" credentials... no small task considering the man wanted to sell for real estate development the largest park in the city and the city's last remaining public undeveloped bench lands. But the manufacturers give it the old college try: they say Godfrey's "energy in enhancing outdoor options for all includes a sincere vow to respect and protect the environment. He understands, as we do, that we are the earth’s humble guests. " [Note to myself: send Mayor Godfrey application forms for Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance immediately!]
But there is, in this hymn of praise to Mayor Godfrey, a curious omission. No where in the entire homily on Godfrey The Green does the word "gondola" appear. Not once. Imagine that. And in a campaign tract signed by the local manager of Descente North America too who has appeared on the City cable channel pitching gondolas more times than Dr. Phil has appeared on Oprah. Not a gondola pitch to be seen. Not even a hint.
Will wonders never cease?
I would like to see the next mayor concentrate on doing what city government should be doing, that of running the city.
We need to focus on our infrastructure (water, sewer, roads, parks), reducing total city debt and reducing our growing crime problem.
We don't need to be spending almost 1/3 of our city budget on business development at the expense of the other services. I think the residents have contributed far more than their fair share to the city's business development to this point and that it's time to go back to the basics.
Either what we've started is going to take off or it's not. It's up to free enterprize to take over and assume the financial role of any future development.
If Ogden is as nice a place to live as all the recent news stories say, which I've believed for years, then the fact that we as a community have been discovered should be enough to launch us without further investment by it's residents. Now that we've been discovered, let those that want what we have pay to participate.
It's now time for the city to return to providing the services that are needed to maintain and protect this lifestyle that is being talked about in all these articles.
Van Hooser seems to understand this, Godfrey apparently does not.
I wonder if the outdoor equipment folks' commentary was intended to appear before the primary, but got delayed under the same editor's policy that prevented my commentary from appearing before the primary. I do think the editor tries to be consistent. He doesn't always succeed, but he tries.
Also, yesterday there was a commentary by Art Roscoe, chair of the Sustainable Ogden Committee (aka "Green Team"), touting the great things they're doing and inviting us all to a celebration at the Salomon Center in a few weeks.
Yet for some reason, Godfrey can't bring himself to answer a few simple questions from the Sierra Club.
It says that these companies have "partnered" with the city on the Salomon Center. How, by gladly taking the public spending and paying nothing themselves? Thanks guys, for identifying yourselves as part of the sleaze brigade.
As far as the guy who says he saw what I did, everyone already knows about me and Little Lola at the Chevron station.
While I agree with most of the front page, it seems those ski people who live here now have as much right to participate as anyone else in the election process.
What is needed is for people with an alternate vision to counter them where we disagree, so the voters have all the information.
And the idea that Godfrey got trounced by 3-2 is not supportable factually. It is far from certain that the Hansen voters will all go for VanHooser.
Godfrey and his ring did better than I figured they would, but I think it was due to the fact that particularly in the case of Blain Johnson, people just didn't know what the candidates stand for in some cases.
Thought crossed my mind about the commentary "Outdoor manufacturers thank Ogden".
If you want to see a head count of the number of jobs, generated to this point in time, just count the number of names on that list of contributors to the article and maybe multiply by three.
Concerned Resident....
Everything you said is what hansen was all all about. But Susie said she will run the city like a business so in my eyes she is just like Godfrey. Please tell me so what is the difference between her and the little guy. not much but a dress, and some times I wonder.
Thought Crossed My Mind,
Another observation about the jobs created to this point in time by the people that sgned that commentary. Other than for themselves, most of the other jobs created are close to minimum wage jobs. Wages that could have been made by their employees, in this tight job market, in just about any other industry or with any other company in town.
Metcalf, of course, was wise enough not to mention Godfrey by name. Just as he criticized one of Godfrey's policies without criticizing Godfrey personally, these other outdoor industry folks could easily have praised the specifics of some of the city's recent environmental initiatives, without turning their commentary into a personal endorsement.
I found this sentence especially outrageous: We came on the awareness that this city has grown more outdoor-industry friendly, progressive, economically sound, community-minded and environmentally friendly during the past eight years. Didn't they get the memo? Only a year and a half ago, the city was in a "downward spiral" according to the mayor that these folks praise. Godfrey has indeed started some excellent environmental initiatives, but these date back only to late last fall. Before that he supported some new trail development projects, but the big push for trail development occurred long before he became mayor.
I could go on and on, but instead I'll just insert a link to the Sierra Club's Godfrey Environmental Scorecard.
I am a little slow in connecting but now I realize one of the $2,000.00 campaign contributions to Matthew Godfrey was from Mrs. Dowse.
The beat goes on.
I agree with you about Hansen and in fact I voted for him. That said I have also talked with Van Hooser and feel that her vision as to what the city needs is very similar to that of Hansen. To a lot of people it came down to who they knew best at the time of the primary. I am confident that as more Hansen supporters get to know more about Van Hooser, as I have done, they will come to the same conclusion that she has their interests in mind and shares a lot of the same visions as Hansen as to what needs to be addressed within Ogden.
The difference between Van Hooser and Godfrey is that she will run an open government and will focus on running the city, in a business manner. I see open government as one of the first requirements of running a city in a professional business manner. All management should be responsive and open to their shareholders as a city should be to their residents. We don't have that now and I don't think with Godfrey we ever will.
She will encourage business development but will let private enterprise fund most of that development not the residents.
She will return the city government back to doing what city government's were meant to do, not furthering Godfrey's open check book policy to any and all, especially his friends.
She will address city services, infrastructure, address inner city needs and reducing crime (rather than just talking about it or ignoring it by providing misleading numbers in order to minimize the magnitude of our problem).
Speaking of open government, the city has finally provided the Sierra Club with several more emails, mostly from 2006, between Godfrey and Peterson.
So far I haven't found anything surprising in these emails. However, we requested all such communications last December, and the city told us then it had provided everything that existed. We filed a duplicate request in July, and after seven more weeks we've finally received these newly found emails. Meanwhile, the city is refusing to provide other records because they're "protected"--yet hasn't described these records in any way, to justify their protected status. So we'll have to file an appeal.
Unfortunately, this elaborate GRAMA process is time consuming for city officials and thus costs the taxpayers a lot of money. And it's my understanding that certain other citizens (not to mention the media) have filed even more GRAMA requests with the city than the Sierra Club has. If the city would just be open about its business in the first place, none of this would be necessary.
I find it hard for a 65 year old grandma doing things for the inter city when I have heard the only reason she ran for mayor was for the MONEY, I have not seen nor heard of any thing from her sitting on the council, or that she will do anything for us in the city. I think it would be a good idea to have a mayor forum and have our state Rep. Hansen moderate it and invite all his constituents to see how these to candidates will answer the question that he had answers for. He is so in tune for what the city needs because he has lived here all his life and that is something that neither of the candidates can say.
So what about Rep Hansen, I'll call you and let you know I will help with this forum.
Let the People:
As I have said, VanHooser did not decide to run for the money. What she decided was, since she was already spending 40 hours per week on the job she might as well be mayor, especially since half the time she was just trying to address all the corruption in the Godfrey administration.
And what is it about the members of the Godfrey ring, like Mike Dowse? These corrupt people all have a nice public face. I guess that's the way such people often are. Mike, you know what they say about people who lie down with the dogs getting up with fleas. Having your wife send in your kickback to Godfrey fools no one.
I think I have finally come up with an analogy that will help everyone understand RDA debt.
Assume you’re working in a trade that requires you to use a truck to perform your business. You own an older truck (residents) that is almost paid off (total city and RDA debt) and the truck is beginning to need repairs (city infrastructure). You could repair your truck now and ultimately will repair it because you plan on keeping the truck, but the lure of a new truck is too much, so you go out and buy a new truck (RDA project).
But before you get the new truck insured (but after your current policy that would cover the new truck for a period of time has lapsed) you are involved in an automobile accident and your new truck is totaled. The other party does not have insurance or the means to play you. You have your new totaled truck hauled to your driveway as a reminder to never go without insurance again.
You now find that you have to continue to rely on your old truck (residents) to make a living and to make payments for the totaled new truck (RDA project). You’re now in worse financial shape than when you started.
Ogden resident are on the hook for RDA debt (see city outside auditor’s report within city financials) if the projects don’t work or underperforms, just as the new truck owner above. We also will have the new totaled truck (RDA project) in our driveway as our reminder.
Denny:
I agree that the execs who signed this morning's "Viewpoint" --- the ones who now live in Ogden --- have as much right as any of us to take part in local electoral politics and to back the candidate they prefer. That's one of the nicer things about living in the US. The day after you move into your new home or apartment [or room] in a new city, you're a resident and citizen thereof, no less entitled 29 days later [once residency is established] to vote, campaign, and send angry letters to councilmen and mayors than someone who was born here of parents who came before the Civil War. Citizen is citizen. Period. The Ogden execs who signed the letter are that now, citizens of Ogden, fully entitled to weigh in come election time. Welcome aboard, gentlemen.
However...[come on, now, you knew there was a "however" coming]... as brand spanking new residents of Ogden [some of them] a decent sense of humility should have induced them not to pontificate on how much Ogden has changed over the last seven years, during six of which the excec signers didn't live here, and how much better it is now than it was before. As Dan noted above, it was less than two years ago that Our Mayor was insisting that Ogden was in "a downward spiral" and that the only thing that could save it was a public-owned flatland gondola to WSU and the sale of the city's largest park and last underdeveloped public benchlands to his cronies for a real estate development.
And now, eighteen months later, all these newly arrived fellows have discovered our gondola-less Ogden with the Mt. Ogden Park lands still public and unpaved, to be a wonderful place. I wonder if all those signing-execs are aware that the Mayor, just last year, was telling people that the reason they were coming to Ogden was the promise of a gondola. The reason. One of their number, Mr. Geiger, told me the same at one of the Mayor's gondola/gondola dog and pony shows.
And yet, there is no gondola, no the bench park lands are still public, and all these companies have come here, and tell us it's wonderful. [They're right about that at least.]
Imagine that.
Welcome to the fray, Gentlemen. But it might be prudent to learn something of the lay of the land [politically], and the history [particularly the recent history] of your new home town before you presume to pontificate on such matters in the public prints. You would learn, if you did that, that the policy the mayor you like so much was touting as absolutely essential to save Ogden --- the sale of the golf course and parklands for a resort development to finance a public flatland gondola --- he has now announced was not feasible from the start because the land involved is way too steep to build on as his crony planned. That at least should have given you pause.
Unless he's also convinced you that that land was flatter three and a half years ago when he first made public his gondola and park sale obsessions, and that it has since, inexplicably, become steeper and he only just noticed it. [If he did convince you of that, I want to know where you got whatever it was you were smoking during the conversation.]
So, weigh in gentlemen. But do your homework first, please. For the good of us all.
Danny,
You know as well as I do that you we standing right there with me when I asked here if she was going to run for the city council and she said, "My husband said if I run for anything it will be for mayor because that is where the money is." I herd it and you heard it. so don't try to cover up the fact that, that is her motivation for running.
I wasn't there when the supposed comment was made by Van Hooser (if in fact it was made), that you refer to but I can assure you that if she did say that, it was tongue and cheek.
There are a lot easier ways to make a living than being mayor of this city. She's at a point in her life where money is not the driving force in her life (as with Godfrey). Her kids are grown and on their own and if you look at her past involvement in community organizations you'd realize that she has been involved in efforts to better this community for quite a while.
She is a concerned resident that wants to help put Ogden government back on the right track.
I hope she succeeds.
To "tell the truth or your like the rest of the city",
At least I like the fact that you acknowledge that the rest of the city doesn't see it the same way you and Godfrey do. Is that your way of finally admitting that your candidate is on the way out the door?
And while we're talking about Godfrey, please tell us why we should vote for this guy that keeps us in the dark, spends our money like a drunken sailor and can't help but tell us lies every time he opens his mouth?
To Mr. Mike Dowse,
At least have the nads to to put your name to the political contribution to Godfrey rather than hide behind your wife's skirt. We all knew you had a relationship with Godfrey, just don't act like him.
Otherwise you'll loose all credibility in this city and with your employees.
How can the SE justify or explain running today's pro-Godfrey puff piece without printing an opposing view? They demanded that for Dan Schroeder's commentary (which they didn't publish because the Mayor declined to provide anything for publication). What goes for one viewpoint should hold true for the other. If they were hard-up to get something in a timely manner, they could have published Dan's commentary without asking him to pay for the privilege or asked any one of a dozen recent "naysayer" letter writers to contribute.
The Editors should hang their heads in shame.
The "outdoor industry" Godfrey Campaign piece has this interesting quote:
"Our employees have recently purchased more than 30 homes in the greater Ogden area."
Wow! Thirty!
It seems these people have an inflated sense of their own importance and impact.
You know, some people just go about their business and the good they do without trumpeting it to everyone.
I guess these ski bums are not that sort of people.
OgLover:
My suspicion is that the SE got the letter just before the primary, that it was intended by its authors to run before the primary, not after it, and that the SE held it until the days following the primary, presumably [if that's what happened] out of the same sense of punctilious even-handedness that induced them to withhold Dan's. [They did agree to run Dan's op ed piece, but after the primary].
Don't know that is so for a fact, but I suspect it is. Be interesting to know for certain. If anyone does --- an SE person for instance --- maybe they'll let us all know.
Danny:
There's much to criticize in the mfgs campaign screed for Hizonnah. But they do live in Ogden, now. And I'm glad they and their employees have bought homes here. Signals a significant commitment to the community. And that's 30 properties kept out of the hands of the Arizona vultures turning owner-occupied Ogden homes into absentee landlord rental properties.
The 30 are now our neighbors and as new neighbors, I figure we ought to cut them a little slack. And as good neighbors, our job is to help them learn about their new city, so they can avoid future embarrassing gaffes like the letter they signed and sent to the Standard Examiner.
Curm,
I don't think the paper was motivated to withold the article until after the primary out of a sense of fairness as much as out of a sense of being to obvious in their support of Godfrey.
Remember they did run the Godfrey anti-crime story instead. A story that they probably felt was more benefitting to Godfrey in the primary.
Both stories would have been to obvious. So we got it today on Saturday, a big readership day none the less and still usful for Godfrey's image going forward.
Ah, yes, the patent Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey cheerleading Stand-Ex, captained by Lee Carter, certified agent of media imaging and dissemination for Wayne Peterson's famed Squirrel Patrol. They are blatantly obvious with their love of the lil' liar and his dream of stringing gondolas! gondolas! gondolas! everywhere, and I should castigate them appropriately. But right now I am basking in the glorious glow of a 44-6 asswhoopin' the flag-football-coached (Fire Wittingham!) Utah Utes are laying on 11th-ranked UCLA. That, and about a dozen reebs. Choke on your urban gondolas, Stand-Ex, you asshat hacks who don't even follow your own editorial policies! You suck! You like onions! And you suck!
Concerned:
Well, we disagree. The story they ran on the crime matter was a news story. Not at all the same thing as a letter to the editor. One was news; one was not. And from a political POV, about the worst time [to impact the election] to have run the Mfgs. piece is just after the primary. Too late to affect the primary vote; and way way to early to have any measurable impact on the November vote. So it still looks to me like they delayed a pre-election submission until post election. I'm not sure they should have, just as I don't think they should have denied Dan pre-election printing of his piece. But I think there's a good possibility that's what they did, seems to me. And if they did, have to give them at least a few points for consistency: denying Dan pre-primary exposure and denying the mfgs. the same.
If that's what they ddi.
Shit-O-Dear, if the lying little punk greased my palm with a couple of milliion free tax payer bucks I would say good things about him too!
But like the 99.999999 percent of Ogden tax payers that did not benefit from such generousity, I didn't.
These fat cats that are purring the punk's praises are actually pigs at the public trough in disquise.
I noticed an interesting document posted inside the window of the old Hotel Helena today. It was an enlarged photocopy of an affadavit concerning the Mayor in a domestic dispute with his wife. Does anyone know more about this? Is it old news?Just curious.
Curm, the supposed crime story was really nothing more than another dose of disengenuous lying little matty gondola godfrey bs. The only new real developement is a new phone number. WOW. A real person will answer it, and lying little matty swears someone will call you back. He didn't swear that your call will receive imediate attention by the limited number of police on duty at the time, just that someone will call you back.
How creative, a new number, the last 4 digits spell help. BFD.
This lying little SOB could never possibly fight crime or gangs, he and his administration have been operating the most dangerous criminal enterprize in Ogden for years.
There are only 3 types of people that would support this lying little hobit impersonator, the morally bankrupt, idiots and plain stupid folks, or those that have been paid or believe lying little matty represents a future payday for themselves.
Neil jumped right into this oust godfrey campain very early, why, hatred of everything lying little matty has done and represents. Despite what that post primary article led you to believe I ask, do you think that changed overnight? No way.
I can tell you with out any doubt, those supporters did, and still hate the thought of allowing lying little hobit impersonating gondola worshipping matty any more time at the helm.
The only real question left in this election is, who'll get lying little matty first, the voters or the federal authorities.
Rudi, the previous thread offered some fine mug shots of matty's gang's hopefull infiltraters, we should provide the people with a full pictorial offering that includes gadi, patterson, potato nose, short deck, torrey glassman, harmer, uncle gregory peccary montgomery,squirrel phobic wayne peterson (both on and of meds), idiot yesman stephenson, the over-fed closet lurking moore, gondola boy dowse and regretfully greg lowe, why greg has allowed his reputation this embarrasment is beyond me, must be something more powerfull than meth in that gondola kool-aid lying little matty's serving up.
And and I cannot leave out gary williams, is he the city's lawyer or lying little matty's personal enabler, he should be let go imediately also. Oh, and other useless overpaid positions like the ones occupied by geigers wife and stuart reid.
Bill C:
No reasonable person, seems to me, doubts that Hizzonah, Mayor Godfrey, was asleep at the switch for seven long years in re: gang violence and crime in Ogden. He has suddenly discovered it and started to do something [tho' not much] because, it seems, it has become a campaign issue. [Had he spent half the time he spent over the last three and a half years peddling the now-admitted-to-be no feasible "Peterson Proposal" and pursuing his flatland gondola obsession, he might have had time to deal more effectively with the rising gang problem.]
However, he was elected mayor. We [the people] put him in office, and with that office comes the ability to schedule announcements, public events, etc. to best advantage of the Mayor during campaign years. It's a perk that comes with winning. When Ms. Van Hooser becomes mayor and faces re-election, she'll do the same. [She be foolish not to.] Comes with the territory, Bill.
Something good happening in Ogden....
Amidst all this politicking and such like, important I think not to lose sight of the fact that good things are happening in Ogden. Friday, there was an op-ed piece by the Mr. Art Roscoe, chair of the Sustainable Ogden Committee, recounting some of that committee's initial city conservation programs [Blue Skies, Fresh Air Fridays], outlining some of its planned initiatives, and announcing a public event to celebrate its initial successes and to make the public more aware of what the Committee is up to. It will be held at the Salomon Center, 28 September [no times given] and the public is definitely invited.
The full op-ed piece can be found here.
Fire Whitingham? Dumb statement by someone who just doesn't understand things, anything actually.
Dear "a fan" of Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey:
What don't I understand, genius? Whittingham (sp, please) is a fine defensive coordinator but an absolute joke as a head coach; he cannot recruit, he cannot call plays, he cannot motivate, he cannot draw schemes, he cannot substitute correctly, last night (praise God!) being the exception, and he certainly doesn't have the balls to fire Ludwig. And what else do I not understand? Are you a gondola boy? Do you like onions? Do you like the idea of gondolas! strung above our urban thoroughfares? I think you're a fan of Cs and you smoke them. Asshat.
Another thing for you, "a fan" of Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey:
Where did you go to school? I have a good guess, and it includes the word "nowhere." Also, you are likely one of the special underwear-wearing simpletons who probably think Ron McBridge was a good hire for Harrison High, as you jokers think he brought a certain amount of cache and respectability; jesus, clown, he's senile and has run a four-three set since well before he started taking blood pressure pills. God you suck, and god are gondolas! stupid.
Sorry, Jason, but the "Harrison High" smear is even more moldy, out of date and inaccurate than the "naysayers" charge by the Gondolistas. Yes, even more inaccurate than that.
Get over yourself, Good Old (?) Curmudgeon; it's a joke. I was born and raised here, and it's always a tongue-in-cheek reference for us natives, even if we attended your fine institution. Both my parents graduated from there.
Jason:
Yes, well, other folks who've been born and raised here tell me, often, that they hear it, derisively, from a good many people and not in a familiar and jocular way. My comment was based on what they've been telling me about the term since I got here. We have different sources, evidently, Jason, and so it seems have different reactions to the term. What may be a familiar local term meant jocularly to you is apparently a slur meaning something very different to others who seem to have been here as long as you have.
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, I guess.
Errahhh, who is so sensitive, Good Old (?) Curmudgeon? A good many professors/doctors whose sons are my proud OHS classmates and who are now my neighbors and fellow anti-gondolist/godfreyites? They need to get over themselves, too; they (and you) have Ph.D.s and teach at an institution with a student-per-instructor ratio three times better than the national average. Plus, from freshman year, they have you clown-ass Ph.D.s providing classroom instruction, unlike my classes, where I never spoke to a real prof 'till I was a junior in 500-levels. Oh, and my wife just happened to graduate from Harrison High, and she isn't the least bit sensitive about my use of the term, although she does think I'm a whackjob. Why are you jokers on pins and needles? You know better. Take a Xanax, drink a beer and have a good night. Remember: Weber State, Weber State, Great! Great! Great!
Ah, Jason. More of the same I see. You look upon the phrase one way, and seem to have trouble understanding that others might, with some reason, look upon it differently. Lighten up, compadre. Not everyone has the same take on things as you. And that's ok. That's what makes horse racing possible and blogs interesting.
From what I can gather, what irks those who are irked by the phrase is that they hear it coming from people who were never students here and so, obviously, did not graduate from the place. And I gather they kind of resent its use by them as a pejorative. They think having the place described, seriously, as "Harrison High" by those wholly unconnected with it and so not in a position to know much about what goes on there is not a good thing for the school. I can understand that.
Please pass my congratulations on to your lady on her recent graduation.
So what's new?
I went to Weber when it was called Jefferson High and David O. McKay was Principal.
Rudi,
so your post lists incompetence as a factor for ousting Godfrey.
So lets put in a lifetime 2nd Grade teacher? Yeah, that's competence. Oh I forgot her 8 months on the do nothing City Council.
I care about reviving Ogden. She doesn't. She hasn't a clue. She's never run anything more complicated than 30 2nd graders. She won't be able to send people to the principle's office now.
You need to give a call to Mike Dowse. Sure, he got incentives, but why Ogden? Because our Mayor relentlessly pitched it to him. Godfrey's been busting his butt to pull this town up for years. Call Dowse and ask him. Call the rest of them. You have it wrong. He's not the villain you try to portray- he's just a guy trying to revive his hometown.
To Anonymous #375 or whatever the count is now
You show how little you value education when you devalue a school teacher.
You show how little you value wisdom when you devalue a crone (in the BEST sense of the word).
You show how little you value community service when you devalue someone who has worked a lifetime at one form of service and still has optimism, energy and determination to give more.
The real laugh would be to have YOU run a room of 30 second graders every day for nine months, year after year.
You might see it could be a piece of cake for Van Hooser to lead a city - and she'd know how to share, too.
Nice train of thought maugham...
'Devaluing' a teacher? Try to hold to the words written. I didn't devalue a teacher, I stated the very very obvious fact that she isn't qualified for the job. In fact the only reason she's been propped up by SmartGrowtOgden is that she will get the vote of the teachers that will come out to vote against vouchers in addition to the PROMISED vote of SmartGrowthOgden.
Fact is, she just isn't qualified. She believes in 'the harmony hut' for city council members and the mayor because they don't agree. But the fact is that the 'don't spend any money/do nothing' City Council has been PROVEN wrong. The Mayor's plan is working. Ogden is reviving (yes I know you folks are readying your fingers to type in here that it's not the Mayor, but lets give credit where it's due).
SmargGrowthOgden has created ZERO growth. Now how smart is that?
To Anonymous,
Now let's look at the business experience of the other candidate, Godfrey.
He got fired from the city for not doing his work but rether spending his time working on his personal agenda,
He worked for one other company for about one year, a real stick to it type of guy and oh yah,
He bought 45 rent houses on a credit card that he maxed out.
Other than that he has almost tripled the city debt on the last 6 years (that's when the final numbers come in on the Wreck Center) and lets not forget the countless gimees he's handed out to all his cronies that the residents of Ogden will be paying for, for a long long time.
Now that shows me that this is a guy that should be controlling the city purse strings! A real sound businessman, give me a break.
I think it all comes down to who would you rather have as mayor - A decent honest well intentioned school teacher, or a known dishonest, manipulating, insider dealing crook who fancies himself a wheeling dealing business tycoon who has proven his incompetence by running up a hundred million dollar debt and has nothing to show for it but a bowling alley and a penny arcade that is only operating a day and a half a week?
You anonymous douche:
OTown is not Lying Little Matty Godnola Godfrey's hometown; it's Harrisville. You and he can get the blank outta here. Seriously.
Anon:
You are confusing two different things: experience and competence. Ken Lay had a great deal of business experience. But he was incompetent and ran ENRON into the ground. He was also a crook. But he was experienced.
People with little experience can be highly competent, and people with much experience can be wildly incompetent.
I would say Mrs. Van Hooser's having successfully completed a career in teaching several decades long bespeaks a not inconsiderable amount of practical competence on her part. Will that translate into competence in governing the city? I don't know. But based on what I've seen of her on the Council so far, the probabilities are good. And I remind you that Ms. Van Hooser has, right now, a great deal more work experience than The Boy Mayor of Ogden had on the day he was first elected.
In the campaign, we're going to have to evaluate two things: (a) Gondola Boy's record in office and (b) Ms. Van Hooser's ideas and plans for governing the city if she becomes Mayor. And then we'll have to decided which, on balance, bids fairest to govern Ogden City well over the next four years.
You seem afraid to have people look at both candidates and make that comparison. I wonder why....
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