Plus: An announcent of another candidate event
The Standard-Examiner finally gets around to reporting on the second round of election 2007 campaign financial disclosures this morning, with this Scott Schwebke story in this morning's newspaper.
As we also learned from Kristen Moulton on Saturday, Boss Godfrey has raked in $183, 540 as of October 26, the filing date for the second reporting period. This sum of course exceeds the campaign war chests of ALL other candidates combined, and is more than triple the amount raised so far by his challenger, Susie Van Hooser.
It's startling, we think, that Godfrey's expenditure for his professional campaign manager, $54,324, itself surpasses the $52, 420 that Ms. Van Hooser has raised for her entire campaign. The sheer magnificence of Godfrey's campaign fund should not surprise anyone however. There are many friends of Matt who've received special favors over the past years; and now that the election has rolled around, it's time for big-time payback.
Lest we leap to the conclusion that Godfrey's campaign is indulging in fund-raising overkill, or that the size of Godfrey's campaign warchest is overly grotesque, Boss Godfrey assures us that there's nothing unseemly about raising and spending such an obscene wad of cash. Godfrey recognises that he's accumulated a lot of "bad karma" during his 8-year reign of terror, and he's hoping all that dough will set things right:
Godfrey said Monday he has had to raise a lot of campaign funds to refute attacks from critics while promoting his platform.We think Boss Godfrey may have a point; and we wonder if any amount could ever be sufficient to offset the ill-will that Godfrey has accumulated over the past eight years. We'll find out soon enough, won't we.
“Having been in office for eight years, I’ve received a tremendous amount of criticism, so I need to defend myself against the critics while also talking about what I plan to do in the next four years,” he said.
On another topic, WSU professor Bryan Dorsey contributes an excellent Op-ed piece on this morning's Std-Ex editorial page, making some comparisons between competing transit systems, and delivering a soft sales pitch for street cars as the logical choice for Emerald City public transit. Professor Dorsey also asks the question: "So why is Ogden waiting to get in line for federal funding for transit oriented development?"
"Good question, Professor Dorsey" we say. "That's something many of us have been wondering."
Announcement: On another note, we've received notice from Dirk Youngberg, of the Ogden firefighters' union, concerning another candidate forum scheduled for later this week. For those lumpencitizens who'd like another live look at our city council candidate slate, please take note that a council candidates forum has been set for 7:00 p.m. on November 2d. This could be your last chance, by the way, to see these wild and crazy guys gathered together as a group.
That's it for the WCF-relevant news this morning. Let's hear it from our gentle readers.
Election update 10/30/07 4:42 p.m.m MT: We've just now spoken with State representive Neil Hansen, who garnered 20% of the vote in last month's Emerald City mayoral primary race. Representative Hansen will be holding a press conference on Thursday at the Weber County Building.....NE corner of 24th and Washington Blvd at 1 PM in Ogden -- In front of the "ski statue" whatever the heck that is.
Something tells us Hansen's announcment will decide the mayoral race, once and for all.
Right now, we think Neil Hansen is without a doubt the most important man in Ogden. We'll be sitting on the edges of our seats until Thursday's Hansen press conference.
Stay tuned. The political situation in Ogden gets more interesting by the moment
34 comments:
Does anyone have any idea when the Standard Examiner plans to endorse Godfrey? What are they waiting for? Is there some sort of favorable timing they hope to achieve? The suspense is killing me!
The SE also today ran an interesting editorial, opposing a tax in Davis County to finance the building of a public theater complex. I don't live there, won't pay it, and have no opinion on the wisdom of the proposal. What I find interesting is the SE's reason for opposing the tax. That it's largely a "trust us" proposal, with specifics for distributing the money not built in.
Why is that odd? Because the SE was all agog just a few days ago over the quarter cent transportation tax, which it recommended be passed, even though --- especially for Weber County --- how the money will be spent is largely left to "trust us." The Weber County COG wants to spend 80% of it on roads, and has in its priority list only one transit project, and that one is not guaranteed either. The entire priority list could be changed. Other than spending 25% to buy Legacy Highway extension land, nothing is locked in. Just "trust us." Why the SE finds that appeal OK with respect to the transportation tax, but not OK with respect to the Davis Arts, Parks and Recreation tax is a poser.
The SE's editorial can be found here.
And about that emphasis on roads over transit in Weber County, the SL Trib has an interesting editorial today. It's headlined INVERSION SEASON: DRIVE LESS OR DIE
It seems the air inversion season in Utah has begun earlier than usual this year. The first "don't breathe unless you have to" warnings have already gone up. From the editorial:
What is completely predictable is that if Utahns don't change their polluting ways, this situation will continue to get worse. The reason is explosive population growth and an even steeper spike in the miles Utahns drive in their cars, trucks and SUVs.
Automobiles and diesel engines are major contributors to the pollutants that foul Utah's air, particularly soot called PM2.5. They are called that because the particles are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. By comparison, 10 micrometers is about one-seventh the width of a human hair.
These tiny soot particles are dangerous because they lodge in the lungs and are not expelled. They cause nose and throat irritation, lung damage, bronchitis and early death.
The editorial can be found here. And the SL Trib's story on the inversion here.
All of which gives even more point to the Brian Dorsey op ed piece Rudi highlighted in today's main thread.
It does not surprise me at all how much $ Godfrey has accumulated in this race. The laughing stock of Utah (you should hear the way people talk about our joke of a Mayor in Salt Lake and elsewhere) is the big man in many a businessman's mind here in Ogden. While they are scractching each other's backs and filling each other's pocketbacks, the rest of the town has to suffer. Hopefully Godfrey won't be able to buy off this election and the people come out and make things right. Vote the bum out, people! Enough is enough!
Utah drivers will choke to death before they'll be pried from their automobiles. "Drive Less." Yeah, right, Tribune.
Perhaps the S-E is planning to run their endorsement of Godfrey simultaneously with the Deseret News's.
With any luck at all the Van Hooser campaign will pick up on this golden opportunity presented by the huge disparity between the candidate's war chests, and the source of that loot.
If they make sure that every voter in Ogden is aware of the basic equation, then I think her (and our) chances are much better.
The equation in this specific instance is - Will the business of the people of Ogden be controlled for another four years by the special interest groups who profit mightily from the mayor's policies and who are giving him hundreds of thousands of dollars to insure their gravy train keeps rollin down the tracks, or will it not.
There is some precedence I think in the last Wicks election where she beat her very well financed bishop and Godfreyman opponent on about a dollar twenty five and a cute bunny rabbit, thus proving, at least at that point, that the voters of Ogden can see through an expensive cloud of bull shit when called upon to do so.
If Van Hooser can educate the voters to the true nature of Godfrey and his insider cabal of opportunists in this final week, then she just might whip the SOB's butt!
So all together now, let us pray for miracles in the land of Oz.
On the whole I've been impressed with the way the majority of Ogden votes.
In the last municipal election the voters voted out the Godfrey lackeys on the city council and kept the independent minded one.
It seems Ogden chooses well, when it has a choice.
But still, while I am confident the voters will choose VanHooser and other other independent public minded candidates (all females), now that the election nears the thought of a Godfrey dictatorship - with his 4 person male voting bloc on the council acting as his politburo and cheering squad - selling Ogden for whatever they can, it is genuinely terrifying.
It's been a long, long time since I've experienced that emotion about anything.
MM:
What may change the equation in re: Utahans and their gas guzzlers is the price of oil. Present predictions put it somewhere north of $5 a gallon in the next 3 to 5 years [that's in present dollars, unadjusted for inflation]. That may do it. If less polluting transit is available for less per ride, that is. If you're burning six gallons to SL and back each day, that's $30 bucks a day for gas, five days a week, makes $600 a month. For gas alone.
Of course, that means we'd have to have political leaders with the foresight to plan ahead so that transit services come on line over the next 5 to 10 years, over the routes most likely to be heavily used. Since I don't think any other town has Froot Loop leaders so whacked out as to propose gondolas here, there and everywhere, that probably means a combination of bus and rail transit.
Heard a program on local radio this morning interviewing officials from Cache County about what they want to do with the money the quarter cent sales tax will raise if it passes. They want to put the overwhelming amount into transit in heavily polluted and rapidly growing Cache County [which often boasts the dirtiest air in the nation, and where last year during one "air" emergency, they had to hold elementary and middle school kinds inside, canceling playground recess because the air outside was too bad to be safe. Box Elder plans investment in transit too. And so do Davis County leaders. And what about Weber County? Our COG wants to put 80% into roads.
Sigh. I wonder what it will take. $10 a gallon gas? Or more? People walking around with surgical masks on whenever thy go outside, like they do in some cities in China? Oxygen vending machines on street corners so you can get a lungful of something clean every now and then as you stroll about Utah's Outdoor Paradise?
Sorry. Now and then I forget that this is Utah where long range public planning is often considered the first step down the slippery slope to socialism.
Curm, you socialist. I was driving northwest on Collins ave. this afternoon and what do think I damn near ran into? Lying little matty on some stupid gyro cycle thing a ma jig. This thing came flying out of a driveway and I damn near hit it. Just as I was proceeding to profane every youngster on the planet, I thought it was some idiot kid, I realised this reckless little midget was none other than lying little matty, in the flesh, out campaining door to door. It must have been a day off.
This got me thinking, what an immature little twit this guy really is. Just like his childish fantasy sky-ride, cloaked as a legitamate mass transit option for Ogden. This guy is all about projecting bling, no substance what so ever.
I remember when pressed at one of his peterson land grab gondola dog and pony shows, he responded that it was a gimmick, and that Ogden needed a gimmick. Now his campain is all about gimmicks. Adding a couple token cops on the eve of the primary, he must have forgotten that he has single handedly reduced crime 43%. Oh thats right, that was a lie, can't rely on simple falsehoods alone, better add a cop.
Now, instead of humbly approaching someone's door and asking for their vote, bling, phycho gyro scooter, high adventure campaining.
What gives folks? This egocentric disengenuous lying little twit needs removal, now. And any one that would cast their vote for him is to be concidered morally lacking, or just plain stupid.
"Whacked out," indeed. It was the gondola thing that opened my eyes to Godfrey's having no clothes. The notion that a gondola constituted public transportation was idiotic and insulting, like Reagan's equating ketchup with a vegetable.
Cache County is learning the hard way about toxic air. It's somewhat unfair because most of the pollutants vexing Cache blow in from elsewhere. But there's the crux of the problem: EVERYONE thinks it's unfair for them, personally, to be asked to park their car and get on the bus with the unwashed. No one will take personal responsibility for this crisis.
Our leaders are partially responsible. They've floated every imaginable solution except demanding that people consume less.
As for the Tribune's "DRIVE LESS" editorial, I'm for it. Perhaps folks would take the Trib seriously if if its editorial included an addendum certifying that the publisher, editors, ombudsman, et al., were walking, biking, or TRAX-ing to their cushy Gateway offices during the inversion, and challenging the rest of the Fourth Estate to do likewise. As it is, I think there's public skepticism that the Trib practices what it preaches.
MM:
I haven't completely trusted the Trib on such matters since it abandoned downtown SL for its cushy digs at the Gateway. It was a better paper, written and edited from downtown. Just as the SE would be a better paper if its editorial offices were downtown. Put the printing plant out in BDO, but the newsroom and editorial offices ought to be but steps away from what the SE paper likes to call "the mean streets of central Ogden." And it ought to have a "cliche' jar" in the newsroom the way some families have "swearing jar" in their homes: every time the SE prints a clishe, whoever got the byline forks over a buck into the jar, the proceeds to go to year end blowout at a "private club for members." I'm waiting for a feature story any day now in the SE starting out "There are 80,000 stories in the naked city. This is one of them...."
Bill:
A Napolean-complexed, five-five dork from Harrisville, campaigning IN OTOWN on a Scooter; this does not play well for Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey. Maybe he should have painted the image of a gondola car and him taking down a developmentally disabled drunk neighbor to bolster his geekiness. Jesus, these clowns can't help but step on their own Viagra-induced gondolas.
THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE, who just called my voice mail at work, incidentally. Hmmmm. Where did THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE obtain my work #. I'll bet it's a Ogden-Weber-Gondola of Commerce list that was cited by the Lying Little Liar's campaign to impugn SVH. Two of my coworkers got the same message, and it's because the Clothier of Commerce has not scrubbed his list. Obviously, the OTown city employees who received SVH campaign emails were on the same list....and Lying Little Matty pays their dues. Discrepancy? I think so. There are many others, including one that may end up in court. Stay tuned, Geigers, you stupid Geigers.
Geiger, Geiger, Geiger, Geiger, Geiger, Geiger, Geiger, Geiger, Geiger, Geiger....
So, The way I see the Hansen endorsement is that he can do one of 4 things in the announcement.
1. He endorses Matt.
2. He endorses Susie.
3. He endorses No ONE.
4. He endorses himself and runs as a write in for mayor.
Does anyone have any guesses to what he will do?
I would hope that he does what is best for everyone that has helped him.
Just Watch:
The purpose of announcing a press conference well ahead in situations like these is to encourage people to guess and wonder just as you are, so maximum attention is focused on the press conference when it happens. We will doubtless read about it in the Standard Examiner... unless of course the Mayor sends out a press release the same day announcing that since he took office, there has been a chicken in every pot in Ogden, and two cars in every garage, and that he's discovered a mine in Peru that uses a gondola to ship ore down mountain to a smelter, which proves that streetcars won't work in Ogden, in which case it may be the SE will highlight that instead. We shall see....
Agree completely that a newsroom belongs downtown. Wouldn't it be great to reclaim that "naked city" edge in local reporting, a la Joseph Mitchell or A. J. Liebling?
As for the Geigers' being pressed into service to record voice-mail campaign blurbs -- launched indiscriminately via "war-dialing," to boot -- this is desperation in the mayor's bunker. Once again, Geiger = Kiss of Death to any campaign it touches.
THE DEVIL WEARS DESCENTE
Just watch..
I have been looking into my Mystic Crystal ball and have summoned the spirits to help with my prediction of the news conference and the up coming elections.
The press release will be Neil Hansen endorsing Susie Van Hooser.
The election results will be, all of the Gals will win by a landslide, and Matt will have spent all of that hard earned( strong-armed ) campaign loot, leaving him sticky, broke and confused. He will be shamelessly run out of town on a rail, and the citizens of Ogden will have new and brighter days ahead. There will be honesty, and openness in our government. The Mayor and council will cooperate and we will all be friendlier and there will be no such thing as a naysayer or cave dweller.
The Geiger will be forced to relocates t odeath valley where they will intimidate the citizens along with Ed Allen to build a Gondola ato no where.
Recieved the latest flier paid for by your local neo-con, asking if we are better off than eight years ago. I don't think so, what happened to all the money saved by not having our leaves vacummned up by the city in the Fall, or the Spring clean up also cancelled by the mayor or the street festival which the merchants complained about so they say. I guess most of those that complained moved on. The re-generation of 25th street was made possible from the merchants there, no incentives from the current administaration. I'm thankful we have the 25th Street Association to promote the downtown area. Crime gone down in the last 8 years, again I don't think we are more safe with less patrol and more traffic sitations written. The mayor has cut the funding for Marshall White Center and other programs that do have an effect on preventing gang membership.
Interestingly enough, Good Reader, I think you would find that most of the 25th Street Association backs Mayor Godfrey over Van Hooser.
People who work downtown and live the revitalization of Ogden actually know what the Ski Statue is.
Well, things are getting interesting. The Mayor and is ilk are getting ready to use none other than Robert Kennedy Jr. as a tool in his re-election bid. Supposedly on the guise of cleaning up the Ogden River.
I wonder if Mr. Kennedy knows the means in which this bunch has been trying to accomplish this, Eminant Domain. Scaring and threatening the poor land owner into selling his property, then transfering it to an indicted for fraud guy from California, so he can make a fortune selling it to Walmart.
I wonder if any one has shown Mr. Kennedy their plans, other than just telling him their going to clean up the river?
I doubt very much that he's been informed about how this is an extension of a river parkway, and it's quite clear by the placement of the Bingham Cyclery that there is no regard for preserving the continuity of such a parkway. A river corridor, so to speak.
It would be a good idea for Mr. Kennedy to get a flood of e-mails from folks that actually support his causes, informing him how these petty little scoundrels are using him, and his reputation for their own greedy purposes.
Bill:
Do you have a source on this?
BTW, I look for a late mailer or press release containing some outrageous claim about Hizzonah or his opponent, late enough to prevent effective reply. We'll see...
Ah Carnack, you dream my friend you dream. In a perfect world your dream of the way itz supposed to be in Emerald City Government would come true. Your boundless and groundless sense of positiveness is refreshing, however far fetched it is.
Neil Hansen will actually come out in favor of Rudi's Dog for mayor on the grounds that Ogden needs more than anything else what that dog can bring to city governance. A complete lack of guile - what you see is what you get, Open and honest, friendly and loyal to his masters, the common folks. Basic quality stuff if you will.
Well, Neil will be laughed off the front page over such a "silly notion", but as all things are with Neil, the truth of his sayings will prevail and after a few more years of suffering under the tyranny of the little lord's dishonest and financially ruinous rule the people will look back on Neil and his endorsement and wonder "why o why didn't we have the wisdom to know the truth of what he spoke, Rudi's dog coulda saved us had we only listened to Neil"
Kudo's to Rosemary Hoffman for her excellent letter in the SE today!
Right on.
Interesting that the SE didn't print one letter pro or con yesterday.
BTW: BE SURE TO BRING IN YOUR SMALLER CAMPAIGN SIGNS BEFORE THE SPOOKS COME OUT! THE BIGGEST VAN HOOSER SIGNS SHOULD BE SAFE. ESPECIALLY IF YOU DRIVE NAILS (POINTS OUT....A THIEF WOULD HAVE SOME BLOODY FINGERPRINTS LEFT BEHIND, EH?
Kudo's to Rosemary Hoffman for her excellent letter in the SE today!
Right on.
Interesting that the SE didn't print one letter pro or con yesterday.
BTW: BE SURE TO BRING IN YOUR SMALLER CAMPAIGN SIGNS BEFORE THE SPOOKS COME OUT! THE BIGGEST VAN HOOSER SIGNS SHOULD BE SAFE. ESPECIALLY IF YOU DRIVE NAILS (POINTS OUT....A THIEF WOULD HAVE SOME BLOODY FINGERPRINTS LEFT BEHIND, EH?
If endorsed I will not stay; If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not sit.
What a concept! Voters in Heber City will have an opportunity to vote on whether or not they want a WalMart. It's the second item in a sidebar in today's SE.
Guess that's the difference between living in a democracy and in God-Free's republic.
As a neighbor of Rudi and his fine dog Reno in this great megatropolis of Emerald City, I whole heartedly endorse the drafting of Reno the dog to run as a write in candidate for the office of mayor.
Reno would be the perfect candidate to oppose the rampant cronyism that is so prevalent in Godfrey's reign. Reno would conduct an honest and truth seeking administration of the public's business. She would not favor her own inner circle of sniffing buddies but would open up city government to all regardless of their ability to provide treats.
She would let all citizens pet her and receive her licks, not just the
select few like the current Alpha male allows close to his crotch and bony little head.
Ozboy-
It has been brought to my attention that Mingus, the now 11 year old bunny rabbit is more handsome than cute.
Bill C.,
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed the cycle shop is right next to the river: doesn't leave much room for a parkway!
Just checked on the SE's Flowers and Darts. First is an excellent commentary by Rob Garner, a local businessman, explaining why and how he feels Godfrey has completely failed Ogden.
This is followed by another commentary by a (non-Ogden resident) businessman in favor of Godfrey. Oh look! He just happens to be the President of Pinnacle Marketing, the firm on the Godfrey gravy train for Gondola and Lift Ogden publicity. Further down is a missive from Ed Allen, who waxes sentimental about his fine son-in-law who has so much integrity. Oh well, 1 out of 3 ain't bad.
Did a google search for Robert Kennedy Ogden River and found a speech Bobby gave in September for a freshman convocation in California where he mentioned that his friend LA business man Gadi Leshum is working on a big project in Ogden to clean up the river.
On another topic, I've found the last two "tough on crime" mailings that I've received from the very well funded Godfrey campaign to be interesting. The first is an attack on SVH for saying that Ogden's crime rate has gone up under Godfrey. His response? To quote the SL Trib indicating that Ogden's crime rate has fallen at much the same rate as Utah's crime rate. But don't Godfrey's "stats" suggest that Ogden's drop has been bigger than what's happening Utah-wide? The second mailing is his graph showing crime rates in Ogden from 1992 to 2006. What we see is a rise from 92-97 and then a steady decline from 97 to 2000, the first year Godfrey was in office. But from 2000 to 2006 the crime rate is fairly steady, with a uptick in 2004. The G-man's whole case for his crime reducing cred has to be found then in the drop from 1999 to 2000. Given that 2000 was his first year in office, not sure he can realistically claim any impact on the crime rate. Plus, much has already been made about the potential problem with the 1999 numbers. The other interesting thing is he sites the OPD for these stats, but claims that the OPD uses the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Standards to get these measurements. Begging the question then of why the OPD stats are the same as the FBI's.
Oh my dear God; I just read Addled Dr. Ed's familially pulchritudinous treacle -- a rehashing of his Schwebke letter that made us all gack up our picante beef jerky a piece back -- and I am now sworn to change, thanks to this halty literary fellatio. If a father-in-law has this much admiration, devotion, love and respect for a dwarf who slaps his daughter around, then I have no choice but to lay down my sword and suck gondola. Well done, sir! You are a tribute to fathers-in-law the world over! You fill us with joy and dreamy wonderment of a new Ogden, a community filled with gondolas and integrity! And possibly a shitload of onions. Yours now, a forever devotee of THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE,
Me
THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE
Rudi, Rudi, Rudi... The Boy Mayor of Ogden is a Republican. He has hired a Republican campaign management firm to run his race. So of course he's putting out a pack of lies. That's what Republicans do, Rudi. That's how, sadly, they win elections. The only thing I'm surprised about is your surprise. Surely you expected final week skullduggery from the Godfrey campaign? The truly surprising thing would be if did not occur.
You're in the wrong party, Rudi. I can get you a pass, a safe conduct through the lines to the Weber County Democrats. Let me know when and where you want to cross over and I'll give you the password and countersign for that day. I know people. I can fix it.
Pinnacle Marketing made that DVD Godfrey has blessed the faithful with. (I'm not on his mailing list...I'm on that other one!)
It's from the DVD that the dialer/radio ad was filched.
It now occurs to me that Ed Allen has come to fancy himself not merely as a senior statesman but as the rarefied Dynastic Utah Male -- who, when it appears that the biological chips off the old block won't be propagating the family business (that is, ruling, manipulating, and dominating), turns to a son-in-law to prop up the patriarchal prerogatives. (Think Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie.) Ed is so starstruck by Matty's reflected glory (?) that he can't see how unseemly his barrage of biased blurbs really are.
Godfrey's mother in law when asked, "Why is Godfrey running for a third term?", replied, "I don't know! I guess they have the same DNA."
How scary is THAT??
Post a Comment