Mending the Ogden Divide?

Our two rookie council members express interest in mending fences - will the mayor follow suit?

By Curmudgeon

Today's Standard-Examiner features a Scott Schwebke lead story, about the new council members pledging to try to heal the divisions in the city, and particularly the prickly relationship of late between Hizzonah Mayor Godfrey and the Council.

From the story:

Blain H. Johnson, who will occupy at-large Seat A, and Caitlin K. Gochnour, who will represent Municipal Ward 4, are cautiously optimistic they can help thaw the chilly relationship between the council and administration.

“I’m completely independent,” Gochnour said. “I want to be able to communicate openly with them (the city’s administration) when I support them and when I’m not supporting them. I feel like we can disagree in a dignified fashion and still respect each other.”

Johnson said he doesn’t believe in finger-pointing over past differences between the council and administration. However, he hopes to be a catalyst to foster a better relationship between the two bodies. “I’m only one person, but I know I will do what I can,” he said. “We need to get both sides together.

Then Mr. Schwebke asked Mayor Godfrey for his views on the matter. And Hizzonah offered this:

Mayor Matthew Godfrey said he’s encouraged that Johnson and Gochnour want to engage in open communication. He hopes other council members, particularly
Dorrene Jeske and Amy Wicks, the council’s vice chairwoman who was elected to
another term last month, will follow suit.

Godfrey said Wicks and Jeske have refused to meet with him individually to voice concerns, but have repeatedly taken his administration to task for being uncooperative and secretive.

“It’s tough when you have that kind of situation,” said Godfrey, who won re-election to a third term last month by defeating challenger City Councilwoman Susan Van Hooser. “I can’t force them to communicate with me.”

Thus signaling his willingness to try to mend fences and create a more cooperative relationship with the Council by promptly attacking two of the City Council members [one week after telling the Std-Ex that Council Chair, a third member, was lying about a private conversation he'd had with the Mayor]. One sentence stating his hopes for a better relationship, followed by an immediate attack on Council members who had the effrontery to disagree with him and to say so publicly.

And the beat goes on... .