Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Powder Mountain Update: House Comittee Passes SB-25 Out of Committee Unanimously with Retroactive Provisions

Rep. Froerer successfully moves to amend SB-25, taking on the mantle of Man of the People of Leg. District 8

Senate bill 25, a remedial bill intended to cure the defects of the hopelessly flawed HB-466 (of the 2007 legislative session,) which had been stuck in the House Political Subdivisions Committee since late last week, was approved by the committee this afternoon upon the motion to amend of House Legislative District 8 Gage Froerer, sending the amended SB-25 on to the House floor with a retroactivity provision, just as many of us had hoped.

We link here the audio recording of this afternoon's committee hearing, in which Rep. Froerer eloquently argued the legal and equitable points, resulting in a unanimous favorable committee vote:

2/26/08 House Political Subdivisions Committee audio.

Discussion of SB-25 begins at approximately 36:10. Rep. Froerer's motion and argument can be found at approximately 43:43, et seq..

We offer our profound congratulations and thanks to Rep. Froerer for sticking to his guns, disregarding the instructions of certain elements in House leadership to bury this bill, lobbying his fellow committee members to pass this bill unanimously with the proper retroactivity provisions, and to send it to the House floor for debate. Thanks also to all the other committee members, who voted to do what was right.

High fives will be going up all over Ogden Valley, as the staunch lumpencitizens hear about this. Representative Gage Froerer: House Legislative District 8 Man of the People!

Comments, anyone?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

My, my, my, amazing how reps. respond when their jobs are on the line. Or they think so. [grin]

I am glad it passed out with the retroactive provisions. But I would save the high-fives until the House accepts the committee's version, and that in turn is accepted by the Senate. And until any resulting developer's suit is heard and resolved. Then we can break out Andre's finest for a bubbly celebratory toast. Or two. Or ten. But not quite yet.

This was a very good thing that happened today. But the matter is not yet finished.

Query: the WC Commission was supposed to be taking up the developer's petition to found their new town tonight. Anyone know if the Commissioners took the matter up, and if they did, what action they took... if any?

Anonymous said...

Jeeze Rudi, I sure hope that Froerer doesn't take any sharp corners. I would hate to see you with a cast on your neck for the next few months.

"Froerer, man of the people" Does that make a decent person want to puke or what! But then what should we expect from one Republican kissing another one's butt?

Curmudgeon is definitely right in his analysis of this situation. (as usual)

Unless Froerer has convinced Speaker of the House, and noted gas thief, Curtis to back down, I don't see this bill with the retroactive clause passing and becoming law. Remember Curtis has made it very clear he would rather see the people's rights trampled than have his developer buddies inconvenienced in their rape of the land.

We also of course have all the other developer and real estate interests in the house and the senate that will most likely do what ever they can to take Froerer's little bit of temporary glory away from him before the final curtain falls in one week.

We will see if Froerer has the cajones to stick to his guns, and the juice to back these bastards down on this issue. I sure as hell wouldn't bet on it. I think it is just a game Froerer is playing for the benefit of the public. There is a huge difference between getting his committee to go along with what is just and decent and getting the robber baron bosses to swing with him. I doubt if he is sincere, I think he is just playing it so when this retro clause gets thrown out he can go to the voters and say he tried. Hyena's don't change their spots that fast you know.

Even if he does prevail on this one, he still owes what soul he may have to the developer/realtor interests. He is one of them. They are responsible for a lot of the ills in our society today. They have perverted the land use issues to benefit themselves and their cronies to the detriment of all land owners in the state. They are evil rapacious operators who have been systematically looting the public and they all should be replaced this November.

This Powder Mountain issue is just one of many they have their finger prints all over. Even if they do a little repenting on this issue, they are still guilty of many more.

Throw the bums out, it is time for a change!

Anonymous said...

Oz:

And let us not forget that Gage was asleep at the switch when this obnoxious Developers Dream Bill slid through the closing days of the legislative session without examination or opposition. He seems to have been channeling Steve Urkel from Family Matters. Gage has just turned to his constituents and said: "Ahhhh... did I do that?

Yes, Gage. You did.

Nor do I recall Gage's voice being raised during the following special legislative session demanding that the law be amended before any more damage was done. Had it been amended then, the Powder Mountain mess would have never gotten off the ground.

Happy that Rudi... and hundreds of Gage's angry constituents, doubtless busy ordering the pitchforks Rudi oh so recently recommended that they take up, have finally nudged the man awake at his desk. Better late than never, I guess. But better still would have been awake, alert and doing his job back when the Developer's Dream bill first slid through on lobbyists' well-greased skids.

Anonymous said...

Well now Curmudgeon, I put forth that Gage was in fact fully awake and aware of what was going on when this bill slid through at the end of last year's session. He and all his special interest pals in the legislature knew exactly what they were doing. Their perfidy knows no bounds when it comes to sneaking stuff through that benefits their pocketbooks at the expense of the citizens. They are after all Republicans.

Valley said...

The issue was missing from the Weber County Commission's agenda

The Weber County Commission Agenda for February 26

Anonymous said...

Valley and Viktor:

Valley: thank you.
Viktor: that's certainly another possible interpretation. As is so often the case, the two choices that make the most sense are that the legislator knew full well what he was doing in service of the developers, or that he was incompetent at his job and not taking care of business. Venality or incompetence. Some choice.

Anonymous said...

LOL! We get the very uneasy sensation that some folks here are more interested in throwing grenades than getting the right results in the Powder Mountain mess.

Whether you like him or not, we should all remember that it's Rep. Froerer who's finally gotten the ball rolling on this. For that, he deserves all due credit.

Remember, making laws is not always pretty.

Like I've always said, "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."

Anonymous said...

otto:

To which the reply is: if Mr. Froerer and his colleagues had been awake and doing the job he's being paid by the public to do a year ago when the Developers Dream bill passed through the legislature unexamined and without opposition, he, and they, would not now have to spend time now trying to clean up the mess they themselves created.

I am glad he has suddenly found his voice on this... impelled I suspect in no small way by rising anger among his constituents over the Powder Mountain mess. But we need to recall, I think, that his election-eve conversion mostly involves his trying to clean up a mess he helped create.

Anonymous said...

Otto

Seems to me like the "right results" for Powder Mountain would be for these developers to back off. The only thing that will get them to do that is if decent folks here abouts throw grenades at them.

Post a Comment

© 2005 - 2014 Weber County Forum™ -- All Rights Reserved