Boss Godfrey receives more blowback in this morning's Standard-Examiner, resulting from the leaked email which he evidently "planted" in the 3/1/08 Std-Ex, in an apparent effort to discredit Emerald City Council Chairwoman Amy Wicks. This morning's letters column has a letter by Ogden's own David Smith, asking a few pointed questions... and providing some proposed answers, none of which are flattering to Boss Godfrey:
This newspaper recently ran a story about Ogden Mayor Matt Godfrey’s claims that Council Chairperson Amy Wicks won’t meet with him privately (March 1 news story, "A communications battle brewing in Ogden"). Amy’s response was that she meets with him all the time, in regular public meetings. But the Mayor, for some reason, is obsessed with meeting with her alone.As our WCF readers without short-term memory deficit will recall (not you, Viktor), we also discussed Irene Voit's letter yesterday.
A couple of questions come to mind. First, what does the mayor wish to say to her in private that he doesn’t want heard in public? Second, does the mayor think he is the Godfather, and that all whom he summons must come, under penalty of public pillory if they don’t?
Amy Wicks was recently re-elected by the largest margin of any candidate in the council races. She was immediately elected to be chairwoman by the other council members. She is one of the most polite and considerate of persons, keenly interested in the opinions of others, and one who fills her public stewardship with both energy and skill. This newspaper endorsed her, as well.
The present situation is reminiscent of a few months ago, when the Godfrey administration was attacking Jesse Garcia, who was the council chairman at the time. Now that she is council chairperson, it appears it is now Amy’s turn for this treatment.
She ran on a platform of being independent, which she is. I suspect that characteristic is the real problem the mayor has with her.
By our count, Boss Godfrey is now batting 0-2 (.000) with the general public. Godfrey is definitely taking his lumps from the lumpencitizens.
Looking into our trusty crystal ball, we're going to go out on a limb and predict that Boss Godfrey will soon be moseying down to the paddock, and saddling up one of his letter-writing warhorses to respond in some way to these two highly critical letters. As we all know, Mayor Godfrey is one of those folks who thinks he's right about everything. Surely he won't allow the Voit and Smith letters to stand unaddressed.
And who will be the trusty Godfrey-lackey to be put in harness to defend Boss Godfrey's "honor," gentle readers? One of the Ballantynes? Little Bobby Geiger? The sway-back old nag Jay Cavendish? We'll be pulling up our political Barca-loungers, waiting to find out.
For our part, we'll be sitting on the edge of our seat, awaiting some articulate rationale, explaining why ANY city council member should meet privately with Boss Godfrey, in defiance of the principle of Open Government.
Take it away, gentle readers. We know you're out there; we can hear you breathing.
