Today's important stories per Curmudgeon
By Curmudgeon
Tantalizing lead story in the Standard-Examiner today. The story is, Ogden is likely to be the hottest job market in Utah over the next quarter, as well as one of the top ten job markets in the nation. The story quotes Mayor Godfrey saying "I think we're doing the right things that have really changed the paradigm."
Now, I know it can be argued that Hizzonah has had little to do with the good jobs picture in Ogden, that broader trends and factors account for most of it. And that may be true. But it seems also true that Godfrey's actions have had something to do with it. And besides, if the local economy goes south [as I hope it will not], folks would be piling on the Mayor for letting it happen. And so, fair's fair, he gets to take some credit for a strong economy when that happens.
Then, too, there is a front page story about the Mayor's calling a public meeting to get public input about how to handle Mt. Ogden Golf Course's [alleged] $250,000 a year deficit. The Std-Ex, sadly, once again, simply prints the Mayor's assertion that it is in fact losing that much annually. It would be nice if my Home Town Paper did a little digging into the matter and let its readers know if that is in fact true, and if it's not, why not. May be true; may not. I'd like to know. Being the old reprobate that I am, I think that's the sort of thing home town papers are supposed to ferret out and explain, rather than just taking the government at its word. Que no? Rudi has of course addressed this subject in the lower article.
Finally, there's also another front page piece reporting that Ms. Litrrell has denounced the judge's ruling her lawsuit against the Mayor and assigning costs to the plaintiffs as "demeaning and inflammatory." And reporting that she does not intend to appeal the judgment because it would cost many thousands of dollars more.
All in all a pretty meaty day for the front page of the Standard-Examiner. Not a bad deal for four bits.
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14 comments:
On the golf course story and Mt. Ogden Golf Course's [alleged] $250,000 a year deficit. The SE, sadly, once again, simply prints the Mayor's assertion that it is in fact losing that much annually. It would be nice if my Home Town Paper did a little digging into the matter and let its readers know if that is in fact true, and if it's not, why not. May be true; may not. I'd like to know. Being the old fashioned print reprobate that I am, I think that's the sort of thing home town papers are supposed to ferret out and explain, rather than just taking the government at its word. Que no?
Judge Baldwin is scum. He dismissed the case before the plaintiffs even had a chance to present evidence on the discrepancies in Godfrey's financial disclosure statements.
As you'll all remember, Godfrey's Ogden City disclosures differed from those provided to the state.
Maybe Rudi can find those conflicting documents, which were published here on Weber County Forum earlier, and put them up again.
The financial data on the golf course that has been publicly released is obfuscated and virtually incomprehensible. (As I recall, the data show that the deficit has nearly doubled since our current mayor took office.) If the mayor truly wishes to improve the situation, the first step should be to publish a more detailed and clearly explained financial statement.
A fast way for the mayor to turn a profit is to take the quarter mil. that he got from UTA and pay off the golf course debt. Then every thing will be just fine and no need to sell the golf course.
What I find amazing is that the article says "Ogden area" not "Ogden City". Ogden area means the city AND the surrounding cities and unincorporated areas. What are the numbers for Ogden City alone? I would venture a guess (based on pure speculation on my part) that were the study done on Ogden City alone that it would be far worse. Seriously. What does Ogden have for jobs compared to Riverdale, S. Ogden and the Weber Industrial Park area provide. Godfrey has had very little to do with the economic growth of the "Ogden area". He brings in the very limited employee ski companies and has portrayed himself as the "savior of Ogden". I have said it before here, since he was elected 8 years ago he has brought in only 2 major retail businesses to Ogden "City". Those being Home Depot and the (still under construction) Lowes. (Walmart can not be counted until ground is broken (in my opinion)) While numerous retailers have pulled out of Ogden in that same frame without being replaced.
On the topic of Walmart. There is no way that another Walmart is going to do anything for the "Ogden area". The only thing it will do is pull customers from the Harrisville and Riverdale stores to Ogden, thus helping "Ogden City". It will do nothing for the area as a whole. Another Walmart is not going to bring consumers from Davis County or Box Elder County to Ogden. That is what the "Ogden area" needs to do is to lure consumers in from outside Weber County to spend their monies. Sorry, but Walmart is just going to move monies from one Weber County store to another.
I just watched KUTV news article in which they reference the study. There was Godfrey (and his HUGE forehead) bragging up all of his "good deeds" for Ogden. I wanted to PUKE. He is such a weaselly looking freak.
I think that subsidizing golf is better than privatizing land for skiing. We have all made it clear that Ogden's subsidy of golf at Mount Ogden is what is valuable to us.
I like the views on the golf course better. I enjoy them from my back window.
I know many others who share my opinnion. Just look around our neighborhood and talk to my neighbors. We all agree.
I don't understand why it is so difficult for our mayor to understand that.
So, to me and my neighbors, it doesn't matter whether or not the debt on the golf course is real. We like it the way that it is, and if that means public subsidy, then so be it. It is our open space. It is our land. It is our park.
As to the Mayor's efforts to strengthen Ogden's economy. I agree with Rudizink. The buy deserves some credity.
As to Ms. Litrell's issues with the Mayor - I wish that she would stop already. Everytime she pushes this matter that republish the list of plantiffs. Many of them are my friends. They are not pleased with this issue and the bad light that it has cast on their names and reputations. The election showed us something--the majority of Ogden wanted Godfrey to be our Mayor. I often wonder how Littrell would have responded if Godfrey's camp had sought to remove Hansen or Van Hooser from the ballot based on a filing technicality that was so finicky that a judge would likely dismiss the charges outright? I'm certain that Ms. Littrell would have really blown a gasket.
Leave the golf course alone and subsidize it if necessary.
Accept the Mayor's contribution to Ogden's economy.
Tell Ms. Littrell to please stop! She keeps dragging the name of good people through the mud. I wonter if Ms. Littrell conferred with the other plantiffs when she re-attacked through the Standard Examiner. Those that I know who were involved would most certainly have told her to STOP! It is embarassing.
Lying little matty seems to be updating his past falsehoods. Now he has changed his tune from three years ago, while making his case for handing over the course to the patagonia vest, "the course has lost $300,000.00 a year every year since it opened" most recently changed to," the course has lost $250,000 a year since 2003".
It's also interesting how coordinated all this is, channel 2 news ran a story this morning. The Standards op-ed, some guy claiming that public golf courses are denying all Americans of their freedom, what a leap. This idiot obviously knows nothing about the state of golf, nor the purpose of munincipal golf courses.
What can one expect from a guy tied to some far right wing think tank? His his hopes, if realized, would result in confirming the myth that golf is a rich man's game, and would be totally detrimental to the future of the game itself.
There would be very few of future generations picking up the game, senior citizens could forget spending quality outdoor recreation time and the occompaning exercize. Our lower paid munincipal employees would no longer recieve one of the better benefits they currently enjoy, an employee discount that brings this recreational opportunity to them.
Local charities would no-longer be the beneficiary of large cash windfalls that result from their golf tournements, about $500,000 raise at Mt. Ogden last year.
Local High Scools would have to drop their golf programs, and that would bring fewer educational opportunities to many students that currently recieve full scholarships because of their ability.
It's funny that lying little matty hates a game that technically favors his own credo, atleast untill you're caught, honestey, it's up to you to call yourself on infractions. Sometimes cheater and liars are rewarded. But once exposed, you're done. It's kinda like how he see's his job.
Gotta run, more to come.
Anyone else suspect that Mayor Godfrey has some bad news coming his way (ACLU?) and is trying to lay out all his happy news to mitigate the damage?
If the mayor thinks that the golf course is losing that much money. I will pay the city $100.00 and take over the operation and then the taxpayer is then making some money and I will take all the risk from there. Is this not how he is running the high tech center? Well mayor how about it. Let me run the golf course.
Bill:
The shifting, slippin' and slidin' amount of the alleged annual loss is precisely why, or at least one of the reasons why, the Standard Examiner, or the City Council, or both, should dig into the numbers and try to come up with some reliable, reality-based account of how the Mt. Ogden Course does annually in terms of income or loss. Until the public, and the Council have some numbers on which they can rely, no real public discussion can take place. Or at least no meaningful one.
Add to all of this the Trojan Horse letter in Tuesday's S-E from Lavar Lowther of Eden, who swears on the Doctrine & Covenants how swell and utopian "Powderville" is going to be.
Oh, brotha. Lowther is Alvin Cobabe's grandson.
MM:
What bothers me about all these "Oh, expanding the resort will be just wonderful!" letters is that they, all of them, completely miss the point of what's wrong about developers creating towns, dragooning residents into them without a vote, and appointing un-elected town officials with taxing and ordinance making powers for two years. Those are horrific doings, depriving people of a fundamental liberty [representation], and they are that whether you think expanding the Powder Mountain Resort is a grand idea or a lousy one.
Arguing that because expansion is a good idea, that therefor it's OK to deny the dragooned residents of the developer's town the right of representation, and to subject them to ordinances and taxes imposed by developer-appointed [and unelected] town officials is a truly scary thing. Can't help wondering who taught such letter writers their own country's history in high school.
Probably Rob Bishop, come to think of it.
Memo to Scott Schwebke:
I just learned of a lawsuit-in-the-works against the proprietors of our vaunted FlowRider at the Salomon Center. Two people with broken necks want damages, pain-and-suffering, the works. Siegfried and Jensen is handling it. Apparently there are additional mangled necks and this could morph into a class action.
Of most interest to the WCForum is, would Ogden City would have any liability? And we thought our collective financial enslavement to Salomon's Pizza Emporium and High Class Entertainment couldn't get any scarier ...
Moroni
The only broken neck I thought possible at the Wreck Center would be that of the loose cannon Geiger if Lord Godfrey turned any corners to sharply.
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