A Heads-Up for the Emerald City Lumpencitizens

Boss Godfrey ramrods a Central Business District community plan amendment, with the help of his secret steering committee

This morning's Standard-Examiner provides a timely heads-up for the Emerald City lumpencitizens this morning, about something which we expect to be Boss Godfrey's next "big push," in his ongoing obsession to inflict upon our city his "visionary" Big Government-Propelled Makeover. We incorporate Ace Reporter Schwebke's essential paragraphs below, on the subject of the now-proposed revision to Ogden City's Central Business District Community Plan:

OGDEN — City officials are seeking public input on a long-range plan to shape land use, transportation, economic development and housing within the downtown business district.
The aim of the plan being formulated by a 14-member citizen steering committee is to address growth issues within the business district’s boundaries, which extend from Adams Avenue to west of Wall Avenue and from 27th Street to the Ogden River.
“It charts out the future of Ogden’s downtown,” said John Mayer, a city planner. “It fosters orderly development.”
Community plans such as the one proposed for the business district have a narrower focus than Ogden’s general plan.
In addition, community plans balance the interests of the city and neighborhoods in addressing such issues as transportation, infrastructure, housing and public safety.
Ogden has 17 community plans. The most recent for the downtown business district was implemented in 1991.
The city planning commission will hold a series of work sessions before conducting a public hearing on the business district plan in June or July. The city council would have to amend the municipality’s overall general plan to implement the business district plan.
The steering committee’s recommendations may change before the plan is presented to the city council, Mayer said. [...]
Downtown property owners who have additional recommendations for the business district plan can contact Mayer at johnmayer@ci.ogden.ut.us [Corrected email link added].

As a matter of first impression, the now-announced Central Business District community plan amendment process would appear to at least superficially resemble the Mt. Ogden Community Plan amendment process which was finalized last year -- with one big difference. Unlike last year, when democratic forces rolled up their sleeves and went to work to achieve a community plan amendment which conformed to the wishes of the citizens who actually reside in the Mt. Ogden Community, Boss Godfrey seems to be acting proactively this time around, to prevent the general popultion of lumpencitizens from overtly meddling in the process.

We also interpret the mayor's appointment of a fourteen member steering committee to be further evidence of this. As reported in Mr. Schwebke's morning story, this mysterious committee has already been hard at work in some back room at city hall, formulating its own "recommendations." And yes, gentle readers. One of the committee's recommendations apparently involves GONDOLAS.

We've linked Mr. Mayer's email addy in the above-quoted paragraph. Boss Godfrey is calling for citizen input. He's even scheduled a few work sessions so the lumpencitizens can at least formally throw in their two cents, prior to the implementation of the recommendations which his (presumably hand selected) steering committee has already formulated.

Is it time for the lumpencitizens to roll up their sleeves once again? Should the forces of citizen democracy again intrude into the process?

This will be on the test.

Comments, anyone?