One gentle reader drops a dime on Boss Godfrey
By George K.
Ogden is faced with numerous problems, but I think that the biggest problem is the Ogden City Administration. We’ve heard about it for years from businesses who have tried to start their business in Ogden, from other victims of Godfrey’s “Yard Nazi Patrol,” and Ogden’s “ticket quota” who are going six miles over the speed limit! The problem is the UNCARING and UNCOOPERATIVE ACTIONS of the City’s administration and personnel who are carrying out Boss Godfrey’s orders because of his constant need for more revenue to fund his pet projects!
He won’t raise property taxes because that would make him look bad, but he has no conscience when it comes to assessing fines and fees! Fining an elderly 83-year old woman because her lawn is brown due to a broken water pipe that causes her basement to flood every time she watered is a perfect example!. There are hundreds of examples – to list a couple of others: The ordinance that the Council passed in 2005 at the administration’s urging that uprooted a handicapped accident victim who was living in a motel because he was unable to take care of a home or apartment and on a limited income so that he couldn’t afford to hire someone to help him. I wonder where he is now – probably had to move out of Ogden altogether because of a stupid, uncaring ordinance that limits the time anyone can live in a motel to 90 days! Also, look how the City treated the owner of the old motel located on the Ogden River and wanted to open a restaurant serving Indian cuisine. Ultimately, they put a moratorium on all properties in the neighborhood until they could change the zoning and redevelopment requirements!
Did you read the article in the Business Section of Sunday’s Standard – “Put your city on the map”? Godfrey has effectively stolen downtown Ogden from long-time residents of Ogden and given it to tourists and young athletes with his “outdoor recreation mecca!” You can’t find one retail store, grocery store or pharmacy in the Junction to accommodate the people who are supposed to buy the condos being built or the renters of the proposed apartments to be built because all Godfrey wants is a recreation center for downtown and the only businesses he pursues are companies that are outdoor recreation oriented or ski companies! Maybe we could get REAL businesses interested in moving to Ogden instead of to Layton and Riverdale if Ogden’s administration took a hint from Washington Terrace’s and Roy’s philosophies for attracting businesses, i.e., selling quality of life, and helping businesses to get up and running as quickly and easily as possible. Instead, Godfrey is always putting down Mt. Ogden Golf Course – he’s too blind to see that businesses look for quality of life amenities such as good, affordable golf courses, open spaces and trails along with good schools and transportation system – the things that Godfrey has opposed except for the schools possibly (his children attend private schools, so who knows?)
There is a letter to the editor in this morning's paper that indicates that it was the mean-spirited code patrol that was to blame for the mistreatment of Mrs. Williams. What he doesn't realize is that the code enforcers do Godfrey's bidding or lose their job. I do agree that Mr. Sant could be better mannered, but then why would he want to be the only one of Godfrey's goons that treated the residents of Ogden with respect?
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22 comments:
Mayor Matthew Godfrey has destroyed the Ogden I used to love.
I moved to Ogden back when wonderful retail stores like Nye's and B & B Clothiers and ZCMI filled up at least two blocks of downtown Ogden. There was even the fabric store where the Hi-FI murders took place.
There is absolutely nothing to take me to downtown Ogden now. I do not want to go near the phony Las Vegas-type atmosphere Godfrey has created with Gold's Gym and Larry Miller's movie palace.
I could drive and park and walk any place in downtown Ogden without fear until the big parking garage was built which still stands to attract muggers.
Godfrey should be known as the Destroyer.
llile:
I am no fan of Hizzonah, but small retailers and department stores moving out of downtown Ogden to places like malls on the periphery is part of a trend that's been happening for a long time, and nationwide. Small shop urban retail has been beaten into the ground nationwide by big box retailers against which the smaller mom and pop businesses very often cannot compete on price. Blaming Godfrey
s administration for that makes little sense to me. And his administration is not the one that built the big municipal parking garage you dislike so much.
By all means critique his plans for moving Ogden in a new direction. I agree that some [not all] of those plans are bad ideas. But blaming this administration for trends that have been at work for two decades or more, and in small cities all across the land is way over the top.
George K:
In re: Ogden PD ticketing drivers "who are going six miles over the speed limit!" BRAVO! I wish they'd do a hell of a lot more of that.
[Signed]: Often A Pedestrian And Already Hit By a Car In Ogden... In The Crosswalk In Broad Daylight With the Traffic Light and Walk Sign On... Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon, Come on now, open your eyes! You said, "blaming this administration for trends that have been at work for two decades or more, and in small cities all across the land is way over the top." Have you not heard the stories of business owners trying to start a business in Ogden and were either ignored, insulted or both? Ogden has had the reputation for years of being business unfriendly and hard to work with. The Council meeting when Michael Moyal brought his problems with the administration to the City Council disclosed clearly why Ogden has the reputation it has with business owners. It has earned its reputation. Now they are paying for their poor business practices. The trend you mention only added to the problem, but does not account for all failed business attempts to move to Ogden. I’ve personally heard those who have tried to help some businesses locate their business to Ogden, only to end up with frustrated clients who say, “To hell with Ogden! It’s the last place on earth that I’d open my business now.” This incident happened under the current administration.
You can’t whitewash this administration – they have too many businesses blood on their hands!
Sorry, about your accident. I sincerely hope you weren't injured seriously, although any accident is painful. But Godfrey's ticket quota is purely for financial profit and done in a mean, unfair manner for the police officers. There was an article in the SE that quoted Godfrey bragging about his new ticket quota program as saying, "Won't it be great for Ogden to be known as the City where you don't speed." In my opinion, it would be much better for Ogden to be known as the safest City in which to live with no gangs and minimum crime.
LOL, Curm. Maybe you'll certainly appreciate this excellent article from one of Utah's finest blogs, "Transit in Utah"
Here's TIU's most apropos post:
Perils for Pedestrian Video
"I am no fan of Hizzonah"
Bullshit, Curm. You come off with comments like your last, ironicly, as a TRUE GODFEYITE!
Except for the true fact that a "blind squirrel (like Godfey) finds an acorn now and then, the bulk of the evidence during Godfrey's administration reveals that the little twerp is an economics "dunce."
Shall I go on?
The taxpayers's two years of applying taxpayer funds to the Junction, to the tune of $1.5 million a year ought to reveal that Boss Godfey is the Ultimate Town Dunce.
Your comments would be a lot better, Curm, if you somtimes took the facts into account.
And yes... you frequently cover Godfrey's ass, presumably from the perpective of acedemic objectivity... even though you know Godfrey is Hitler reborn.
For that... you should be ashamed of yourself!
George K:
Your criticizing me for things I did not claim or disagree with you about. No where in my post can you find any challenge to complaints about Godfrey's policies not encouraging, broadly, new non-favored businesses from coming in. Not one word.
But Lille was complaining about the disappearance of a downtown Ogden that was dying long before Hizzonah got elected, just as such mom-and-pop largely local downtown shopping districts were collapsing all across the country in small cities. And for the same reasons. We do not disagree that Godfrey's policies for reversing the trend are often ill-advised. But blaming Godfrey for the trend itself, and for things... like construction of the municipal parking garage... done before he took office makes no sense to me. However much folks might want to believe that Ogden could have survived as it was in the 1960s and 1970s, it not only did not. It could not. We're as subject to the forces of demographic, economic and social change affecting the rest of the nation as any small city is.
Second: I didn't say a word in support of Godfrey's ticket quota policy. I am not a supporter of any ticket quota policy. I did applaud, and still applaud, ticketing drivers who are doing six over the limit. You ignored that in your reply and went after me for something I hadn't said. Again, I did not and do not support ticket quotas and did not in my post.
I don't mind defending my arguments. But what you took me to task for you your reply are two things I didn't argue in my post at all.
Simon:
Well, hard to reply since there is not a word in my post supporting Godfrey's misrepresentations to the Council regarding the City's responsibility for paying off the bonds for the Junction. Not one word. And if you've been reading WCF for a while, you should have recalled the many time's I've pointed out that misrepresentation to the Council while questioning the Mayor's business judgment.
As for facts: you did note Lille went after Godfrey for the municipal parking garage, didn't you? Which garage was built before Godfrey came into office. How's that for sticking to facts?
As for me being a "TRUE GODFREYITE" -- and in all caps, no less --- well, I imagine that will give Hizzonah a good chuckle if anyone tells him about it and if he knows who I am in any case, which I doubt.
As for me being embarrassed by my post? Not in the least. Though I would be if I ever posted anything as ridiculous as comparing Godfrey to Hitler.
There is more than enough to criticize about Godfrey's conduct of the city's business without charging him with thing's he's plainly not responsible for and without resorting to silly comparison with Hitler. Godfrey's oft-demonstrated poor business judgment, and his repeated ethical shortcomings as Mayor, his preference for acting in secret, and his endless cronyism, and his obsession with building a senseless gondola from downtown to WSU provide more than enough ammunition to keep his critics... of which I am one... busy. It's a rich vein to mine, and I'm afraid we may not yet have hit the mother-lode. [Please, please let me be wrong about that....]
Peace, paisan.
I reiterate:
Hooray for the lawn police. Keep up the good work.
Come on. It's grass. It's supposed to be green. You water it. You mow it. Got it? Class dismissed.
Sheesh.
Well Mr. Curmudgeon
For the second time today I find myself on the opposite side of the fence than you. I don't particularly like that incidentally as I do admire and respect your intellect and vast grasp of the minutia of most topics discussed herein.
Howeverrrrrr, as it pertains to your taking exception to people that compare Her Godfrey to Her Hitler, I think you are off base in your criticism of such comparisons.
I have studied WWII in detail for many years. Wow, and what an incredible period of history it was. In so doing I have read volumes about Her Hitler. I also consider myself a bit of a student of Her Godfrey. In my ever so humble opinion, I find a very striking resemblance with the two evil and sociopathic personalities, especially as it pertains to their early years.
Their attitudes are similar, their hubris is similar, their approach to human relations is similar, their contempt for the people is similar, their political disingenuousness is similar, their physical makeup is similar and their approach to governance is similar.
The only thing I can see that is different between these two sociopaths is the scope of their mischief, and I have no doubt that Her Godfrey would create as much havoc on mankind as Her Hitler did if he only had the chance.
So perhaps you can enlighten us as to why they really are significantly different personalities?
I'm all for criticism when due, but when an isolated incident(the lawn caper) is used to demonstrate some overall evil intent I start to yawn.
And the presumption that outdoor businesses don't qualify as real businesses, c'mon. Sure the few that have been brought here don't amount to anymore jobs than a couple of convenience marts and a restaurant or two, but to say they are not real businesses...and what is wrong with a few recreational minded folks downtown, that includes me, I spend a ton at the flowrider along with a lot of energetic young athletes, you don't.... and we also frequent the downtown eateries between sessions.
There is much to not like about MG and CO. but this is incessant whining.
You are missing the big picture, Tec. Godfrey is either the biggest problem Ogden has or he isn't. It doesn't bother me that you don't like the examples I gave -- like I said, there are hundreds from which to choose. So where do you really stand on Godfrey?
Yes, Oz, we'll have to agree to disagree. Sometimes size does matter. Comparing Hizzonah to a guy who precipitated WWII and has six million dead in concentration camps on his head beyond all the rest of the killing in the war with Germany still seems to me so silly as to be beyond reasonable defense.
As for arrogance, hubris and less than stellar public ethics... hell, if those were disqualifications for office, Congress couldn't get a quorum.
Finally, sociopath is a pretty strong word to describe a tin pot not very competent Republican mayor of a mid-sized city. Nothing I know of the Mayor's public or private conduct would come close to justifying that term.
So, we disagree. Without which such being fairly common, all the people employed at the horse tracks around the country would be out of work. And that would be a shame. In these, the final dark days of our two-term CEO President, we need to hang on to all the jobs we can.
Ozboy,
In all your studies of WWII, didn't you ever learn how to spell Herr?
As a heads up for all of us that would like to stand up for what we believe in (in person).
Rep. Rob Bishop will be in Ogden Tuesday night around 8. I don't know the exact time and location but if one is interested he/she will find the details.
So whether he is a hero or a complete failure here is the chance to let him know how we feel.
Think globally act locally.
Wade:
His full proper designation is "Rep. Rob Bishop [R-Energy Solutions]."
Fair enough,George K.,
We could definitely do without
Godfrey and the few positives he has wrangled could have been accomplished by anyone willing to lie that a gondola would be built...or anyone capable of conveying the real community assets we love here. Anyway the effect of AmerSport relocation is done and past...ho-hum. Still a hundred spectacular homes for sale on the bench. If Godfrey is still in the RecCorp relocation mode he is preaching to an empty chapel. So few companies are considering relocation in the present economic climate. most are holding on to their seats hoping to make it into the next decade.
Dan
Whoops! It did occur to me while I was writing my last screed that "Her" wasn't correct and I did mean to go back and correct it. However, in my haste to try and one up Mr. Curmudgeon I forgot to do so. Hope that this little mistake did not block out your ability to see the bigger point of comparison that I was trying to make between these two sociopathic personalities. I'm surprised that Mr. Curmudgeon didn't mention that screw up, you just gotta know he recognized it!
And Mr. Curmudgeon, I do not believe that "sociopath" is any way too strong a term to apply to either of these evil personalities. I believe the most simple definition of a sociopath is one who has no empathy for their victims. This certainly fits Godfrey as well as Herrrrr Hitler. Neither one of them cared about the pain in peoples lives that their policies created. And once again, I have no doubt that if Godfrey had the chance he would carry things every bit as far as Adolph did. It is only a matter of scale that separates little criminals from big ones. They are both criminals and thus both somewhat comparable.
I am amused by those who make a big deal out of, and put people down who make Hitler or Nazi comparisons with modern day politicians. I guess it must be a style thing amongst the intellectually effete, much like Mz Hilton looking down her long patrician nose at some one who's hem line is not exactly current. Yes, I know it's not about style but more about "intellectual laziness" and all that BS, but I believe if the comparison is accurate then why not. After all it is really about communicating ideas and what better example of evil in our time than Hitler and the Nazis? (Not including G.W.Bush and the Republicans of course). Would it make you feel any better if I used Bush instead of Hitler in future comparisons of evil politicians? Hey, at least I will be able to get the gender designation right when I refer to Mrr. Bush!
Oz:
You wrote: I'm surprised that Mr. Curmudgeon didn't mention that screw up, you just gotta know he recognized it!
You shouldn't have been surprised. I don't pick on typos [unless they risk changing the meaning of something significant], having myself posted more typos here than I like to remember.
Oz,
I absolutely agree with your assessment. That kind of sociopathic tendency is widespread these days as more people fall into the trap of seeking protection and answers from their government. 9/11 served the state well by insuring people will always look to the government to make them safe. What a crock. I pity the fools who believe the 9/11 story and who seek that kind of comfort from a government of all places.
Godfrey plays the people of Ogden as well as Bush has played the nation. Sad testament that they both have been reelected.
When a govt. official thinks they know better than most what's good for the community it's time to throw the bastards out. Just the fact that Godfrey is a Repukelican(causes one to puke over and over, Repuke) means we should toss him for being in with the same crowd that has us broke, overextended and perpetually at war.
How long will people respect and listen to and elect these posers. What a sad statement of a nation.
Ah but Mr. Curmudgeon
Didn't my blunder of using "Her" instead of "Herr" qualify as "changing the meaning of something significant"?
As I used it - "Her Hitler" makes it sound like some woman's own private Hitler, versus "Herr Hitler" which of course is a proper German title for a man.
My old German teacher from Weber College - Mrs Adams - would have busted my chops for making such a mistake! Yes, back in the old days, way before your time, and possibly even before Dan was born, Weber College had one, and only one, German teacher. I was in her classes for two years in a row and I still don't know the difference between "Her and Herr"! Hopefully this won't reflect poorly on Weber but rather on all the brain cells I misplaced in the 60's!
By the way, Weber also only had one Chemistry teacher - Mr. Grey until they brought in an Organic Chem guy in my 3rd year; And yes, I said "Mr. Grey", the guy did not have a PHd which I imagine is required these days. Weber also only had one Zoology/biology guy by the name of "Orson Whitney Young". And boy of boy was he a stiff necked teetotaling Mo who would literally flunk a student if he thought they abused the word of wisdom! All three of his names run deep in Mo history and he in fact was a direct descendant of all three of the early Mo icons. He was mighty proud (and very arrogant) over this. He was my adviser and the biggest and most important thing I ever learned from him was how to tip tow around stiff necked bigots.
There is a little narrow slice of Weber history for you new guys...
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