Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Despite Godfrey Administration Misrepresentations to the Contrary, The Data Reflect Significant Marshall White Center Patronage

Patterson and Godfrey, how about telling us the truth!

By George K.

I have spent the last 24 hours researching information about the Marshall White Center because Godfrey does not present all the facts.

I have a list of the 9:00 AM Water Aerobics class and there are 31 members. The 10 o’clock class has about the same number of members, but I don’t have names and phone numbers for those members. The original class grew so much that it had to be divided because the pool was too crowded to do aerobics.

Someone indicated that most of the members of those aerobics classes did not live in Ogden. From my list of members, I can determine from telephone numbers that there are 6 from Ogden Valley, 1 from Pleasant View, 7 from North Ogden, 6 from Ogden and 4 are cell phone numbers and can’t determine the city. The members from The Valley make a day of their trip to Ogden – they do their shopping at that time and also eat while they are in town. Someone should inform Godfrey and Patterson that is sales tax revenue!

Marshall White has an impressive record of receiving grants and being a partner with several agencies to provide numerous programs and activities. Here are some of those partners and the number of participants from different monthly reports:
1. Annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by Mt. Ogden Lodge # 20;
2. Black History Week, Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast, 300 attendees; The Quest for Black Citizenship Luncheon, speaker, Ms. Essye B. Miller, R.A.M.P. Grant funded luncheon.
3. Gift of Love Christmas Dinner, 450 attendees, helped many families with food and warm clothes.
4. Gift of Love – Thanksgiving Dinner, sponsored by Project Success, hosted by Marshall White Center – dinner was served to between 880 people and 150 meals were delivered to the homebound. Approximately 100 volunteers helped.
5. Ogden/Weber Community Action conducts Head Start classes.
6. Boys and Girls Clubs have increased their membership from 33 to 130.
7. MWC and the Second Baptist Church have partnered on several very successful projects.
8. Fremont High School leases the pool for its swim team.
9. USA/ABF Boxing Invitational
10. Karate/Self Defense Class
11. Kayak Roll Classes
12. Jr. Jazz Basketball League
13. OCR Adult BasketballLeague
14. Family Literacy services
15. USDA meal services for Head Start students
In spite of what Godfrey and Patterson say, MWC is being used a lot! Just like everything they do, the Godfrey administration henchmen lie and misrepresent the facts.

Patterson and Godfrey, how about telling us the truth!

8 comments:

Curmudgeon said...

Come on, George, how many of those people using the Center are likely to buy quarter million dollar vacation condos at the head of 36th Street, and gondola tickets, from Hizzonah's friends?

Can't you keep focused on what really matters?

althepal said...

Impressive list. It's about time somebody provided useful information like this.

Thanks

George K. said...

Curmudgeon,

You might be surprised. I recognized some of the names and one was the daughter of a prominent Ogden used car dealer. I'm sure that if some of those from the Valley wanted to, they would be able to buy a condo. If they wanted to!

Althepal, I was impressed, also, with all that Marshall White Center does and the number of people who are served by them. The MWC suffers the same fate as the MOGC -- Godfrey and some of his henchmen bad mouth any thing that they decide to close or get rid of.

George K. said...

Curmudgeon,

It seems to me, that it is you who cannot stay focused on important things. To many, MWC IS an "important thing."

I think that your comments were done tongue-in-cheek. But the MWC issue is a big one and too important to make light of.

Curmudgeon said...

GK:

Of course it was tongue in cheek. One of the most effective tools in politics is ridicule. If you can get people laughing at an opponent --- or his ideas --- it eats away at his credibility like a slow acid drip.

Lighten up, GK. We're on the same side on this one.

George K said...

Last night at least a dozen women who are members of the water aerobics classes at Marshall White Center surrounded the Mayor after Council meeting. Several had spoke during the "Public Comment" portion of the council meeting. One brought up the issue of MW funding which was removed from the City's FY 2010 budget. Council woman Jeske continued the objections of turning the MWC over to OWCAP, saying the pool was a very important part of MWC. She said that she had read some of the reports and wanted to know why the Council didn't receive a copy. She mentioned several points why the Center should not be turned over to OWCAP.

The Mayor answered their questions with more lies and confirmed that he was determined to unload the Center on OWCAP. He said that he expected to have the contract signed by June 22 which is the date that State laws that all municipal budgets must be approved and two weeks AFTER the Council has scheduled a public hearing and to approve the FY 2010 budget.

At least the Mayor is consistent in always leaving things to the last minute! June 22 falls on a Monday so the Council would have to vote on the budget at their last council meeting before the State required adopt date. Godfrey has to play politics with everything!

Since he will not meet their date, I suggest the Council tells the Administration to put funds back in the budget or they will, and maybe make cuts that he won't like.

Curmudgeon said...

GK:
Got it in one. This has been Godfrey's MO for a long time. Come to the Council bleating that whatever it is he wants has to be done immediately, that if the Council delays for even one more week, costs will skyrocket or the opportunity will be lost, etc. He did it with the initial Ernest presentation, and lo and behold, it turned out when the Council balked or Ernest did, it could be resubmitted and approved later after all. He did it with the plan to make the city responsible for the Junction construction bonds, pushed through in a hurry because the bonds had to be sold and there was no time to lose, and besides, the city wouldn't actually have to pay on them. And we know how that turned out. He tried to do the same with the extra floors he wanted added to the Junction office building at 24th and Harrison, had to be done right away, no time for delay. [Thank heavens the Council, by a single vote, refused to be bulldozed that time, which as we all now know, was a very wise move.]

Given Hizzonah's conduct of the city's business and his less than stellar business judgment, I can understand why he contrives to leave the Council with no time to ask questions, consider alternatives, look into matters carefully. If I was mayor and as incompetent at public administration as Hizzonah seems to be, I wouldn't want to give the legislative branch of city government time to become informed enough to ask the key questions and consider possible consequences carefully either.

clean up ogden said...

Get rid of the Marshal White Ctr and Godfrey and Garcia.

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