Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Emerald City News Roundup

A WCF prediction is fulfilled; and legislative leadership gets serious about ethics reform (?)

Two more Northern Utah news items for the Weber County Forum discussion mill:


1) Just as we predicted earlier, the Standard-Examiner reports that the city council last night unanimously promoted Jay Lowder to the position of public services director, following a 2-1/2 hour closed session:
City names Lowder new public services director
2-1/2 hours to approve Boss Godfrey's top favorite pick? There must have been much to discuss. We're keeping our fingers crossed however, hoping we were wrong about the prospect of reading one day about the Geigers being appointed to Scott Waterfall's still-vacant C&ED Director post. Perhaps however these Geiger fellas will ultimately find themselves too busy with other ongoing endeavors to re-engage in further meddling in the business of Ogden City government. We can only hope.

2) Thanks in large part to the pressure created by the series of citizen-generated citizen initiative petitions now circulating throughout Utah, the Standard-Examiner reports that legislative leaders are making serious noise about tackling the task of enacting broad Ethics and Campaign Reform in our ethically-backward state:
Legislators focusing on ethics with independent commission, bills on gifts and campaign contributions in the works
Utah legislative leadership has been playing political rope-a-dope with Utah citizens for years, making tall promises at the beginning of each successive legislative session, then ultimately delivering zero, zilch and nada. Thanks to the various pending citizens' initiative petitions which are circulating through Utah however, perhaps legislative leadership will be compelled to do more than merely "talk the talk."

One good way to keep these fellas moving forward, Utah Lumpencitizens... sign the danged petitions!

Amazing how our legislative leadership suddenly displays its "better nature," innit, when a little fire is applied by the lumpencitizens to its dancing feet?

29 comments:

Fireman Joe said...

The meeting probably covered some of the mayor's new role as union buster for the city. The mayor has told the council that Ogden is the only city that negotiates wages and benefits with employee groups, like the Fire and Police Unions. This is a flat out lie and he knows it. The new plan is for department heads to negotiate on behalf of their department. Will the retired in place chiefs fight for their employees, or fight to keep their jobs?

get er' done said...

Well, You guys are in a political jobs but don't know how to plan the game. so wa wa wa

Mayor is a little man said...

How do you plan or play the game with someone who is immature, vindictive and chicken shit, who does everything behind your back and in seceret darkend rooms?

Mayor is a little man said...

Oh, yes, and a liar.

The Little Shite said...

Ahem! I never lie; and I'm ALWAYS right!

Write it down so you don't forget it.

AWM said...

Taken straight from the link above to the Geigers new business venture "The area, the events and especially the athletes inspire us and the hydration systems and hydration packs that we build.

GEIGERRIG – Performance enhancing hydration rigs for those who work and play in the great outdoors! Carry a GEIGERRIG, and you'll never suck again." We might want to chip in and buy one for Godfrey...that way the next time somebody tells him he sucks, he can turn around, point to the Geigerrig pack on his back and forcefully say "Like Heck I do"

Also...A crisp $10 says it's made overseas, prob in China, and Godfrey was touring the factory looking for the hook-up..expect them to be sold at an outlet store on Washington some time soon "Geigerrig Outlet Store" to be exact

Bob Becker said...

AWM:

Well, I hope they make the business go. It's a little high tech for me [I've made do with army surplus canteens since I used to do solo backpacking four decades or so ago to the present geezer-friendly packless long mountain walks]. But I don't see any point in rooting for the business to not succeed. So, best of luck to them. I hope it goes and goes big.

AWM said...

Curm..not rooting for the company to fail..as some one would point out.."just saying"..BUT..I really believe Godfrey was at the factory that will pump these out..and if I'm wrong, I'll drop off 6 soldiers from Shiner Texas wherever you designate...

ozboy said...

I too wish the Geiger's luck with their new venture.

However, I do think that AWM might be onto to something with this - Punk goes to Chiner angle. For some reason this trip he took just didn't pass the smell test. It seems that there has to be more to that story than the public has been told.

As it pertains to the Republican so called leadership's proposals to enact ethics reform - it doesn't pass the smell test either. In today's report on said proposal, it is indicated that they intend to make any ethics complaints and investigations secret. This is funny considering one of the winners of last month's SL Tribune "Dream Headlines for 2010" was "Legislature passes ethics reform, details to remain secret"

oh ya! said...

well, I guess that it doesn't matter what the republicans do, they will always get re-elected. the hatred that people have for the democrats is what makes the republicans so arrogant. I have seen this over and over again. so unless you guys here vote to put the democrats in power here in Utah you will always get what you have always been getting, That is corruption.

AWM said...

Oh Ya!...I've said it before and I'll say it again.."You live with what you tolerate"...and it appears Utahns are willing to tolerate a lot.....

get er' done said...

fireman joe.
when i said that you are in a political job so play the political game. last time the mayor was up for re-election you should have looked for the candidate that had the most political experience to take the little weasel out. instead you went and found an air head like Susie that was so out of her league that she didn't even know what way was up.
Next time do your home work.

AWM said...

Oz...the coverage the SA provided on the mayors trip did nothing to enlighten me..in fact, it presented more questions than answers. Again we had unnamed business contacts. The factory was not mentioned that I remember. What does make sense is that Geiger has a new start up company pitching an outdoor product. He is a close friend of the mayor. Could that connection possibly get him a preferential deal on space or property on Washington? I'm actually kind-a rooting for him now. Ogden based CEO pitching cutting edge nitche market outdoor product. Would fit in nicely with the mayors outdoor mecca mantra. But I'm not on board with that Made in China label (if that is where it's coming from)

Bob Becker said...

Oz and AWM:

As I recall, when Hizzonah was abroad doing whatever the hell he was doing abroad, the SE wrote an editorial in the trip saying that, given Hizzonah's undoubted commitment to transparency in his administration, the public would, the SE said, doubtless receive a full accounting of the trip the public had paid for.

In the subsequent article, after the Mayor returned from doing whatever the hell he was doing in China, the SE reported that he had made many "connections" while there [none of which he would name], and at least one of them [who he would not name] expressed interest in exporting consumer goods to Ogden to be sold by who, he did not say.

That was it. No further information. Nada. Since not even the most Pollyanna-ish Godfreyistas on the SE Editorial Board could possibly consider that the "full accounting" of the trip its Editorial Board said the public was due, seems to me the SE now needs to do one of two things:

(a)in an editorial, ask Hizzonah for the "full accounting" the SE earlier said, rightly, he owes the taxpayers who picked up the tab for whatever the hell he was doing in China.

-- or --

(b)sic a business reporter on the story and either find out what the devil Hizzonah was up to and how it might benefit Ogden, or print a story replete with "the Mayor refused to answer," "the mayor declined to say, " "the Mayor's office did not return repeated calls, " and then do an editorial asking where the hell the "full accounting" is.

One or the other.

AWM said...

Curm...that is exactly what I'm looking for in the AM edition..but I'm not holding my breath

wtf? said...

get er' done

Really? She made it through the primary, and damn near beat the little bastard. Who else made it through the primary?

You got some one who can make it through the primary?

AWM said...

for what its worth..Met Susie once at the annual Historic tour of Homes. Right after the mayoral race. Spoke to her for a few minutes. What I remember. She came across as honest, with polished interpersonal skills, and sincere. That's a good foundation. (One that Mr Phipps is probably wishing he had). She can work on the public speaking part (most folks have problems with that) and the finer points of the issues. I will be interested to see how she does over her city council tenure.

Marion said...

wtf

Well, her opponent in the primary was Hansen after all, so her making it thru that primary was no great accomplishment considering how the voter rich east bench has never supported Hansen and most likely never will. It really is too bad that Hansen has not been able to connect with those east side voters because he really would make a heck of a lot better mayor than either Godfrey or Vanhoser. My feeling is that Hansen in just too nice of a guy, too concerned about the people he represents and too unwilling to lie to the voters on the east side like Mr. Godfrey does. He just is not cutthroat enough I guess. It appears that those voters on the bench don't want their mayor to tell them the truth and run the city properly, they would rather have some one like the current mayor pump a lot of hot air up their behinds and make a bunch of promises he never keeps. It appears these people keep voting for empty promises of the mayor over the substance that Hansen represents. They can't seem to look past the fact that Hansen is a Democrat I guess.
I agree with "get er done" on Vanhoser, I think she was a weak and incompetent candidate and only came close because so many people dislike the mayor so bad. I also think she would have been an incompetent mayor had she won.

Kitty said...

In addition to Scott Waterfall's open position, there is another position open for a community development manager, which was vacated by Keith Morey. It will be interesting to see who fills these 2 positions indeed, as they are key players under Godfrey's MO at the city.

Kitty said...

Marion-
Sounds to me like you're still sitting on the corner of sour and bitter over Hansen getting handled in the mayoral primaries a while back, get over it. I was skeptical with Susie at first, but you have to admit Susie did run a fine campaign to win a chair on the council this past year, and my hunch is she'll do a lot of good for Ogden as council vice-chair - she has my full support.

get er' done said...

You all get what you get and so do though a fit. WA WA WA WA WA.

Grizelda said...

It is clear that if the Mormon heavy legislature has anything to say about it, there will be only a watered down version of ethics reform. It is the way that they protect the leading Mormons in the legislature from scrutiny.

It looks like the bill will require a "review" by a panel (guess who will be on it) to determine if there is a ethics violation, and only those that the panel approve will be made public. It amounts to sending the Fox to guard the chicken house.

Nothing new for this State.

rumor control said...

Marion,
You are exactly right. Here is a guy in Hansen that has been in politics all of his life and then also works for the city as a water employee, not only that he was a employee association pres. He knew more about the city having lived here all his life. but that is not all. Has been in the legislature for 12 years now. He is the one that should have taken Godfrey out and I believe that he is the only one that can beat Godfrey. In Susie she was a librarian at Taylor school moved here form New Orleans. 15 years ago and she has not even been to a political convention, yet that is the person that every one choose. Oh she is a republican. It just goes to show that people don't do there home work. Or they have real hatred for the democrats.

OgdenLover said...

Back to Godfrey's trip to China.
Taxpayer $$ were used to send him to China.
If the purpose of his trip was to do business there FOR Geiger, isn't that enough of a breach of ethics (even in Utah) to remove Godfrey from office?

ozboy said...

rumor control

I'm with you and Marion on the Niel Hansen issue. However, I disagree with you on Hansen being the only one to be able to beat Godfrey. I think Marion's rationale about the east side voters not now, or likely ever, embracing Mr. Hansen is accurate. So no, I don't think he can beat the Punk unless he finds a way to communicate his message to the east side voters. It is unfortunate because he truly is a man of the people which Ogden desperately needs after 10 years of being prayed upon by the Godfreyites and their idiotic policies and inept management.

And "Ogden Lover", it seems to me that your use of "breach of ethics and Utah" in the same sentence might be a oxymoron or something might close.

Outdoorsman said...

Hay! Here's another great idea! Perhaps this will be the next geigerrig product for hikers, campers and other outdoorsy people like me:

UriBag Urinal

There's no sucking invlolved with this either!

HA!

Go get it, Curt and little bobby!

Doctor Opposite said...

My already well developed design is much better:

The Geiggerrig Pit Stop Model 1600

ozboy said...

This is bound to put Emerald City on the high adventure map. The jocks will now be able to hook up a Geigerrig to one end and a uribag to the other and virtually go non stop in any high adventure venture. When one bag gets empty and the other full all they will have to do is switch them and just keep on a truckin. No stops at the lu will certainly result in more gold medals to hang on the long hall of honor at the Godfreyite main office. The littlest wizard must be mighty proud of his acolytes.

Bill C. said...

The pet rock and chia pet actually were silly ideas that had some success, I'm not predicting any suck outcome, oh, I meant such outcome, for potato nose and shortdecks little folly. A combination daypack, water bottle with spray apparatus, egocentrically branded in unmistakable Ron Popeel fashion, geigerig.
Atleast they may avoid copyright infringements this go-round.
Is the term niche market a polite way to state, targeted for only the stupid, beginner or simply for idiots?
Good luck, some believe in the old attage, there's a sucker born every minute.

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