Surprise of surprises, we just talked with Rep. Froerer. In answer to our pointed query, Gage frankly informed us that he took the HB 218 matter off the committee calender today, because the Powder Mountain Developers and other real estate developer interests have plowed massive money into UTAH GOP Leadership (so-called), to defeat H.B. 218 in that committee. He believed the House Government Operations Committee had been "poisoned" (my words - not his) by GOP Leadership, and that he believed he needed more time to properly "educate" a new House committee, to which this bill will soon be re-assigned. He played it smart in our opinion; and wouldn't let HB 218 suffer an early death in an already "stacked" committee.
Rep. Froerer also expressed his discomfort that the many hundreds of WCF and OVF readers who've expressed their displeasure about the Powder Mountain mess over the years haven't even lifted a finger to sends their emails, phone calls and letters to support Rep. Froerer's current efforts, with respect to H.B. 218. According to Gage, despite our most recent efforts to rally the troops, he's received only a small "handfull" of supportive emails.
Let's get our asses in gear, Weber County Forum readers. As Gentle Reader Jennifer Neil noted in her previous post on this subject, the Powder Mountain political power grab effects ALL OF US in Weber County.
Let's get those supportive emails going, gentle readers:
• Gage Froerer's legislative email addyAnd here's a link to Rep. Froerer's legislative profile page, for those readers who'd prefer to contact him by other means:
• Gage Froerer - District 8If the people of Weber County downstream from Powder Mountain want to live in a virtual cesspool as a result of their own inaction, that's their considered choice, we guess.
For our part, we urge all Weber County residents who like clean water and air to send encouraging email massages to Legislative 8 House Representative Gage Froerer right now.
At bare minimum, tell Rep. Froerer that you unequivocally support HB 218, and that you'll do whatever's necessary, to make sure this bill is ultimately passed. Encourage him to pass on your email to all Government Operations Committee members.
Update 2/2/10 9:15 a.m. MT: We spoke last evening with Rep. Froerer, who urged us to put up a link to contact all members of the House Government Operations Standing Committee, who will again find this matter back on their agenda on Friday. In that connection we've put together this bulk email contact link, which will allow readers who are concerned about passage of this bill to register their support in one single email:
• 2010 House Government Operations Standing Committee Contact LinksWe've been railing about disenfranchisement of Ogden Valley citizens for several years. Let's not let this bill now fail through our complacency. C'mon, gentle readers. Let's get those emails flowing now. We'll also suggest that those who've already sent emails to Rep. Froerer should send duplicates to the full committee via our newly-coded bulk contact link.
18 comments:
I just sent the email to Mr. Froerer ...
Next!
TLJ
Shouldn't those massive donations to GOP leadership be a matter of public record? Some numbers would be nice. With names attached.
Come to think of it, massive funds pouring into GOP leadership to kill the bill sounds like a story our Home Town Paper ought to be pursuing, que no?
So Gage Froerer . . . to keep his bill from being killed he . . . . he . . .
kills it himself!
Hahahahahaha!
And . . . and . . . if only he had more emails coming to him . . . he could have kept it alive . . .
Hahahahahaha!
In addition to no brains, no morals, not reason to exist, he also has no nuts!
Hahahahahaha!
Very funny, Curm and Danny. Seems to me we'd be lots better off if you two were to direct at least some the energy you spend knocking Froerer on this blog, or saying "I told you so," to emailing him, and urging him to fight on.
Gage Froerer email
Just a thought.
Since when must we baby and cajole our "representative" to get him to do what he should have been doing for three years now.
Since when must we send praises and emails of SUPPORT to someone we do not trust nor support.
Danny has it right Rudi.
He will make excuses and delays until it is not voted on or defeated by his fellow Realtor/Developer cabal members who control the Utah legislature.
flush the toilet folks. rid us of these Godfreyite pond scum at every level in Nov.
Sociopaths are notorious for blaming their victims. Sounds like that is what Froerer is setting up here. He knows this whole pile of crap is nothing but a show to demonstrate to his constituents that he is "representing" their interests. He knew from the git go that the GOP leadership were never going to let this "anti-developer" bill see the light of day. He is laying the ground work to blame the bill's failure on his constituents because they didn't write in and support it. Typical GOP bull shit.
Rudi:
Wasn't trying to be funny or sarcastic in any way. I was dead serious. And my posts on this did not knock Froerer. If "massive money" is coming to GOP legislative leaders from lobbyists to kill this bill, as you've reported that Rep. Froerer says it is, those contributions ought to appear on the public record, shouldn't they? "Massive funds" from lobbyists can't be moving to GOP legislative leaders to kill a bill entirely under the radar... not legally anyway.
And if that is happening, and it's Rep. Froerer who says it is, that is definitely a story the SE and the SL Trib ought to be digging into, particularly since the GOP leadership is claiming that "ethics reform" is one of their major focuses for this session.
Wasn't trying to be sarcastic in any way. This is a story, Rudi. A straight news story, and I think a big one which the SE ought to be on like white on rice. Trib too.
Email sent.
Curm: That "massive money" is coming to GOP legislative leaders from lobbyists to kill this bill" is something the Standard-Examiner has already reported. Here's Froerer's statement that "massive money" has coming to GOP legislative leaders from lobbyists to kill this bill, and that Froerer expects the same this session:
"Froerer and Christensen said they plan to introduce the bill early to assure its passage.
Although both are hopeful it will pass, Froerer said he knows those pushing for incorporation will be lobbying against the bill.
"Obviously, the developers are going to take a hard stance and will lobby hard," he said.
"They said they spent about $250,000 to $300,000 to fight my legislation and they're prepared to do that again. So I'm not taking this as a slam-dunk because they're going to come out hard against it."
And to those cynics who complain that Froerer is "sandbagging on this bill," all I can say is that when it comes to pending legislation, "you run the horse you brung." And whether some of our readers like it or not, it's Gage Froerer who's been elected to serve as Leg. 8 House Representative... and he's the horse we've "brung" to this race.
And whether you like him or not, it's time to show some solidarity here, I think, and in that connection I'd suggest that even the cynical amongst our readership get aboard the pro- H.B. 218 bandwagon, and send a bulk email to all Government Operations Committee members, urging that the bill be moved out of committee and onto the House floor for full debate. And in that connection, here's a handy archive page "utility" that I just whipped up for that very purpose:
2010 House Government Operations Standing Committee
I spoke with Gage this evening. He informes me that the matter will be back on the committee calender on Friday, and strongly urged me to encorage all of YOU to contact ALL committee members, just to demonstrate the "Powderville" situation isn't just a backwater issue.
Yeah, cynicism is great, and often warranted. I display plenty of it myself. Now's not the time for that however, I believe.
So c'mon Ozboy, Independant, Danny and others; let's get with the program. Let's set loose a supportive pro- H.B. 218 email to all the committe members. Too many amongdst our gentle readers are establishing a vested interest in the failure of this bill, I think. Let's unleash our WCF political juice.
[Just F-Y'all's-I, the SE website is down. Again.]
Solastalgia buries the hearts heavy, Ogden Valley like an old photograph, fading.
Sites down because the gear is overloaded by traffic. Wonder what the big story is?
On the other matter, it is looking like time to widen and straighten Ogden Canyon, the bastards; also, a new Oriental restaurant in Eden? Ausgezeichnet,ja.
Rudi: "Too many amongdst our gentle readers are establishing a vested interest in the failure of this bill, I think."
hmmm
That, or too many people think: "I think enough people will email or vote ... I'm too busy" --- happens all the time in California: they think Everyone Else Will and then No One Does!
js
BB
This is a clear example of the Mormon culture getting in the way of logical action. The legislature created this problem by passing HB466 in 2007, and they will not admit that they are responsible.
The loss of the civil rights of these homeowners is a "minor distraction" to the Utah pinhead legislators. Keep this in mind when you vote next time, we need serious change in this state to get back to common sense.
Griz:
If you think state legislators screwing things up and trying to pretend the resulting train wrecks are not their fault is particular to Mormon-dominated legislatures, I'm here to tell you that on that particular point, you are wrong. Take a gander some time at the antics of the NY State legislature or the Louisiana legislature or the Mississippi legislature [all of which are a quart and a half low on Mormon members] for examples.
I just heard from an independent source that the bill got pulled from yesterday's meeting because Froerer had a scheduling conflict, having to chair another meeting at the same time. Dunno which story is true, but thought I'd pass the rumor along.
Thanks, Dan. I heard that story too, from one of the several HGOC members I spoke with on Monday.
I also heard that there were at least five people who'd apparently travelled to Salt Lake City yesterday to speak to the issue, who sullenly left the room, when the H.B. 218 matter was suddenly and inexplicably removed from the calender.
I don't know what to make of this, frankly.
Perhaps however, Rep. Froerer needs to tighten up on his "people skills."
If he left ANY H.B.218 proponents swinging in the breeze when he took his matter off-calender, perhaps he shoulda offered to at at least to buy them lunch for their trouble.
Cynicism or no... At some point Rudi, you and everyone who supports/ed Froerer will have to finally realize the man is nothing more than a "hand puppet" for Chris Kyler and the Utah Association of Realtor's.
He has no "people skills" because they have none...just millions to spread around buying influence. And they have the balls to do it too, without regard to any threats of prosecution from Gov. Hurbert, himself on the payroll, and Lt. Gov. Bell, also on the UAR payroll, along with a significant number of legislators. Kyler, Kohler, are themselves lawyers as well as running the hundreds of millions into carefully interviewed and selected pro UAR legislative candidates. How the hell do you think Froerer got elected back in 2006 in the first place!
This is not speculation. It is a bald faced fact. Check it out for yourself.
Adjust you expectations to reality. Then vote for anyone else but an incumbent or Realtor Developer.
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