We'll spotlight three new items from the northern Utah press, who are all over the Jon Greiner Senate race withdrawal story this morning:
1) The Standard-Examiner provides two more stories centered upon Jon Greiner's withdrawal from the Senate 18 race, in a consolidated three-part series which also incorporates the earlier SE story which we discussed yesterday morning:
• Greiner stops Senate run after Hatch Act ruling; Ogden may appealAmong the tidbits of new information provided in this latest SE update is this:
OGDEN -- Jon Greiner will remain as police chief despite an administrative law judge's ruling that he must resign or the city will be forced to forfeit more than $215,000 in federal grants because of a Hatch Act violation.[...]Whether the City Council will go along with the forfeiture of nearly a quarter-million dollars in federal grant money as the price of keeping Greiner on the city payroll is uncertain, as this Councilwoman Susan Van Hooser comment suggests:
In addition to allowing Greiner to keep his job as police chief, the city may appeal the Hatch Act ruling, said John Patterson, the city's chief administrative officer.[...]
Even if the city doesn't appeal the ruling by an April 20 deadline, forfeiting the grant funds totaling two years of Greiner's salary is worth it, Patterson said.
"He's an excellent chief. Crime is at a 30-year low," he said. "We really think it's worth it to retain someone who has had excellent performance."
City Councilwoman Susan Van Hooser questioned whether Ogden can afford legal costs associated with an appeal or the six-figure loss in federal funding.2) The Salt Lake Tribune is also carrying the story too, and reports that Stuart Reid has finally made contact with Weber County Republican officials (whom long time Democratic Party insider Reid didn't know from Adam less than a week ago), and that Weber County GOP Chairman Matt Bell plans to schedule a question and answer session with the Weber County Republican Executive Committee (the 18-member governing body for the County GOP), to allow Reid to pitch his "conservative" credentials, (such as they may or may NOT be):
"It puts the city in a real predicament about what we should do," she said.
"What's the cost going to be? Sometimes you have to let things go."
• Greiner drops out of Senate race3) The Deseret News is also on top of the story too, with this morning writeup which reports that real estate development-oriented elements within the State Legislative Republican majority, namely neoCON Senate President Michael Waddoups R-Taylorsville, and Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper can hardly contain their glee at the idea of welcoming another fellow real estate developer crony (Reid) into the Capitol Hill Good Ole Boys' Club:
• Ogden state senator drops re-election bidNo surprises there, wethinks. It's becoming increasingly apparent that party labels and party core principles don't mean very much to the "faux" GOP legislative "leaders" up on Capitol Hill, and that the most important trait for any new prospective state legislator, as far as these right wing socialist people are concerned, is a strong affinity for the all-powerful Utah real-estate development lobby.
That's our take; and we're stickin' to it.
So what say our gentle readers about all this?
17 comments:
Inasmuch as the city is considering appealing (again) the Hatch Act violation. I took the time to contact the mayor and city council members to inform them of my displeasure with this and ask that they not appeal and call for Greiner to resign. If we all could do this would could exert some grass roots pressure to insure that no further tax dollars are wasted and we do not have to pay the penalties.
"Even if the city doesn't appeal the ruling by an April 20 deadline, forfeiting the grant funds totaling two years of Greiner's salary is worth it, Patterson said.
"He's an excellent chief. Crime is at a 30-year low," he said. "We really think it's worth it to retain someone who has had excellent performance."
The cemeteries are full of indispensable men.
Perhaps if Greiner resigns as Chief he will return as a lobbyist in a future legislature session. Seems to be the career track for former politicians.
"Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into"
The city is willing to throw away 215K for the police cheif, but not for Mt. Ogden Golf Course?
What part of public trust don't the people understand here. He is not to be trusted because he broke the law and therefore his integrity is now in question and therefore he should resign and lessen the abuse of the public trust. He is a good chief so keep him on! get real, if he kills someone that's OK because he is a good chief keep him in. I know lets have Killpack stay on also and Garn stay on also. lets keep the mayor of Clearfeild on also. they are good at their jobs, so what if they have broken the law!!! Right. Wake up and See that these men are not worthy of the public trust that they have been entrusted with.
From the main post:
"Whether the City Council will go along with the forfeiture of nearly a quarter-million dollars in federal grant money as the price of keeping Greiner on the city payroll is uncertain...."
Does the City Council have, in fact, anything to say about that? Greiner is already police chief, so his appointment does not have to be approved. He answers to Hizzonah, not the Council. If Hizzonah refuses to ask for Double Dip's resignation [and clearly, Hizzonah is not going to], then I don't see what, in a practical way, the Council can do about it.
If the Council does have some authority to act on the matter of Double Dip's continued employment and Chief, or on whether the administration can direct the city attorney to appeal the recent ruling, what authority would that be and how might it be exercised?
If the Weber County Republican party and their presiding officers had one lick of integrity they would reject Reid's candidacy out of hand and endorse Betty Sawyer. After all, she is the only candidate in the race that is actually from the Senate district in question.
Reid is not only NOT a Republican, he is NOT even from Ogden. He is basically a low integrity carpet bagging friend and mentor of Godfrey.
If Reid is elected he will not represent the citizens of Ogden and North Davis County, he will instead represent Godfrey, the Real Estate interests and the morally bankrupt and so called "leaders" of the State Senate.
From Rudi's Post: Weber County GOP Chairman Matt Bell plans to schedule a question and answer session [for Reid] with the Weber County Republican Executive Committee (the 18-member governing body for the County GOP), to allow Reid to pitch his "conservative" credentials."
In the spirit of bipartisanship [and to counter the base canard oft suggested here that I am incapable of that], let me suggest a few questions our Weber County Republicans might ask of Mr. Reid to determine if he is, truly, a Weber County Republican Conservative. And to help out Democrat-til-last-week Reid, I'll even indicate the right answers.
Question 1: Where was the person known as Barak Obama born? [Note: any answer that falls within any of the 50 United States of America is unacceptable.]
Question 2: Do you think Barak Obama is a Moslem? (a) definitely (b) probably (c) no. [Note: only a or b are acceptable answers.]
Question 3: Explain why the Obama health care plan, which requires all Americans to buy health insurance, is a socialist scheme that will destroy the American economy and the Constitution and encourage grandma to commit suicide to save the government money, while Mitt Romney's Massachustts health care plan which required everyone in the state to buy health insurance is a free-market supporting plan that lowered costs, provided care to millions who did not have it, and so allowed grandma to live to a ripe old age without anxiety. [Sorry, Stuart, this is an essay question requiring a mastery of sophistry and dissembling far beyond my talents. I am confident however that you will do well. Call Romney and see if he'll loan you his cheat sheet.]
Question 4: Do you believe that Utah teenagers only learn about sex through school sex ed classes, and that if we don't teach sex ed in the schools, they won't discover sex until they are adults about to be married in the Temple? [Note: only acceptable answer is yes.]
Question 5: Is Barak Obama (a) a socialist (b) a fascist (c) both. [Stuart, this is your kind of question for none of the answers are wrong ones in Weber County Republican circles.]
Finally, Stuart, if the subject of ethics comes up, relax. You're home free. You'll fit right in. Why, the committee might even give you a standing ovation.
[PS: don't forget to bring along your new tinfoil hat.]
Nothing and no one are any longer what they have been perceived to have been for a good many years.
Case in point is Sen. Howard Stephenson who has headed up the Utah Taxpayers Association for many years.
That group has provided a great service to Utah taxpayers for many years but with Sen. Stephenson's latest perceived spot change I won't be sending them my annual membership renewal check.
Some of us still have ethics.
Rudi,
Do you have a phone number for Matt Bell and the Legs chairs' phone numbers or email addresses?
I used to have the Legs chair's phone # and email address for my district, but I don't have either one for the current chair. I want to let them know that if they support Reid, I will never donate another cent to the party. It's beyond me how they can even consider him as a Republican candidate, but then he isn't a Democrat either. He is just an opportunist who can't be trusted by any political party. The people of Utah won't be able to trust him as a State Senator.
WHAT IS UTAH COMING TO when such trash is accepted as a lawmaker for the citizens?
Rudi, it has become painfully apparent that you need to take the WCF to the next level. May I suggest the WCF Militia? You could sell T-shirts and black Hoodies with "WCF Militia" on them. I'm no longer satisfied with venting my disgust of the Utah leadership at the state and local level on a web site. I want to start taking it to the streets. I'll take one XXL Hoodie and T-shirt please.
AWM
What a great idea!
I nominate Monotreme, Curmudgeon and Ozboy to be Kernels in the WCF Militia. They are all pretty nutty ya know.
Harlan:
While I appreciate your "faith" in me, I must respectfully decline.
I am a government employee with ethics. This precludes me from serving in an anti-government capacity.
Also, I am only collecting one salary, I have never attended a crime conference, and I married for love. Clearly, this means I know nothing about how the real world works.
peterball - I also sent an email to the city council asking questions about the money side of this situation and urging them to demand Greiner's resignation.
It's quite obvious to me that Ogden doesn't need a full-time police chief since we haven't had one for four years.
Patterson - give me a break about crime at a 30-year low. I have lived in central Ogden for 25 years and until about four years ago did not have to deal with shooting in my neighborhood, drug deals happening all day and night, crappy gang graffiti all over any blank or plain wall in sight, etc. Some of the special forces that have been created work for a short time but then another drug house opens up or another gang family moves in.
Greiner needs to go!
Mr. Monotreme
Hey, I married for love too - the second time that is.
The first marriage was for money. She made a buck eighty five an hour as a switch board operator (remember those?) and I made seventy five a month carrying a rifle around for Uncle Sam, plus fifty five a month jumping out of airplanes with it.
When I turned twenty one I found out that money wasn't everything even tho I was up to a hundred and fifteen a month by then, so the marriage went the way of the long knifes.
When the second "love match" ended I found out that love doesn't amount to much either. I discovered that love is just another four letter word, or as the old song goes "Love stinks". (well a six letter word at least)
It appears that neither you nor I knows jack about how the real world works. That is why we would both fit right in and be great in a nut case militia. We could run around in the woods in fatigues and imagine ourselves taking on the whole US military in a grand scheme to "take back the country" from those sinister Democrats who stole the last election and who are plotting as I write this to kill our grandmas and lobotomize all the children. If that isn't bad enough the bastards are even trying to get medical coverage for every one in the country!
Someone has to stop them. If it ain't you and me, who will do it? So let's meet up at reveille tomorrow at noon, throw back some Thunderbird and save the western world from all those commies and A rabs.
Bravo, Curm!
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