Mayor Godfrey has demonstrated a political savvy that will allow him to remain as effective as possible, and has documentable evidence of fiscal responsibility.
Standard-Examiner Letter to the Editor
Godfrey demonstrated political savvy
June 29, 2010
• Godfrey demonstrated political savvyDanged funniest thing your blogmeister has stumbled upon all week.
Query for our gentle readers: Did Ogden resident Danae Brown really intend to pay serious tribute to Boss Godfrey... or was her letter actually written tongue-in-cheek?
Documentable Evidence of Fiscal ResponsibilityEither way, we're still busting a gut and laughing our a** off.
Update 6/29/12 6:00 p.m.: Too funny. One of our alert readers has been doing some sleuthing, and now informs us that Ms. Brown, author of today's featured Letter to the Editor, is (or has been) none other than Boss Godfrey's very own executive assistant:
• Ooops commentIt thus remains an open question whether Ms. Brown composed this letter while on duty, and under the supervision of her fiscally responsible boss.
The doings at City Hall get more bizarre with each passing minute.
31 comments:
Don't know if it is the same person but there is a Danae Brown that is a local realtor. Surprise Surprise.
Oh. My. Hell.
Fiscal responsibility!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bwahaha haha ha. Snort. Guffaw. Ahem.
Ahem.
Very dark humor.
Danae makes a point about Godfrey's assistant working part time as if that is a great sacrifice for him. In fact, his last assistant was fired for taking notes that when they became public, showed that Godfrey was a liar. Now, his new assistant works part time. It appears that Godfrey is unable to work closely with an assistant at all, and must resort to using someone else's. Most likely, this is due to the distasteful nature of working with Godfrey. He can find no one who can tolerate him full time as his assistant.
Ms Brown has job applications submitted in numerous departments here at the city.
Rudi, your phone should be ringing this morning and Gary Williams will be saying, "I thought we had a deal?" Using Godfrey's face in a truthful manner is unexceptable!
I'd hiz honor "demonstrates documentable evidence of fiscal responsibility" about as much as BP
demonstrates deep sea drilling prowess. H'mm, The Junction, Ice Tower, parking structures, Gadi, Jon Greiner,$10000 expense to earn $5000 for V-drome, and on and on. Oh, so many examples of documented fiscal responsibility.
The Mayor and the City must be doing something right, they are the only local government I am aware of that has a decent budget increase/surplus (6 million clams from what I recall) from last year (allowing them to provide raises to employees, hire new police officers, put money into parking garage funds, etc.). Pretty good considering we are in the midst of the Great Recession and all. Maybe other local governments and the state can learn something here.
Pella,
Meanwhile our water rates will increase again. City accounting is a shell game and if you actually believe Godfrey, I have a big bridge to sell you.
Godfrey isn't a big supporter of Val Southwick for no reason.
"...the only local government I am aware of that has a decent budget increase..."
Thanks to former Ogden Mayor Glen Mecham, Boss Godfrey has the BDO revenue to fritter away and cloud what would othewrwise be the completely most disastrous Right Wing Socialist government in Ogden history.
Imagine, Ogden Citizens, marshalling all that great BDO income, and applying it to our water bills, for instance.
With Godfrey at the city helm however, those lease revenues will never be dovoted to helping Ogden citizens.
As long as the little shite remains in office, most of those glorious funds will go to starting up more lame-brained Godfrey projects.
Pella,
One reason Ogden is reasonably well off is BDO, for which we can thank Mayor Mecham.
And OgdenLover is right about our ever-increasing utility rates.
If one looks at the city's audited financials it becomes apparent that the city isn’t as well managed as the mayor would suggest. Though I have not looked at the last audit the three prior year audits all showed the city running in the red a couple million a year and that was with quite a bit of massaging to keep it at only 2 mill.
I think it is safe to say that other cities' accounting practices are similar to Ogden's (at least I don't have evidence otherwise - Ogden is audited like other places, if anything nefarious has been occurring wouldn't that have been uncovered?). I also think the mayor has done a good job continuing the benefits provided by BDO, regardless of who initiated BDO (there were, from what I understand, many more players involved than just Mayor Mecham). As far as utility rates go, that does not bother me - higher rates discourage wasteful usage, (I do feel there are better approaches to this end, though). I don't think the mayor is as rosy as Danae Brown and others paint him, but I also don't think he's as despicable as he's made out to be on this forum.
Matthew Godfrey really has no options. If he does not run for reelection his pals will not hire him. Because he is the current mayor he is able to keep a lid on many activities. If/when a new mayor takes over many schemes will come to light. Currently Greiner, Patterson, Aarington and Williams owe their job to the mayor. They keep silent so they can stay employed. Besides who in private industry would hire him? Val Southwick is in jail. Gadi Leesham is bankrupt. Chris Peterson cannot raise funds to construct anything.
Rudi
I might be out to lunch on this, but it is my impression that this appeared in the Standard over a week ago. Maybe you ought to have a talk with your paper boy?
Danae Brown served as the mayors executive assistant:
Office of the Mayor: Danae Brown - Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Utah's Right to Know:
Danae Brown - Executive Assist - MAYOR - $17,984
Two key pieces of info she left out of her letter and the idiots at the
Standard failed to catch.
Nope, Ozboy. This letter appears in today's hard-copy edition.
Nice catch, Ooops. Honorable people disclose such matters when they write letters to editors or op eds.
Pella says Godfrey's "continuing" the benefits from BDO. That's right, like Godfrey is "continuing" the water from Pineview, "continuing" sunshine, and "continuing" flowers in the spring.
The money rolls in. It was a windfall for the city years ago - a gift from Uncle Sam.
The name "Pella" reminds me of "Peloton's", the sandwich shop inside Bingham Cyclery.
Bingham Cyclery is owned by a known Godfrey fanatic and general nutcase.
Personal experience: I change my own bicycle tubes - it's easy and my kids get flats. About half the time, the tubes I get at Bingham's go flat before first use. They tend to be overpriced, and cheesy.
I bought them at Bingham's to support downtown and because I wrongly assumed their higher price there would equate to quality.
But no more. The last tube leaked right of the box, and almost half full of Slime it still leaked.
For my next bicycle tire, Wal Mart here I come.
Bingham's Cyclery, Peloton's, or Pella - a skunk by any other name.
In defense of an off topic comment, I've purchased MANY nice bikes and gear from Bingham's. Excellent bikes, prices, and customer service. And every meal I've had at Peloton's has been very good, as well. If Pella is one in the same, thanks for the great shop/food. Period.
I can't stand Godfrey or Patterson. I don't know the others, but I can't stand the way the city and its funds are moved around. I don't know many details, but from what I do know, I very much question the ethics and legalities of what goes on behind the scenes.
So Godfrey has all of his minions writing letters to the editor, pumping him up and getting him ready for another run at the 9th floor.
What we need to do is find a viable candidate to go after the litte pecker, and kick his free for all spending ass back to Harrisville.
Any takers for the office of Mayor next year?
Brown hasn't worked for Godfrey or the city for months.
Pella,
In response to your comment that you don’t think anything nefarious has occurred with regards to the city’s audited financials, it all depends on what you consider nefarious.
To run a deficit is not against any accounting practices in that accounting practices are simply there to represent the truthful reporting of what has taken place with the money. Not whether good business sense was used but rather if money was made or lost. With Godfrey we have been loosing for years.
The mayor has consistently over projected the city’s receipt, i.e. revenues and thus when those revenue projections haven’t been met; it creates a deficit for the city. A deficit that we the residents have to cover. Once is excusable but year after year is not.
A perfect example is the increase in this year’s budget of I believe 6% over last year and last years budget was bigger than the year before. How can he justify it when his own web page (while trying to say how Ogden is fairing better than other cities in Utah) states that “Ogden’s sales tax revenue comparison from fiscal year 2009 to 2010 is down 11.87%”. Sales tax revenues are a very good indicator as to all other revenue sources for any city, including Ogden. Is this a nefarious act is up to interpretation, but in my book the answer is yes if you are knowingly misrepresenting the financial condition of the city to further fund your pet projects.
As for the BDO revenue funds, the original intent of those surplus funds was as I recall to be used by the city to assist the city in offsetting the cost of out water and sewer infrastructure. That obviously isn’t happening and as such the residents now have to face annual increases in the cost of those services. Is that nefarious, once again it’s up for interpretation. The diversion of these funds to his pet projects has not endeared me to the man, which I’m reminded of ever time I look at my ever increasing utility bill.
But please don’t try to tell anyone what an astute businessman he is because it just ain’t
PPK:
Ditto on Peleton's. Only place in town to find beignets --- a Sunday morning tradition where I come from. Pleasant staff too.
Well Rudi, this letter from Mz.Brown may of appeared in today's edition of the Standard, but it was on their web addition on the 21st of June - one week ago.
I found it interesting that just below her name on the salary listing was Scott Brown who apparently is still on the Ogden City payroll at around $6,500 per year. Not bad for a guy who last I heard was off on a boat somewhere! Anyone out there that can clarify this one? Damn, I wish I was a FOM so's I could be sloppin outa that good old public trough like those other Godfreyite piggies.
After waiting to give "oops" a chance, I tried to post the Utahsright.com info on Danae Brown to the SE website. My comment is "awaiting approval". I don't remember that happening when I've posted there before.
I believe Danae Brown and Scott Brown were married at one time.
Scott Brown was spotted on 25th Street yesterday.
Oh my heck! Yes, Im from Utah. Oh my HECK this is the funniest thing I've read all day.
I'll keep this chuckle with me all day. Thanks for making me laugh. Schmucky McSchmuckstein a.k.a. Boss Godfrey is pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!
You made my day. Love the photo shop too.
Scott Brown was seen in person in town? I thought he was on the lam from the law. Must of been just another nasty rumor cooked up by the anti progress crowd, but it sure did sound plausible considering his past shady dealings.
Yeah, I think Brown's on the lam, too. It has taken Tom Christopulos 2-3 years to undo the damage.
However, Brown was a pretty smart guy and did not suffer fools. He just became a self proclaimed star because of his position, which did not do anyone much good.
"However, Brown was a pretty smart guy and did not suffer fools."
Which begs the question:
If Scott Brown suffers no fools, how does he explain his high regard for himself?
Debra, not Danae is Scott Brown's ex wife. She seems to be a nice woman (I've had the chance to meet her a time or two) who just couldn't deal with his BS any longer. They were divorced in 2005.
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