We'd like to call attention to a revealing example of wacky Ogden politics this morning, as the Standard-Examiner reports that "the city council may adopt a resolution later this month asking police to hold monthly medication take-back events because of Chief Jon Greiner's reluctance to put a pharmaceutical collection box in the lobby of the Ogden Public Safety Building":
It seems to us that somebody on the council initially came up with a pretty good idea, an eminently sensible proposal to locate a permanent drop box for the disposal of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications in the Ogden Public Safety Building lobby. According to this Standard-Examiner graphic, the idea wasn't a novelty either, inasmuch as similar drop boxes seem to have already been employed in the lobbies of police departments all across our fair state:
Sadly, the idea didn't play out all that well in Ogden however, where Ogden City administrative departments oddly and jealously guard their turf against the perceived encroachment of our Ogden City legislative body, the City Council. Accordingly, Chief Greiner has come up with a set of vague and a half-assed formal excuses to oppose the installation of a cop-shop drop-box. Topping it all off we now find our Ogden City Council Chair, Ms. Gochnour, (not exactly a model of strong political will herself,) rolling over on the issue without so much as a whimper, and saying (with a completely straight face) that "having monthly collection events is a good compromise to a permanent disposal bin."
Our advice to Ms. Gochnour and the rest of our will-o-the-wisp City Council? Pass the danged ordinance as originally proposed, and explain to Chief Greiner that he can either live with a drug drop-box in his precious Public Safety Building lobby, or find new employment in a city where the Chief of Police sets overall city policy.
That's our take and we're stickin' to it!
So what say our gentle readers about all this?
