We'll let yesterday's Standard-Examiner story serve as a reminder of tonight's Ogden Ethics Project-sponsored Ogden Mayoral Candidate Forum:
For those readers who haven't already entered the important space/time coordinates onto their calenders, here are the data in a nutshell:
What: Ogden Mayoral Candidate ForumHere's hoping tonight's event will pack the house.
Where: Ogden’s historic Union Station, Browning Auditorium
When: Tonight (Wednesday, 8/24/11) 7:00 until 8:30 p.m.
We'll now open the floor, of course, for anyone who'd like to lodge their comments, observations, reports OR contemporaneous remarks, before, during or after tonight's blockbuster2011 Ogden Municipal Election event.
Update 8/25/11 7:56 a.m. (Per Dan S.: Here are the writeups in the Standard-Examiner and the Tribune:
15 comments:
I encourage everyone to attend this important event.
Penny Allred and
James Dayley have volunteered Two-Bit Street Café for a Meet and Greet on 25th
Street for Susie Van Hooser after the event at Union Station tonight. Please
stop by and talk with Susie in an informal environment.
Whatever you do, gentle readers... don't EVER hesitate to chime in
I would really like to be there, but will be flying in and not quite back in time. But I will be there next time. The rest of you readers, be there for me!
Will they be supplying the rotten tomatoes, or do we have to bring our own?
I am sorry to report that Mr. Caldwell has a telephone push poll currently going on. You're asked which of the 8 candidates you would vote for right now, and if you push a number indicating anyone other than Caldwell [as someone in our house did], a string of "candidate specific" questions begins. They take this format: "If you knew Mike Caldwell was president of the Ogden Visitors and Convention Bureau" [or Weber County's], would you be more likely to vote for him or less likely. Push one for more likely. Push two for less likely." There is no "no opinion" or " no difference" option offered. Other alleged "poll questions" go on in the same vein. After a while, our house member hung up and didn't finish out the alleged poll, which the recorded voice promised would take no longer than three minutes.
This is not a poll, I think. It's a campaign robo call designed to parade Mr. Caldwell' s qualifications before those who indicate that at the moment do not intend to vote for him. And as such it's a sleazy business. Candidates with a sound grasp of ethical conduct in re: campaigns should not sink to such tactics.
I am disappointed. Our house is split on candidates for the primary. I'd been, lately, leaning a bit toward Caldwell. The leaning has come to a halt. I'm going to have to reconsider. If you can't campaign straight up, what does that say about the public official you are likely to be if elected?
I am really disappointed.
Any chance video of this will be posted somewhere?
video to be posted on SE website (probably) and Ogden Ethics Project website
They announced it before it began ...
TLJ
The Browning Auditorium was packed and the moderator was excellent. The questions were pertinent and the candidates were ready. We learned a lot about who will get the votes on September 13th.
A few observations on tonight's candidate "debate"
Dumbest remark:
Stephenson when he said we should tax businesses more so we could get more businesses.
Most like a deer in the headlights:
Tied between Ballard and Goddard
Most glib and full of himself:
VanWaggner
Funniest:
Thompson
Biggest flop at attempted humor:
Ballard
Most honest answers:
Thompson
Most Mayoral in conduct and appearance:
Caldwell
Least Mayoral in conduct and appearance:
Tied between Ballard and Goddard
The one who looked most like Godfrey:
Goddard
The one who acted most like Godfrey:
Stephenson
The only one who backs the Fieldhouse fiasco:
Stephenson
The most disappointing:
Tied between VanHooser and Hansen
(my two favorites)
The most disingenuous:
Stephenson for saying he was against the Malan basin and Gondola ideas although he was a big supporter of both when they were on the table.
The one who should win based on tonight's performance:
Thomson
The one most likely to win based on tonight's performance:
Caldwell
Tonight's hands down winner:
The ethics project that sponsored the event - perhaps the best attended election event in modern Ogden history - and the moderator who was excellent.
The best thing about the whole deal:
Godfrey wasn't there
The worst thing about the whole deal:
Stephenson was there as Godfrey's clone
Ozboy, sorry, but I have to disagree with you about Thompson -- I don't feel that he performed better or was the winner of tonight's debate. I thought his comments were the poorest, especially when he would say "I agree with Brandon," and just leave it at that.
Jonny Ballard and Brandon Stephenson sounded the most like Godfrey. You were so right when you said that he was the most ingenius -- I'll never forget the hour that was trapped at the St. George airport with Brandon. For more than hour he earnestly tried to convince me that Ogden needed the gondola and that it would be a good economic development venture.
I disagree with your assessment of VanHooser and Hansen. I thought they answered the questiom well and they presented themselves in the most professional way. Thompson was the least professional in appearance.
Here are the writeups in the Standard-Examiner and the Tribune:
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/08/24/mayoral-candidates-pitch-platforms
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52452499-78/ogden-com-van-tax.html.csp
Good on the SE if it happens.
The Standard-Examiner site now has links to video of the event. Looks like it covers the first half, before we got to the questions from the audience: http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/08/24/mayoral-candidates-pitch-platforms
Thanks for the link, Dan. I've been viewing these video segments; and I believe that to the extent that the SE provides this online resource, it's providing a great service to the voters of Ogden.
Having said that however, I'm wondering whether the OEP may soon offer the full unedited, "gavel to gavel" video record on its own website. I suspect most Ogden political wonks would appreciate the opportunity to view the full, unedited version, rather than to depend upon some SE editor's decisions as to what may or may not be the most important segments.
I'd encourage everyone to watch what's on the S-E site. Haven't watched much of it yet myself, but I don't think they did any "selective" editing. The Ogden Ethics Project doesn't have their budget so it will probably be a few days before we get anything posted. Also, I haven't seen any of our video yet so I can't promise anything in terms of quality.
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