In short, the OEP pledge is merely about providing a healthy political campaign environment wherein all Ogden Municipal Election candidates will be able to cooperatively and uniformly adhere to the highest possible ethical standards, and to thus avoid any potential appearances of impropriety
We're pleased to shine the spotlight this morning on the Standard-Examiner's editorial page guest commentary, wherein regular WCF contributor and Ogden Ethics Project (OEP) Director Dan Schroeder responds to one Ogden mayoral candidate's highly public refusal to sign aboard the OEP's 2011 Ogden Muni Elections pledge to forswear campaign contributions from "corporations, other business entities, or unions." Dr. Schroeder's well-crafted essay speaks for itself, as it methodically sets forth some of the potential ethical pitfalls involved when campaign donations are paid over to the same public officials who award and administer public contracts and regulate local businesses. So we'll resist cluttering up the discussion with our own long-winded commentary, but instead merely recommend that you go directly to the source, and check out this highly informative brief essay itself:
In short, the OEP pledge is merely about providing a healthy political campaign environment wherein all Ogden Municipal Election candidates will be able to cooperatively and uniformly adhere to the highest possible ethical standards, and to thus avoid any potential appearances of impropriety. We're thus scratching our head wondering how it's possible that even one mayoral candidate refuses to jump aboard the OEP pledge bandwagon with both feet; and by the same token we're also wondering whether a Boss Godfrey-weary Ogden City electorate will settle for anything less.
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5 comments:
It’s interesting that one of Brandon Stephenson’s justifications for accepting donations from businesses is that the city appears to business friendly and we want businesses to consider Ogden a business-friendly city. That justification has holes in it, i.e., 1. Mayor Godfrey received thousands of dollars from businesses, mostly a construction company, real estate developers and realtors, who all profited under the Mayor. Contracts were let ignoring the bid process, business was steered in their direction and city ordinances were ignored for contributors to his campaign, and 2. All the contribution money that he accepted did not bring new businesses to Ogden. We still have many empty buildings downtown and throughout Ogden. I believe that the OEP’s request that candidates don’t accept contributions from businesses is a wise one that helps to keep candidates honest and law abiding by adhering to the election guidelines and limits set by the council a few years ago and eliminates the possibility of contributors donating twice – once as an individual and once as a business.Dan, you are doing a fantastic job as the chair and organizer of the Ogden Ethics Project. Thank you!
If Brandon or whoever the new mayor may be, if they want Ogden to be known as a business-friendly city, they need to change the way the planning department handles businesses problems and needs. They need to help businesses find solutions instead of throwing roadblocks in their way. There are more - just ask a business owner and really listen to whathe/she says. The word will get around.
It's important to distinguish between the city being business friendly and New business friendly. Setting up systems that benifit one company at the expense of others goes against the free market. I want jobs in Ogden just as much as the next guy, but upsetting market forces is not okay.
Speaking as a long-time Ogden voter who is totally fed up with Mayor Godfrey's obvious "Ogden Pay to Play System, I'll encourage the recalcitrant Ogden Mayor candidate Mr. Stephenson to "wake up and smell the Postum."
And yet another example of bizness as usual as reported on KSL,
"Firm dissolves after giving pro-Romney PAC $1M
A fledgling company dissolved shortly after making a $1 million contribution to an independent political committee supporting Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, leaving the source of the money unclear. " Boss Godfrey has a role model in high places... H'mm Godfreys tirades do remind me of Mitt when he his threw fit during the Olympics.
August 4th, 2011 @ 3:35pm
By KEN THOMAS and JACK GILLUM, Associated Press
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