We'll put the spotlight on the strong editorial in this morning's Standard-Examiner, zeroing in on the still simmering Weber County Commission "leadership" controversy, wherein Republican Commissioners Kerry Gibson and Matthew Bell ditched a 20-year County Commission tradition, and inexplicably nixed their GOP colleague Jan Zogmeister's normal "rotation" to her reasonably anticipated 2014 commission chairmanship slot. Here's the SE Editorial Board lede:
Weber County is witnessing a bit of political comedy, a power play in the Weber County Commission that is more bumbling than Machiavellian.Read the full editorial here:
Two commissioners, Chairman Kerry Gibson and Commissioner Matt Bell, have rejected the tradition of allowing the current vice chairperson, Jan Zogmaister, to be the next chairman. By a 2-1 vote, Gibson was retained as commission chairman.
There was nothing illegal in the procedure. A tradition is not a law. However, this political drama between Republicans has the appearance of being an effort by Gibson and Bell to push Zogmaister out of the commission....
Frankly, the power play seems to have backfired. Zogmaister has received lots of support from the community, and Gibson and Bell are receiving heavy criticism for their move, which broke the chair-rotation tradition.
"[I]t was a ham-handed power play by Gibson and Bell, which frankly makes Zogmaister appear the most capable pol of the trio," opines the Standard-Examiner. Once again the Standard-Examiner "nails it."
Added bonus: Yes, as previously reported on Weber County Forum, veteran SE Cartoonist Cal Grondahl is back in harness, after a mercifully short hiatus, demonstrating the incalculable journalistic value of keeping our talented hometown graphic illustrator onboard to augment purely local SE stories and editorials. This is the kind of hard-hitting "custom" material the SE editors definitely ain't gonna pluck off some national news-wire, folks:
Weber County Commission politics... clumsy grade-school GOP Party drama at its very worst?
Update 1/19/14 10:00 a.m.: Even the Standard's boffo humor columnist is getting in on the act. "... if Weber County voters have a lick of sense, they'll see this Gibson-Bell gambit for what it is -- a cheap political power play -- and find a smart, capable woman to replace him this fall," says the suddenly saturnine Mark Saal:
Don't let the cat get your tongues, O Gentle Readers.
4 comments:
They will allow a change as soon as they get their gun range.
Grondahl is SO judgmental. Bell and Gibson simply arranged, considerate gentlemen that they are, for JZ to have more free time so she could bake cookies to bring to the Commission meetings. And all people can do is kvetch.
I'm just putting it out there that the Weber County Democrats could never be that judgemental.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-breeding-program-aimed-at-keeping-moderate-rep,27371/
Post a Comment