Standard-Examiner: Ogden Mayor's Race Starts to Take Shape

"No guts; no glory," we guess

With the 2015 Ogden City Elections looming in a short four months, we'll cast the spotlight on yesterday's Standard-Examiner story, which delves into the issues surrounding the Ogden mayoral race.  With her usual reportorial zeal, veteran SE reporter Cathy McKitrick has interviewed both candidates, incumbent Mike Caldwell, and challenger Sebastian Benitez, and has produced a robust writeup, concerning the issues which separate these two mayoral office-seekers.

Read up, folks:

Ogden Mayor's race starts to take shape

We gotta hand it to M. Benitez, we'll  observe.  It takes a lotta guts for an Ogden City employee/contractor/underling to step up and challenge a sitting mayor (his boss) for his job, don'tcha think?

"No guts; no glory," we guess.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden's Mayoral Race Heats Up With New Contender

Reached Tuesday by phone, Mayor Caldwell said he welcomes the competition

Sebasian Benitez, Mayoral Challenger

As our 2015 Ogden City municipal election cycle enters the mid-point of its first week, we'll highlight this morning's Cathy McKitrick story, providing an informative thumbnail profile of Sebastian Benitez, who's challenging incumbent Mike Caldwell, for the Ogden City Mayoral seat:  Here's Ms. McKitrick's lede:

OGDEN — A contender has come forward to challenge Mayor Mike Caldwell, a popular incumbent who is seeking a second term this November.
While Caldwell has managed to advance the city with such an even-handed consistency and forward-looking vision that most offer up praise rather than criticism, this political newcomer said he can offer a whole new perspective.
Sebastian Benitez, a 52-year-old immigrant from Paraguay who speaks five languages and owns his own business, said he respects and admires Caldwell but after significant prayer felt compelled to join the race.
“I want to give Ogden residents a different option,” Benitez said Monday evening.

Read up, Peeps:

• Ogden's mayoral race heats up with new contender

There's more...

Reached Tuesday by phone, Caldwell said he welcomes the competition. “I look forward to the dialogue and debate. Its always healthier when you have a free exchange of ideas,” Caldwell said, adding that he “celebrates anyone who is willing to engage in the public process.”

Even though he's playing the Mormon card, Mr. Benitez has his work cut out for him, wethinks.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell Will Seek a Second Term

Granted, "he's not Godfrey" sets a pretty low standard for approving another term. But still, given a choice between Mayor Log and Mayor Stork, we'd prefer the former

Mayor Mike on His Mountain Bike

Interesting story this morning on the local Ogden City news front, as the Standard's Cathy McKittrick announces the first news development pertaining to the upcoming 2015 Ogden City Municipal election:

• Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell will seek a second term

Our view? It makes perfect sense that Mayor Mike would throw his hat into the ring for a second go-round, inasmuch as recent City Council actions seem to be leaning toward making elected Ogden City offices even more pecuniarily attractive than now.

As for the prospect of Mike Caldwell serving a second Mayoral term of office, we're going to go along with Gentle Reader Bob Becker on this:

So, the question before this body is: does Mayor Mike "Ten Speed" Caldwell deserve another term? He claims in the interview accomplishments that are not his (e.g. the LDS temple redo and open house tours, etc.) But all politicians do that. No harm no foul. And as Ozboy notes, it's been a calm and quiet Caldwell administration compared to his predecessor's. Ten Speed has not, thank whatever gods may be, gone about playing Junior G Man, following the wives of police officers around the mean streets of Ogden to see if their husbands are political opponents. And he has not proposed selling Mt. Ogden Park to real estate developers to build a flatland public money pit gondola to WSU --- again, thanks whatever gods may be.
Granted, "he's not Godfrey" sets a pretty low standard for approving another term. But still, given a choice between Mayor Log and Mayor Stork, I'd prefer the former. [...]

We'll file this story as the first entry within the Weber County Forum topic heading, 2015 Municipal Elections.

Let the games begin!

And what say you, O Gentle Ones?