Thursday Afternoon Weber County Forum News Roundup

Today's very most "weird" and "twisted" latest developments in re Utah politics

In the continuing interest in giving our Weber County Forum readers "Meaty Things" to "chew on," and to rave about the "weirdest" and latest developments in re our sorely "twisted" Utah politics, here a few items we latched upon this morning whilst Googling:

1) Lyin' POS Mike Winder Announces a Run for the Salt Lake County Mayoral Seat.

This is definely too good. This moron, the Mike Winder Guy, who completely made an ass out of himself by hoodwinking the Deseret News over the course of several months under the psuedo "handle" Richard Burwash, now unabashedly announces his candidacy, under the GOP banner, for the Salt Lake County Mayoral Office:

• Winder running for Salt Lake County mayor; GOP boss not thrilled (video)

Sodden query: Does Mike Winder have an even bigger "set" than Boss Godfrey? Were Mike Winder and Boss Godfrey somehow products of the same defective "uterus," who were somehow weirdly separated at birth?"

2) Ousted Utah House Member Craig Frank "Comes Back":

Here's the truly strange story from the SL-Trib:

• Craig Frank to return to House seat he was ousted from a year ago

Meet the new boss... same as the old boss...

Lets all sing along, folks!

3) Ogden Train Car Cafe under new ownership.

In an earlier WCF story we mentioned a missive we'd received from yet another sharp-eyed WCF reader who offered this:

MAYORAL FAVORS: Yesterday I heard a bunch of pissed off people talking about Kym and Pete taking over the welcome wagon. A gal that was running it was wondering why rent is half of what she'd been paying, and why do they get the equipment etc., for "free"?

We've done a little "light sleuthing" on this story by the way. We called the Choo-Choo Cafe on the phone a couple of days ago, and talked to a young feller who informed us that the cafe was still operating, although "under new ownership."

"Pete" (Buttschard) is the new "owner," the young feller said.

We still don't know the terms of the new deal, but we're now considering putting in a GRAMA request.

We also talked to a couple of Ogden City Council people about this, each of whom not-so-subtly indicated (to our great disappointment) that they "didn't want to make waves," so early into the Mike Caldwell mayoral administration.

So has the Caldwell Administration already violated the provisions of Ogden City Code Section section 4-2A-5", which says:

4-2A-5: COMPETITIVE BIDDING:
All purchases of and contracts for obtaining supplies or contractual services shall be made on a competitive basis to the maximum practicable extent. However, when not in conflict with state law, the purchasing agent may waive this competitive bidding requirement when:
1. The cost of the supplies or services is negligible in relation to the costs of purchase by bid;
2. The supplies or services are available from a single source or bidding procedures are otherwise deemed unlikely to produce a competitive bid; or
3. Circumstances indicate that bidding on the supplies or services will not be in the best interest of the city.

If so, will the Ogden City Council, weary of dealing with 12 years of Godfrey shenanigans, turn a blind eye to this possible problem?

We''ll be following up on this and we will definitely get to the meat of it, folks.

We don't want to see the new mayoral administration fall into any Godfrey-style "bad habits," if you know what we mean (and we think you do.)

And no, gentle readers. At this stage of the game at least, we're not charging the administration with doing anything wrong. Not yet, anyway.

Thursday Morning Ogden City News Roundup

A few recent news items, thrown out in the hope of getting a new discussion going this morning

Although we've been somewhat sidelined here at Weber County Forum by this week's tragic 1/4/11 Ogden Shootings story, we suppose it's time to get back into the regular "red meat news" swing of things, and resume our role as community watchdog for all things political, in and around Weber County. So here are a few recent news items, which we'll throw out in the hope of getting a new discussion going this morning:

1) Interesting article on the Standard-Examiner's business page this morning, reporting, that as a followup to Tuesday's RDA session, wherein the the Ogden City Council approved a parking lease agreement between the city and the successor developer of the Earnshaw Building Condo Project, we now learn that the subject parking lot will be turned over to the new developer, Steve Hopkins... get this... rent free.

We are not making this up, folks. Here's the key paragraph from this morning's S-E story:

While the city won’t be getting rent from the deal, Richard McConkie, the city’s community and economic development director, said the city figures that the property tax revenue generated by a completed building would increase the tax increment available to the city by as much as $200,000 annually through 2026.

Read the full S-E story here:

• Ogden leases garage space to condo

Well, at least the beleaguered Ogden City taxpayers will be getting something out of this "sweetheart" developer deal, right? It's a lot better for the taxpayers than Ogden's last couple of parking lot giveaway deals, no?

Seems that around Ogden City, the more things change, the more they remain the same, dunnit?

2) Here's something we received by email yesterday from another alert WCF reader:

MAYORAL FAVORS: Yesterday I heard a bunch of pissed off people talking about Kym and Pete taking over the welcome wagon. A gal that was running it was wondering why rent is half of what she'd been paying, and why do they get the equipment etc., for "free"?

The reference to the "welcome wagon" refers to last week's Wasatch Rambler column of course, wherein Charlie Trentelman reported that "Pete Buttschardt, owner of Rooster’s and Union Grill, is making extremely positive noises about taking [the Tourist Welcome Center's Choo-Choo's Cafe] over."

While Mr. and Mrs. Buttschard did make a small ($150) donation to Mike Caldwell's 2011 mayoral campaign, we're not ready yet to suggest that Mayor Caldwell would on that basis alone give them preferential treatment; although we'll nevertheless be keeping a close eye on this situation, of course, and would welcome any further detailed "insider" information that any of our Gentle Readers may be able to provide, regarding The Caldwell Administration's efforts to to enter into contract with a new cafe operator.

3) Here's the latest S-E Op-ed contribution from Alan Hall, wherein Ogden's own "Captain of Industry" discusses "how to grow our local economy" and "add more people to the area workforce":

• Careful and thoughtful cost cutting needed in down economy

After several earlier columns which were outright "snoozers," it's nice to see Mr. Hall finally launching into a topic where he has actual real-world expertise, we suppose.

4) And here's a thoughtful commentary from Weber County Democrat Steve Olson, who comments on the politically ridiculous Jon Greiner situation and also makes a strong and well-reasoned pitch to his "Republican friends" regarding the "need to respect the nation's conflict of interest laws, even if they disagree with them":

• Greiner forged ahead because he disagreed with law

As a lifelong registered Republican (full disclosure here) we'll give Mr. Olson a definite thumbs up on this one. And what say my fellow liberty loving fellow Republicans about this?

That's it for now, O Gentle Ones. We do have a couple of additional items remaining on the WCF back burner, but we'll save them for later this week.

Have at it, WCF readers. The world-wide webosphere is sitting on the edge of its seat, waiting to hear what you think.

Downtown Ogden Tourism Kicks Into High Gear

Two downtown tourist welcome centers and possibly much more!!!

This morning's Standard-Examiner reports the latest on Ogden's Dining Car/Tourist Welcome Center, which has been the subject of considerable previous discussion here on Weber County Forum. You can read Di Lewis's full story here:

• Downtown Ogden continues welcoming visitors by building tourist infrastructure

Ms. Lewis provides a good nuts and bolts rundown on the project's current status, and among other things, also informs us that there will be not just one, but two downtown "welcome centers."

Ms. Lewis's story also mentions FOM* Jeanie Milne, owner of "Choo-Choo's Kafe and Deli." Ms. Milne is working with Trudy Soland, who in turn will be operating a second welcome center at 25th Street & Washington Blvd., according to Ms. Lewis's report. This morning's article doesn't clarify exactly what Ms. Milne's full role is with respect to her Ogden tourist welcoming concession, but we believe her following quote could very well provide some slight hint:

"I have all the tools and tours to get them on their way and then she (Soland) can give them information for the merchants for that part of town," Milne said.

As our long time readers will no doubt recall, it was only about a year ago that Ms. Milne was touting (and assembling) a downtown Faux Trolley Fleet.

We'll be sitting on the edges of our seats, awaiting the next "exciting" development for downtown Emerald City tourism.

Well... at least this is something for our gentle readers to ponder... on an otherwise S-L-O-W news day.
_____
*Friend of Matt (Godfrey)

Sign Going up at the Emerald City FrontRunner "Welcome Station"

Wonder of wonders, Boss Godfrey is actually erecting a huge "Welcome Center" sign above the train car/restaurant/welcome center

By Monotreme

Mrs. Monotreme and I were heading up to a friend's home in the northern part of Ogden yesterday, when we spotted this sight on Wall Avenue, so I pulled over to take this picture:


Wonder of wonders, they are actually erecting a huge "Welcome Center" sign on the train car/restaurant/welcome center. And the sign even faces the train platform!

Ed. Note: Wonder of wonders is exactly right!

We've already had some earlier discussion on this subject here on Weber County Forum, of course.

Has Boss Godfrey been reading our WCF comments sections, we wonder, to finally find ways to be respected as the erstwhile "can do" Mayor of our community?

We can only hope. Fortunately for Boss Godfrey, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.

Is it possible, now that these signs are going up, that Godfrey will also fulfill his earlier promises, and staff the Welcome Center with helpful WSU student volunteers? Will visitors to the "Welcome Center" be allowed to use the publicly-financed bathrooms without having to buy a cup of coffee or a bagel from the current FOM* proprietors? Will the heretofore empty brochure racks be suddenly filled with robust printed Ogden tourist information?

The only way Boss Godfrey can get outta town alive within the next couple of years, we think, is to tune into Weber County Forum, and to adapt his introverted and iconoclastic ways to the will of the lumpencitizens of our great community. Hopefully he'll continue to tune in (assuming he's doing that already).

Comments are invited as always.

And who will be the first to comment?

-----
*Friend of Matt

Stop the Presses! Boss Godfrey APOLOGIZES to the Council For His Latest Blunder

"It was not an effort on the part of us to hide something," Godfrey spokesman John Patterson says... with a completely straight face

There's a first time for everything, we guess. Ace Reporter Schwebke reports this morning that Godfrey administration officials issued a public apology at last night's city council work session for their major budget-busting screw-up on the administration's Dining Car/Tourist Information Center. Frankly, we don't recall the Godfrey administration ever apologizing for anything before. Seeing is believing:

OGDEN -- Members of the administration apologized to the city council Thursday night for a snafu involving about $80,000 in cost overruns for the conversion of a rail car into a downtown information center.
"Sorry about this one," John Patterson, the city's chief administrative officer, told the council during a work session. "It was not an effort on the part of us to hide something."
Mayor Matthew Godfrey admitted that mistakes were made in determining how to fund the cost overruns.
"People made judgment calls that were wrong," he said during the work session.

Can we see by a show of hands how many among our gentle readership believe that Boss Godfrey and his henchmen weren't "trying to hide something?" Alternatively, we wonder, how many of our readers believe that this is merely the latest example of the old Boss Godfrey "Bait and Switch?"

And we just loved Councilman Stephens' quoted remarks and query:

City Councilman Doug Stephens said he believes the rail car information center will benefit Ogden.
However, he's concerned that the public may perceive that the council wasn't on top of the cost overruns.
"Citizens want to know, were you guys (council members) asleep at the wheel?"

Who will be the first lumpencitizen to provide Councilman Stephens the possibly painful information he seeks?

Have at it, O Gentle Ones.

Ogden CAO Patterson Admits He's an Idiot

This comes as no surprise for sentient Emerald City Citizens, of course

Noteworthy story in this morning's Standard-Examiner, concerning Boss Godfrey's yet to be completed dining car/tourist information center project, located at the downtown intermodal hub. Like all Godfrey projects, this one is ill-conceived and financially suspect. In the wake of considerable rumor and speculation that this project has seriously "blown its budget," Ace Reporter Schwebke provides this:

OGDEN -- The city council is questioning why the administration's conversion of an old railroad dining car into a tourist information center downtown is about $80,000 over budget.
Last year the council allocated $34,501 in capital improvement funds to renovate the car, which is located adjacent to the FrontRunner commuter rail station at the intermodal hub at 23rd Street and Wall Avenue.
John Patterson, the city's chief administrative officer, said site preparation work and renovations to the rail car's interior pushed the project's cost to nearly $115 Thousand.

There are several aspects of this story which ought to raise the eyebrows of Emerald City lumpencitizens, even though Schwebke's contribution of the day is what we'll characterise as "investigative journalism lite." We have a tight calender today, so we'll be brief:

Mr. Schwebke reports that John Patterson admits to breaking the law (on behalf of the Godfrey administration,) by dipping into "an internal services fund account within the city's Fleet and Facilities Department" to the tune of an extra $80 thousand, and spending these funds on the Dining Car/Tourist Info Center overages:

The administration paid for the rail car cost overruns from an internal services fund account within the city's Fleet and Facilities Department, said Patterson.

More evidence that Boss Godfrey is juggling the books, and "robbing Peter to pay Paul." Keep in mind, people, the mayor is not entitled to distribute city revenue at his own discretion. He's required by Utah law to have ALL expenditures of city revenue approved by the City Council. Patterson intends to fix the problem however, by going to the Council, hat in hand, after lying to them and repeatedly breaking the law, to persuade the council to ratify the Godfrey administration's most recent impetuous and illegal acts. This is seriously TOO FUNNY:

It's proper to use the funds [which have so far been illegally expended], provided they are first funneled through the city council's capital improvement project process, because the rail car information center is considered a permanent facility and not equipment, said Patterson.
As a result, the administration will submit to the council a capital improvement amendment and budget opening request within the next few weeks to properly transfer the UTA lease funds, said Patterson.

Our old Pal "Chief" Jon Greiner says he'd like to "bite down on crime" in Ogden.

If he's serious... several Godfreyite folks will be frogmarched out of City Hall in handcuffs and leg irons.

New Frontrunner Tourist Center Nears Completion

Savvy Friends of Matt craftily nail down the entire Frontrunner tourist concession

This morning's Standard-Examiner reports on the continuing progress of Emerald City's Frontrunner station dining car/tourist information center, which has been the topic of several earlier reader discussions here at Weber County Forum:

OGDEN — The conversion of an old railroad dining car into a tourist information center at the downtown intermodal hub is rolling along and should be completed next month city officials say.
Improvements to the car’s exterior are complete and efforts are now under way to renovate the interior, which will include restrooms and a cafe, said Phil McDonald, the city’s fleet shop supervisor.
The exterior of the dinning car will be painted with a high-adventure and “Welcome to Ogden” theme.
A directional sign to various areas of the city will be constructed next to the car.

Yesiree, it won't be long now before hordes of de-training tourists arrive in Ogden, seeking out the MattGodfreyWorld high adventure fake trolleys, fake rock wall, fake ice cliff and fake sky diving ride located in our downtown center. And when that time comes, it will be Friends of Matt who will be there to help them out.

This morning's story also reveals that Boss Godfrey has selected a lucky concessionaire to operate the cafe which will be situated within the revamped dining car:

In addition, Jeanie Milne, owner of The Hole, a dough- nut and specialty drink shop at 2393 Wall Ave., will relocate her operation to the dining car.
Her new business will be named Jeanie’s Cafe and Deli and will serve doughnuts, drinks, sandwiches and soups.
Milne said she is pleased the city has selected her as the concessionaire for the rail car information center, because it will provide three times more space than The Hole.
“Working hand-in-hand with the city has been incredible.”

Regular Weber County Forum readers will of course recall that Ms.Milne is also one of the clever entrepreneurs behind the high adventure faux trolley system, which Boss Godfrey has commissioned to ferry tourists between and among the various carny tourist attractions (which are bound to put our fair city on the world high adventure recreation map.)

We congratulate Ms. Milne and her business associate Mr. Laub, for quietly and decisively nailing down the entire Frontrunner tourist concession, at a time when our Emerald City Council probably wasn't even aware there was a valuable Frontrunner tourist concession up for grabs. Further compliments to Ms. Milne too, for wisely abandoning the unfortunate trade name, "The Hole," and adopting something a little bit more visitor friendly and less self-effacing.

No word this morning from Ace Reporter Schwebke on the final cost to the taxpayers of the Frontrunner tourist center project. Although it's been rumored that costs have now ballooned into a region at least quadrupling the project's original $34 thousand council appropriation, we suppose Mr. Schwebke believed this to be a question too trivial (or inelegant) to ask.

So what say our gentle readers about all this?

A Hint of Some Non-rancorous News In Ogden

Something good we can probably all agree about

By Curmudgeon

Amidst all this ulcerous rancor of late, Ogden could use a little good news, and the Standard-Examiner provides it this morning here. Mr. Schwebke reports that a refurbished railroad dining car [donated anonymously] will in about six weeks open at the Frontrunner station as a visitors information site, serving out of town visitors arriving by rail a the transit center. [NB to Mr. Schwebke and the Std-Ex general: can we please follow the lead of UTA and stop referring to the Transit Center by the god-awful term "Intermodal Hub?" An intermodal hub sounds like something my mechanic says I need replaced under the car soon [$247.36 plus labor]. It does not sound like someplace to catch a bus or train.]

Ramrodding the project is Mr. Richard Brookins, Ogden's fleet and facilities manager. The city will lease out space in the dining to a vendor of snacks and soft drinks, and the city expects over five years to thus recover the approximately $35K it will cost to put the car in service. Dean John Goddard [WSU School of Business] expects WSU marketing students will work there as volunteers, particularly during festivals and other large events. [I fear for Dean Goddard's job: doesn't he know WSU is committed to undermining all efforts to improve downtown Ogden? Doesn't he know WSU's official policy [according to Godfrey Gaggle cheerleader B. Geiger] is to do nothing to assist in helping the city prosper? Didn't he get the memo?]

The dining car/welcome center is a good idea. So is this: "A directional sign to various areas of the city will be constructed next to the car." Imagine that. What is it now, three months or so after Frontrunner starts running, after having had three years notice that it was coming, and somebody in Ogden finally figures out it might be a good idea to have signs at the station telling arriving passengers how to find... oh, say, Historic 25th Street or The Junction? Well, better late than never, I guess.