Zogmaister abandoned the citizens of Ogden Valley

An important comment promoted to the front page

By Laura

When you hear Zogmaister bragging about bringing growth to Ogden Valley, think of the financial collapse of Wolf Creek.

During the tour of Powder Mountain properties early in the game, all voters should have heard the shrill voice of Zogmaister telling everyone what a plus this "Mega Resort" was going to be. You can be sure that if the single access road went past her home, she would have had a different response.

Zogmaister abandoned the citizens of Ogden Valley when push came to shove on the Powder Mountain question. When asked why she did not vote against the incorporation of the town when some of her constituents would lose their civil rights, she refused to answer.

Standard Examiner Endorses Weber County Commission Candidate Amy Wicks

The Standard-Examiner editorial board endorsed current Ogden City Council member Amy Wicks this morning for the Weber County Commission seat "B."

Our old pal Rudi has done a masterful job of compiling a couple of Standard Examiner articles along with video interviews of both candidates:   Standard All Star Amy Wicks and Kerry Gibson.

• Standard-Examiner: Our View: Wicks For Commission Seat "B"

Be sure to watch the end of Amy's interview where she discusses "openness in government."  Wouldn't openness be a refreshing change for Weber County politics?

County Commission Candidates Respond To Our Questionnaire -- UPDATED

On October 12, 2010 the Ogden Valley Forum sent out a Questionnaire via email to the five Weber County Commission Candidates.  We asked six questions of the candidates that were related to Ogden Valley issues and allowed the candidates unlimited space for additional comments.  We set a deadline for the responses of October 20th.  We sent a reminder out to the candidates on October 20th as a couple of the candidates had not yet responded.

Ultimately, we received responses from every Commission Candidate except Kerry Gibson.  Interestingly, in the November 1, 2010 issue of the Ogden Valley news, a letter to the editor from Kerry Gibson states,

First, a warm thank you to the owners of The Ogden Valley News for donating space to the many candidates to publish their biographies.  This is a public service that cannot be underestimated.

It would appear that I was one of the few candidates that didn't supply the Valley citizens with my contact information via my biography.  While slightly embarrassing, I promise it was unintentional.  Mistakes happen.  It's how we handle them that counts.  Rest assured, I am available.  My constituents can attest to this.

 Mr. Gibson goes on to tout his relationships with his constituents and fellow Legislators.

We will leave it to our humble readers to decide who best will serve the interests of not only Ogden Valley, but the entire Weber County.

Click here to read the responses to our questions

What say our Ogden Valley faithful about the upcoming Weber County Commission election?

UPDATE: 10/27/10 @ 9:30 PM

We just received a classic follow the money tip from a faithful follower.

Before you make that final decision on who to vote for, be sure to see who has supported the candidates with their pocket books.  We found some very peculiar and interesting donors.

• 2010 Campaign Finance Disclosures - Major Weber County Candidates

Of particular interest is Kerry Gibson, who raised some $48,000 in his campaign war chest (15 TIMES the amount of his competitor).  Some of his larger "donors" include The Utah Association of Realtors ($2,500), Powder Mountain Resort Managements ($1,000), Gregg & Amy Greer [CEO of Powder Mountain] ($1,000), Energy Solutions ($600) and others.

Click here to view Kerry Gibson's Campaign Financial Report 2010

Jan Zogmaister's is also interesting.  Contributors include:  Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors ($1,000), Infamous Huntsville developer Ron Catanzero ($200) and others.


Click here to view Jan Zogmaister's Campaign Financial Report 2010

We will note that when we set out to question our candidates several weeks ago, we had no intention of following the money.  Our intent was to provide an unbiased overview of the candidate's views on a variety of issues facing Weber County so our readers could more easily make an informed decision.

While we had heard rumors that certain candidates were Realtor and developer shills, we tried to look at this important race without bias.  In this "pay to play" state of Utah politics, it would appear that some candidates are being supported by interests that don't align with those of most residents.

With a war chest 15 times that of his opponent, it is no wonder Mr. Gibson feels safe in snubbing the lowly folks at the Ogden Valley News and the Ogden Valley Forum.

Follow the money!!

Early Voting Is Under Way

In an important mid-term election year, several important races are heating up in Weber County.  In coming days we will post the results of some questions we asked of the Weber County Commission candidates.

In the mean time, don't miss these recent Standard Examiner articles on the ever important subject of County leadership:

Weber County Commission Seat A

Weber County Commission Seat B

Be sure to check out Rudi's most excellent Candidate profile post to be an informed voter.

Standard-Examiner WEBER Plus 2010 Election Candidate Digest

Don't forget to vote, ye Ogden Valley Faithful.  Who will you be voting for????

Alan Wheelwright speaks out!

As some of you might know I am running for House District 8. This being my first foray into politics, it has been a real awakening to me how the system works.

One surprise came the other night with my interview with the Ogden/Weber Uniserv (the political arm of the teachers union). My campaign is based upon the unfulfilled hollow election time promises of our elected officials, year after year, to make education a serious priority and adequately fund it. I have two children in public elementary school and see the effects of having the lowest per pupil spending in the country everyday. I spoke to the Union of the millions that was spent to defeat vouchers when my opponent Rep. Froerer switched his vote in favor of vouchers. I let them know that this is one of the closest races in the state and their endorsement might be the deciding factor. I also looked at their own ratings of Rep. Gage Froerer voting record at the hill, with regard to education, over the last four years he has received an average of 52% with a pitiful 43% in 2010. It was also hard to notice that he arrived to the meeting 20 minutes late.

It was then surprising to me the next day when I was informed by Ogden/Weber Uniserv that they would be supporting my opponent. Asking why, I was only told that they had a complicated relationship with Gage but hopped that it would be better in the future.

My open question to the teachers union is “what does an incumbent politician have to do to loose your support?” How low of a rating would a politician have to receive so that you would be willing to go out on a limb and endorse the underdog? Is Uniserv so afraid of political backlash that it is impossible to support the candidate that might loose, but would be more in-line with their core beliefs to properly fund education?

The one thing that I am sure of is, that if I win in November, I will harbor no ill will against the Union and will fight to fund education at a level that shows our commitment to schools. It is about time that politicians either put-up or shut-up about education. I am tired of education being the central theme of every election, on both sides, but still seeing Utah end up dead last in the Country on per pupil education spending.

Thanks,

Alan Wheelwright

Gov. Herbert, Corroon tangle over taxes, ethics

A rundown from the Standard Examiner of last night's debate between Gov. Herbert and Peter Corroon

Gov. Herbert, Corroon tangle over taxes, ethics

UPDATE 10/1/10 @ 3:35 PM MDT:

From Bat Girl:

If you missed the PETER CORROON TOWN HALL @ WSU in Ogden, make arrangements to attend:

EVENT: ROTARY CLUB of OGDEN luncheon
DATE: OCT 20 2010
TIME: 12 noon...
PLACE: Eccles Convention Center
ADDRESS: 2415 Washington Blvd, Ogden

For more info, contact the:

ROTARY CLUB OF OGDEN / FB

Weber County Commission Candidate Drew Johnson's Speech At a Recent Meet The Candidate Event

Meet the Candidate event, hosted by Weber 912

The following is the speech Drew Johnson gave at the Meet the Candidate event September 22nd at Christian Heritage School.


Thank you very much. It is a pleasure to be here. I am not going to take as much time today as the other candidates because I plan to be plain, simple and direct.
 
Your politicians are not working for you. They haven't been for a long time and I believe there is a growing sense of frustration showing because of it.


THAT is why I am here tonight.I AM HERE FOR YOU.YOU ARE MY SPECIAL INTEREST. No lobbyists, no agendas, JUST YOU.

I am here because I care about my community and the people that live here, which is why I have no affiliations to take away from working for you, MY EMPLOYERS.A novel concept, to be sure. One that has been lost along the way.


I own and operate two small businesses in Weber County and I know how hard it is to get by. Which is why we must start talking about how we can start SAVING money, not SPENDING money.That's why we need to fix our property tax system, to make it more of a fair and balanced system.


Your ELECTED representatives raised your mill levy tax this year to balance the budget, but what they didn't tell you is all they had to do was collect the ALREADY PAST DUE, unpaid corporate-owned property taxeswhich would have given us a budget surplusand would have SAVED each and every one of you money. Your elected leaders are not working for you.

Now they would have you think that collecting the unpaid taxes is just going to chase old ladies out of their houses, but that is nowhere near the truth. The people not paying are the fat cats-- big corporations.They might even pawn it off as a state problem. To me that's passing the buck.Once again. Your elected leaders are not working for you.


I believe in the Constitution. I believe in government representing the people.I believe in responsible spending and responsible saving. I believe in a common sense, hard work approach.


If you are happy with the way things are~ then go ahead and vote for Jan. But if you're FED UP, LIKE I AM,Vote for Drew this November and let's bring government back to the people!

Thank you and Good Night.

Important Ogden Valley Planning Meeting Tuesday

Snowbasin Addenda Attached

The Ogden Valley Planning commission will be meeting Tuesday and several important items are on the agenda.

The meeting will be held in the Weber County Commission Chambers, Weber Center (2380 Washington Blvd). The meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. in the order listed below.

We will highlight some of the important items below, but click here to view the entire agenda

2-2. CUP 2003-12 Consideration and action on a request to amend the Edgewater Beach Resort PRUD (CUP2003-12 ) by eliminating the garage from Phase 1, reducing the total number of units from 168 to 166, and eliminating the entry monuments/statues and fencing in Phase 1; Celtic Bank, Applicant 

2-3. UVT 02-1606 Consideration and action on a request for a variance to the Weber County Subdivision Ordinance to allow an additional one-year time extension of final approval for Trappers Crossing Subdivision; PC Land Development LLC, Applicant

 Regular Agenda

• Old Business

3-1. ZP 2010-03 Consideration and/or action on Zoning Petition #2010-03 by Snowbasin Resort Company to rezone approximately 3,808 acres, at Snowbasin Resort, from Forest Valley-3 (FV-3),Forest¬¬-5 (F-5), and Forest-40 (F-40) to the Ogden Valley Destination and Recreation Resort Zone (DRR-1) 

Click here to view Snowbasin's latest addenda

• New Business

3-2. CUP 2010-17 Consideration and action regarding a request for approval of a Conditional Use Permit for Alpine Liquor Agency, a Utah state contracted packaged liquor store, located at approximately 2393 North Highway 158; Bruce Balducki, Applicant

3-3. ZONORD 2009-13 Consideration and action on the staff recommendation regarding amendments to the Weber County Zoning Ordinance Chapter 22C Conditional Uses

CORROON v HERBERT

What Bat Girl wants, Bat Girl gets.
And she even provides us with the links. Thanks Bat Girl - keep it up and Boy Wonder will be out of a job! 

By Bat Girl

Why does the OGDEN VALLEY UTAH FORUM have no coverage of the CORROON v HERBERT race??

Since you regularly link to WEBER COUNTY FORUM, why not just link to all the CORROON v Herbert info on WCF and save yourself some time?

HERE ARE A FEW LINKS to info on CORROON in WEBER COUNTY:
Corroon fields questions / Gubernatorial candidate addresses issues involving federal government

Monday, September 20, 2010
Two 2010 Election Events Set For This Evening
Tonight: A Peter Corroon Open House on the WSU campus; and a KUED-televised US Senate candidate debate.

Sunday, September 19, 2010 More On Governor Herbert's Ostensible "Pay to Play" Problem
Oh my. The ever-classy Utah GOP Chair Dave Hansen even says "somebody wants to rip off [Peter] Corroon’s head "

Friday, September 17, 2010
Standard-Examiner: Herbert Sends Angry Letter to Corroon
...and the Corroon Campaign responds

County Commission Race Heats Up

Don't miss Rudi's important run down on the latest in the Weber County Commission Seat B race:

Standard-Examiner: Salomon Center Fundraiser Free-For-All

Mayor Godfrey is supporting Mr. Gibson, but it seems as though he should be supporting watch dog Amy Wicks so the watchful eyes would be shifted from City Hall to the Commission Chambers.

Elections Less Than Two Month's Away

With the elections rapidly approaching, the Ogden Valley Forum will be taking an active role.   The County Commission race is one that will have a large impact on the future of Ogden Valley as two of the three commission seats are up for grabs this election cycle.

The forum plans to give each commission candidate the opportunity to address Ogden Valley residents in the weeks ahead, and we plan to submit a list of questions to each of the candidates and will post their answers on our site.

We are in the process of compiling questions to ask the commission candidates and would like to have some input from the locals.  Please submit your suggestions for questions by emailing ogdenvalley@gmail.com and place "Commission questions" in the subject line.  Alternatively, post your question below by clicking the comment link below.

Eden “Resident” Killed

Guest Post by Sharon Holmstrom
A wonderful variety of creatures live along the North Fork and Wolf Creek drainages. Many are human residents and then there are what the Division of Wildlife Resources classifies as “resident” deer. These are deer who do not migrate to the high mountains when winter ends but spend generations living in the same small area. They are acclimated to humans and their “home” habitat. They mate, raise babies in the thickets along the streams and please us with their presence. In the deepest part of the harsh winters, many of us feed them. In many communities, including ours, the presence of wildlife has been cited as part of the “quality of life” that residents seek to protect. Hunting these animals in residential areas is akin to walking into the zoo and, after you have shot the tiger, boasting that you have been “big game hunting”.

A number of the human residents of Eden have encountered problems with hunters in the past: hunters who show up with rifles, dressed in camo, crossing our driveways and fences to hunt in our fields and common areas. We were told by the county sheriff’s department that in order to have protection from these hunters we must post our property. In anticipation of this year’s bow hunt, we posted private property and common areas. We let it be known throughout the neighborhoods that we did not want hunters. Even with all these precautions, a local resident told a relative by the name of Logan that he could shoot a deer on his property.

This is legal within certain perimeters. First, the bow hunter must have WRITTEN permission from any household within 600 feet of the shooting site i.e. the spot where you shoot the animal be it in the open or from a constructed blind. (pg.40, 2010 Utah Big Game Guidebook) A homeowner may give you permission to kill an animal on his property but you still may not break the law by discharging a weapon in the vicinity of an unwilling land owner.

As bow hunters know, unless you are a crack shot or fire two arrows, the animal you kill may take some time to die, sometimes in an agonizing way. To assume that the deer you shot would remain on the property is unrealistic. A beautiful buck who has lived in our neighborhood for perhaps several years and was well known to all who watched him was shot by Logan late Saturday evening. His blood trail led across a county road and down into the common area of Eden Hills subdivision, where he died and lay unrecovered through the night. The homeowners association had not only posted this property as No Trespassing but had a citizen’s watch over the area.

Logan and a hunting partner trespassed on the posted common area the next morning, where they were discovered by irate residents of Eden Hills. He has been charged by DWR with criminal trespass which carries a fine and possible jail sentence. His partner was issued a warning.

If you wish to protect yourself from invasive hunters this is how you must post your property. “Properly posted” means that No Trespassing signs are displayed at all corners, on fishing streams crossing property lines, on roads, gates and rights –of-way entering. (pg.42, 2010 Utah Big Game Guidebook). For those residents living in a smaller lot subdivision this probably means posting your front, side and back yards. Violating land thus posted is a Class B misdemeanor. The consensus of the residents involved is that there should be no hunting in residential neighborhoods. It’s dangerous and it is not sporting. What is sporting is the hunters who make the effort to hunt the “wild” game in the mountains.

You may obtain a free copy of the 2010 Utah Big Game Guidebook at the Division of Wildlife Resources office in South Ogden.