Blogmeister Note: Here is a Rebuttal to the Powder Mountain/OVPC conflict of interest situation, submitted by Frank Cumberland
How appropriate at Halloween that some folks in the Valley angrily roam the Ogden Valley Utah Forum Blog and (I am guessing) the Letters section of the Ogden Valley News like the crowd chasing Frankenstein’s monster, only this time the mob is chasing Ogden Valley Planning Commissioner Jamie Lythgoe for her alleged conflict of interest.
I am a member of the Valley Citizens for Responsible Development, but I disagree with the various accusations that Commissioner Lythgoe is somehow arrogantly—and dishonestly--refusing to recuse herself from debate and decision on the Powder Mountain rezone. I practiced law for twenty-five years and for each of those years volunteered my time to prosecute lawyers for infractions of the Code of Professional Responsibility, the majority of which infractions involved conflicts of interest. I also co-authored, with two other persons, the first Code of Ethics for the City of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, the nucleus of which was a conflict of interest provision which called for removal from office for its violation. It is fair to say that I recognize conflicts as well as anyone I know, and I dislike them as much as anyone I know.
Some things to consider:
