Political Struggle Ultimately Hurts Residents

Ogden is finally moving in the right direction. With a City Council and some new faces come some new obstacles.

Recently some members of our City Council, through their own actions, caused a large company that was willing to build a $17 million hospital to change its mind about locating in Ogden. Sadly, this appears to be nothing more than an attempt to quickly show the mayor who is in charge of the city.

I am in favor of checks and balances in our city. I also believe that the new City Council can make our city a better place. However, causing our city to potentially lose a $17 million facility, 150 good-paying jobs and better health care for our residents does not help to improve our city.

There is an obvious political struggle going on between our mayor and our City Council. The casualties of this power struggle should not be the residents of Junction City.

All property owners have signed agreements with the city for their land.

Many have voiced support for this particular deal. With that in mind, our City Council should be wary of striking things down and treating representatives badly for what seems the sake of political power.

If that facility ends up in Harrisville, Riverdale or any other city in the area, Ogden will again be the loser.

To quote the great unifier Abraham Lincoln: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Let's keep Ogden moving forward.

Dustin Chapman
Ogden