Oh Bryan, come on:

"Slandered" is hardly an appropriate allegation for Bob's stated concern that you were being a little fast and loose with the documented results of the UTA transit study in both your comments and presentations at the University. Bob was disappointed with you for using your Professorial credentials to enhance the credibility of misleading statements. In response he presented the entire study and its conclusions for all to see and judge the accuracy of your declarations. Sadly, you are continuing the previous tactic in your most recent e-mail.

You pretend to be pointing out where Bob's answer to questions regarding fair market value for land sold by the city and/or the University result in him failing "to reply to questions accurately". The question (heavily loaded to an anti position for one who claims to be excited by the gondola) was will the land be sold for anything "NEAR market value".

The answer was of course Peterson would pay market value, and for you that means Bob is answering inaccurately. Bob adds that even though he will pay market value, you can't exclude the really massive value added to the city taxpayer by the fact that this project will not only erase an annual deficit but add at a minimum a $5,000,000 annual tax revenue stream that will be welcome drought relief to the city, the county and our local schools. This value must be considered when deciding whether to accept market value as required, or high bid which is not required. You then march right to the head of the line in avoiding accuracy by throwing in the economic value of open space which even you would have to admit was not the question Bob was asked to answer. Then you further muddy the accuracy water by claiming that this WSU land is a "pristine alpine environment"? Or are you reverting to Professor Sessions view that the Malan's Basin property belongs to all of us, no matter who holds the title? Finally, what does the USFS land management plan have to do with, repeat after me, Private Property?

Then you slump into the unfortunate position of actually becoming slanderous yourself by calling Bob a prevaricator ("laden with false information"). As a professor, you know that no scientific fact is proven by a theory that "COULD" be true. You also are painfully aware that the only documented study of costs on the streetcar system were provided by the UTA study and Bob was exactly accurate in reflecting those results. The fact that a lobbyist for streetcars came to town and in an effort to gain employment for himself intimated that the federal government had some fast start money that might pay as much as 75% of the cost of a streetcar transit system is not a documented bid for services. Also, your statement that the streetcar system COULD cost only $50,000,000 does not comply with my memory of the presentation, although I suppose if you cut out the stops and limit the route it may be possible to do it for less than $100,000,000, but there is no documentation at all to that effect. You ask people to ask questions but then throw out stuff on the streetcar that is only wild conjecture. I think it would be appropriate to hold all projects to the same standard you want to apply to the gondola. Further, there is not one single member of Lift Ogden that is opposed to ultimately developing a streetcar system to add to and supplement the gondola which I believe is the only way to develop enough business and riders to make the streetcar feasible in the first place. Finally, how can I or any thinking person take you seriously when you are willing to tout streetcars that COULD with out question, and dismiss gondolas out of hand even with your questions being answered.

Bryan, I know you think your motives are true and your arguments are just, but in truth you have thoroughly pre-judged this project and have used your efforts to fight it without being willing to sit back and see what the answers to your many questions are. This shouldn't really be a debate, it should be a search to find the answers. If they can't be found then I would agree that the project should not go forward. The problem for you is that if the search answers all of your questions
positively you will still be opposed, which makes you less a professor searching for truth, and more a member of the flat earth society, demanding your say in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

Thank you, I had a lovely Easter, may we all have many more!

Bernie Allen