Dorrene Jeske Endorsements

A Letter to the citizens of Ogden

from

Dorrene Jeske, Ogden City Councilwoman

Dear Ogden Citizens:

I want to address three issues that are at stake this election that should concern all residents of Ogden.

Mayor Godfrey has vowed that Ogden will have a gondola. The contract that he signed August 29th with UTA to spend a quarter of a million dollars in taxpayers' money to pay for gondola studies makes it clear he has not abandoned his goal. Susan Van Hooser has made it clear her transportation policies will be based on what the people of Ogden want, and on the research that has already been done at public expense on Ogden's best transit options. This study rated Gondolas as last choice behind BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) and Street Cars. Ms. Van Hooser understands that we have wasted enough time and taxpayers' money on the Mayor's tourist ride gondola and lost valuable time in applying for federal funds to support Ogden's real and growing transit needs. It's time for Ogden to act on transit. Mayor Susan Van Hooser will.

Retaining an independent Ogden City Council. Three candidates for the Council -- Eccles, Johnson and Petersen -- are supporting Mayor Godfrey's reelection and he is supporting them as well. Should all of them be elected, the administration will have again, as it had prior to 2006, a rubber-stamp Council unlikely to exercise any real oversight over Administration proposals. If such a rubber-stamp Council had been in office the last two years it is likely the Mt. Ogden Park bench lands would already be in the hands of a private real estate developer and the walls of a gated community would already be under construction. Ms. Van Hooser is committed to economic development in Ogden, but not the kind that will leave Ogden as little more than a paved-over bedroom community with its businesses and neighborhoods owned and managed mostly by nonresidents. She plans to promote the opportunities for growth the FrontRunner will create, but without giving away still more millions of tax payer's dollars for decades to come to private developers as the current Administration has done.

Integrity, honesty, openness in Ogden City government. The cooperative relationship between the Council and the Mayor's office that must exist if Ogden is to be governed well has been practically nonexistent as a result of the Mayor's preference for acting in secret, of his refusing to supply the Council with the information it asks for and needs, and of his contempt for the Council's role in Ogden's government. Susan Van Hooser has pledged to rebuild a good working relationship with the Council. She understands, as Mayor Godfrey does not, the importance of open government and of the independence functioning of the two bodies. Having a strong and honest working relationship between the Mayor and Council will make it easier for the city to partner with other agencies to create new development projects for the city.

Three candidates for the Council -- Wicks, Gochnour and Aardema also understand the need for integrity and cooperation in city government. They are as committed as Van Hooser to protecting Ogden's unique open spaces and historical and cultural assets. They will foster growth while preserving the things that make Ogden a unique and beautiful place to live and work. They and Van Hooser will address Ogden's transportation, water and sewer needs which Mayor Godfrey has all but ignored for the past eight years. They and Van Hooser understand that police protection, gang violence,and public services are the responsibility of the Mayor and the Council and require constant attention, not merely when an election approaches.

Wicks, Aardema, and Gochnour have learned, through hard-won experience in public service, how important it is to all citizens for city government to work effectively and honestly. They will bring that knowledge and experience to the Council, as will Van Hooser to the Mayor's office. They are the best choice to lead and unite Ogden in the next four years, and so I recommend them to you when you go to the polls on November 6th. Be sure to exercise your right to vote!

Dorrene Jeske, Ogden City Council member