Partial Q & A from Council Sponsored Forum

Ogden City Council Candidate Forum – Elections 2011

There was a Council Candidate Forum sponsored by Ogden City Council held tonight at City Council Chambers – two candidates each for At Large Seat C and Municipal Ward 2 and unopposed candidate Caitlin Gochnour for Municipal Ward 4 were present. 

Random question submitted:  When a project in a historic district such as 25^th Street begins but then stops and is not completed, and becomes an eyesore that impacts all the other properties in the district, what can or should the city do about it?

My Reply:  If you broaden this to include the whole city including its other historic districts and residential districts, code enforcement needs to be looked at and enforced. No FAVORITISM, QUID PRO QUO or EXCUSES for leaving properties in dilapidated or other conditions that violate code enforcement.  The properties owned by Gadi and Miri Leshem went far too long in abandoned and overgrown condition WITH NOTHING BEING DONE BY THE CITY for years to enforce code violations on the owners … 

Anecdotal information this candidate has indicates the City’s Administration interfered with at least one 25^th Historic District property owner in his attempts to improve his properties, then when he gave up the fight he was hit with Code Enforcement violations – this has got to stop … The City needs to work with each property owner fairly and without prejudice to see that any City values are not compromised …

Random question submitted:   What are your on the Field House and its current proposed location? If in favor of it as planned, what are your thought about taking down a half block of significant and contributing historic buildings for it?  Is progress more important than historic preservation of city buildings?

My reply:  The current proposed location for the Field House is ludicrous.  There are occupied buildings there already adding to the City’s tax base, and some of the buildings may or may not be on the Historic Register.  A better location would be the Fred Meyer SubDivision – ample parking already in place, building location in the right place, easily accessible from the freeway – so people from out of town can get to it easily for events and recreation.

Another random question submitted:  Small business was the economic engine of the 90’s.  What will you do to recruit new business and jobs to our community?

My reply:  I recently spoken with a gentleman in the Economic Development Dept who said they are really getting aggressive in bringing in more technical and engineering type jobs, rather than retail – and also working with WSU and USTAR (Utah Science Technology and Research initiative), a state run program run out of UofU and USU, with a base at WSU as well, setting up relationships with research teams at the universities and the technology economy along the Wasatch Front. I will fully stand behind their work and support them in any way my station as a council member will allow.

Yet another random question submitted:  What are your ideas for expanding community awareness of Ogden City’s Ordinances to residents that have limited English proficiency?  How would you establish, sustain, and/or improve the involvement and interactions between the Ogden City Council and Ogden’s racial/ethnic, immigrant and limited English proficiency populations?

My reply:  It is each citizen’s responsibility to know the laws and ordinances in Ogden.  That said, the city already employs a number (40 to 50?) of employees who are fluent in Spanish and able to translate; the At Your Service newsletter is published in Spanish; Outreach materials printed in Spanish are available at events such as Cinco de Mayo and also available at the Marshall White Center.

One final random submitted question:  Historic 25^th Street is fast becoming a major tourist attraction in the state. What will you do to encourage this momentum?

My reply:  Let it Ride!  The Historic 25^th Street Business Association is doing a terrific job!

TLJ

Partial S-E Questionnaire Interview

1.      Are you satisfied with security measures in Ogden, including the planned-for blimp and the Ogden Good Landlord Program?

Satisfied with security measures in Ogden? It’s a City, not an office building.  Question should be about Public Safety, including Police and Fire Departments. Let’s begin there. 

Are the Police and Fire Departments sufficiently equipped and staffed for a city the size of Ogden? I think not. Police officers can only do their jobs to the extent they are afforded the right tools for doing the very best job for our citizens.
 
An observation blimp has been proposed as a tool for neighborhood surveillance; is this really as good as a real-live officer on the ground operating in real-time, able to respond immediately to something they witness? NO, the blimp would POSSIBLY record something happening, the operator at the station MAY see it on the monitor; then time is needed to report incident to dispatch who needs time to determine severity of incident and which officers are in the area and to call them to the scene. I think this is a no-brainer, but that is my opinion.  
 
Fire Department: definitely need to make sure they are well-equipped and well manned. I visited Station 3 in 2009 while running for an At Large Council Seat and they had an engine that leaked so much they had to top it off at least 3 times a day to be fully ready for a fire call. Late in 2010 they got a new Fire Engine.
 
Their living quarters are in sub-par condition (I think children would be removed from a home that was in similar condition), including mold in the walls and shared bathroom facilities, the kitchen very bad – like a low-rent ghetto style apartment.   

Certified Fire Fighters employed by Ogden City and the pay system they are subjected to should be totally looked into and revised; we are losing far too many excellent strong young talent to other cities because of the low-end pay system here in Ogden.

The Good Landlord Program will be addressed shortly.
 
TLJ

Twice Humbled

Coming in second in the Primary Election for Municipal Ward Ogden City Council Race lets me know people are investing their confidence in me with each vote cast; getting hit by a car after election day lets me know how vulnerable I am.  While I have hopes of switching into high gear these few days before the General Election, I have been shackled by the inability to move about and meet people. 

I want you the voters to know I will still do my very best for you once elected … I will be a champion for my voters in Municipal Ward #2.  What I lack in experience I will make up for in a sincere desire to see the City of Ogden prosper and bloom at a micro-level, rather than a macro-level – we need to shift focus just a bit toward the citizens on their level (both as individuals and local small businesses) when it comes to what we are passing or implementing as a governing body, while keeping focus on the grand scheme of things for the entire City. 

During pre-flight instruction, a steward will instruct the passengers to place the mask on themselves first before attending to the children in their care – make sure the responsible party is able to maintain stability before it can care for those entrusted to it.  The same simple guideline should be followed by those entrusted with the care of the myriad of entities within the City of Ogden. 

By taking care of the basics: water, sewer, curb & gutter, police and fire personnel & equipment, roads & transportation – we can be free to take care of the citizenry and local business, as well as reaching out to bring new businesses to town. Ogden’s Department of Economic development is doing a great job of targeting specific niches that need to be filled by way of good paying jobs being brought into the City without pushing out the long-established local businesses.

 For the moment, I am thankful for the votes of confidence that edged me through the Primary Election, I am thankful my injuries from the accident are minor, I am hopeful and looking forward to serving on the Ogden City Council – with your help and votes I can do this. 

Feel free to click on the Donate Button at the top left of this blog if you wish to contribute a few bucks to get my door-to-door campaign off the ground; also feel free to contact me if you have any questions or issues. 

I have been notified there will be an event similar to the debate held for the mayoral candidates in the City Council Chambers sometime in October … there will be more information posted about this event as it becomes available.

TLJ

Down But Not Out!

The day after the Primary Election here in Ogden, I was beginning my run for campaign contributions to help ramp up the campaign a bit.  I used the small amount raised in the preliminaries for signs and some postage.

The day after the Primary Election as I was walking about downtown, I was unfortunately hit by a car in the crosswalk. This was not in my plans for the day – and I wasn’t able to complete my mission for the day.  After a short stay in the McKay-Dee Hospital ER, I scheduled an appointment to see our regular family Doctor the very next day.  There are no broken bones 

… BUT …

Doctor will be seeing me in another week to determine whether an MRI is needed for my left knee, which is clearly damaged by being bent skee-wampus.  I also sustained a severe sprain of my right foot.  I sustained some damage to my MCL (medial collateral ligament) on the left knee. An MRI will show if additional damage occurred within the joint itself, and help determine if surgery is required.

In the Meantime, I am unable to walk around knocking doors and meet people in order to receive contributions for the rest of my campaign.  This also prevents me from getting out in the neighborhoods to meet and get to know what people in my voting district are looking for in a City Council member to represent them for Municipal Ward 2.

I have had one contribution through the PayPal “Donate” button just to the left of this blog post. Contributing through PayPal is simple, gives all parties desired privacy, plus it is rather handy in that the transaction takes place almost immediately.

For now, I will direct your attention to earlier posts in this blog, where you will find out what I intend to do when elected to the City Council for Municipal Ward 2. You will also find contact information if you have any questions regarding specific issues I may not have mentioned or that concern you.

Please read on, and consider making a contribution to help me get the ball rolling for when I AM back on my feet. I sincerely appreciate your support and consideration.

TLJ

The Race is Not Over

First, I wish to thank all those in Municipal Ward 2 who voted for me!  What a wonderful surprise that I could garner over 400 votes in this district. 

Second, I wish to give kudos to Mr. White for entering the race with such enthusiasm and ambition – having met him in person, I can truthfully say he is forthright and heartfelt in his ideology.

Third, I wish to give congratulations to my ever so worthy opponent, Mr. Richard Hyer. He has given me inspiration to study and work harder toward my goal of winning the seat to represent Ogden City’s Municipal Ward 2. Mr. Hyer has experience that I lack; however, I believe I have a fresh eye and mind with which to assess and address the issues that are important to the welfare and long-run well being of our Fair City. 

Now, bearing in mind the quote I found the other day by Henry Ford: “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do,” I want to start this new race with a fresh confidence that I can begin to build a reputation and support by discussing issues with individual voters, round table groups, etc.

With my academic accomplishments from my student tenure at Weber State University, I will bring detail-oriented analysis to the Council. I will acquire all the facts and knowledge needed to vote or respond appropriately on an issue before the Council; I will not vote based solely on an explanation given by another person.  I will take into account the matters surrounding the issue(s) that are best for the community at large (Municipal Ward 2) and Ogden City as a whole. 

I will hold to the message that I brought forth from the beginning – as a City Council, our responsibility is to consider the big picture for the city and not just the next 4 years … what we do, what we approve, what we amend or impose will affect our children. 

Education is paramount; although the City Council has no direct control over the School District, many things that cross our desks indirectly impact the local schools as well as other important basic infrastructure entities. I will work to lowering that impact to the best of my ability. If we can improve the quality of our children’s education by any means, it bodes well for the future of Ogden.

Better educated residents mean a higher quality workforce from which incoming businesses can draw from. Better educated residents mean more qualified entry level university students which will lead to more post-secondary graduates that will attract higher level technical businesses to Ogden which will in turn benefit our community in the long run. 

Infrastructure definitely needs to be addressed on a larger scale and as a whole - not piece-meal with a band-aid here and there.  We need to fall back and take a good look at appropriations for infrastructure and put in place safeguards to keep the status quo or build upon (not reduce or hold back) the resources for improving and maintaining infrastructure.  I will monitor these appropriations with due diligence, and then some. As stated above, education is paramount - and a big part of the infrastructure of our Fair City.

I will be fully accessible to anyone who has an issue to discuss, I will be available and I will work toward resolution or explanation of the issue as appropriate. I will not hold back or keep any action from the public at any time; what we do as a City Council is important enough that anyone in the City who so desires may have ready access to issues discussed in meetings, full disclosure of ordinances in terms of unabridged copies of all proposal documents, meeting minutes regarding such, both electronically and through hard copy.   

Some of you have already mentioned some issues that concern you as citizens in Ogden: yard/lawn/property ordinances, “double dipping” in the Police and Fire Departments, community plan updates, Municipal Ward 2 feeling left out of the loop when it comes to the RDA and community planning, chicken ownership. While I cannot promise to clear up or resolve any of these issues right away, I will certainly keep them in mind and get them in the discussions we have as a City Council. I will research current ordinance wording and consider details or lack thereof, work to get things clarified and I will always let you as citizens know how the issue is progressing.

Please use my contact information to your advantage now to let me know of issues that concern you as residents of Municipal Ward 2 or Ogden City, because the City Council is after all a united entity whose job it is to serve and have stewardship over all Ogden’s citizens.

TLJ

Email me at jenneil2@comcast.net

Phone – (home) 801-737-3044

Phone – (cell) 801-686-9571