Candidates square off for Q & A
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Sam Cooper
Standard-Examiner staff
Ogden council hopefuls all agree to be 'open and transparent'
OGDEN -- Candidates for the Ogden City Council squared off Friday night at Union Station for a question-and-answer forum before about two dozen residents and a handful of firefighters
Candidates Kent Peterson and Caitlin Gochnour are running for the seat for Municipal Ward 4. Sheila Aardema and Blain Johnson are competing for council at-large seat A, and Amy Wicks is defending her council at-large seat C against Royal Eccles. Eccles and Johnson did not attend Friday's event.
Audience members submitted questions on note cards and didn't hesitate to call out for clarification when necessary. More often than not, candidates agreed with one another on such issues as transparency in city government, a distrust of Mayor Matthew Godfrey, support for public schools and streamlining the permitting process for small businesses.
Wicks offered candidates a sober assessment of the relationship between the city council and the mayor's office.
"There's been countless incidences when the council has been provided wrong or inaccurate information from the administration. Trust between the city council and the mayor is paramount in making timely decisions," she said.
Candidates were first asked how they would improve retail business in the downtown area and whether an outside audit should be conducted to determine Ogden's financial state.
Aardema suggested expanding on Ogden's successes as an outdoor hub by attempting to attract motion picture companies. "We don't need to limit ourselves," she said. If we're really concerned about the financial books, she added, they should be open to everyone.
Wicks used the question to touch on her role on the council and its history of attracting new businesses to the area. The city already has an auditor, she said, though the system could be improved.
"We need to be completely open and transparent about what we're doing in city government," Wicks said.
Gochnour highlighted existing plans to improve retail along Washington Boulevard. In her view, an outside audit would be a good idea. "It's a very healthy thing to do and it's the way we'll develop trust with the community," she said.
For Peterson, rumors of Ogden's mounting debt may not be a concern.
"Redevelopment agency debt is not debt for the city," he said, "it belongs to the developer." If the money is used to attract new businesses, he said, it shouldn't be viewed as a problem.
"It's a badge of honor if we're able to attract businesses with the wise use of tax incentives," Peterson said. He agreed an audit would be a good idea.
One attendee was curious as to how the candidates would strive to support open spaces in the Ogden area. The question also brought up candidate concerns with the Mount Ogden Golf Course and the reported $300,000 in annual losses at the club.
"Our open space is one of our treasures. We should never sell Mount Ogden Park," Aardema said. She blamed golf course management for being unable to turn a profit. "If we market it right, they will come," she said.
Wicks said she considered selling Ogden's open space unthinkable.
"I would never support getting rid of Ogden's open spaces in our foothills," she said. "It's too big a price to ask our residents to give up. I don't think scarring our hillsides with houses is good growth."
Gochnour believes the golf course land may better serve other purposes.
"Bottom line is, it's a quality of life issue. We either need to put money into the golf course or pursue other options," she said, suggesting some type of outdoor nature preserve.
Peterson repeated opposition to selling Ogden's open space. "Ogden is landlocked," he said. "I'm not in favor of selling any of Ogden off."
He said the thought of losing $300,000 yearly at the golf course offended him as a businessman. Peterson suggested making the course more playable, joking that it took too many golf balls to get through all the holes.
When questioned on the gondola proposal, only Peterson stopped short of calling the idea dead. "I think we need to solve what's going on with transportation," he said. "We need to look at the whole thing and pick what's best for Ogden and Ogden voters."
Gochnour was less optimistic. "I've knocked on hundreds of doors and encountered only two people in favor of the gondola," she said. Ogden's transportation needs would be better met with a streetcar system, she said.
Wicks agreed. "It's frustrating that (the city council) has been fighting with our gondola-centric mayor for the last two years," she said.
Aardema opposed the proposal for more practical reasons. "I don't think its feasible with all the wind on the east side," she said. Aardema also supports using streetcars, arguing that they've been successfully installed in many European countries.
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