A promise, confirmed
Text 
No Comments [ Add Comment ]S
ometimes people who ask you to do something just won't take "yes" for an answer. You first have to give them what they want, then sprinkle sugar on it.
That's the position Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey found himself in after announcing in July he would no longer advocate for the sale of the Mount Ogden Golf Course to a private developer. Political opponents and his constant critics barely waited a beat before questioning whether he really meant what he'd said -- it was the grown-up version of a child forcing a playmate to pinky promise or swear on his mother's grave.
So, Godfrey this week crossed his heart and hoped to die over the sale of the city's Mount Ogden land -- he will place restrictive covenants on the golf course and adjoining park lands, making it so they will not be sold to private interests and will only be used for public purposes "in perpetuity," as he told the Standard-Examiner.
He figures it will take the city's legal eagles about three weeks to draw up the documents.
If the restrictive covenants are solid and will protect the golf course, the developed park and the undeveloped city land containing a large chunk of Ogden's East Bench trail system, it will, indeed, be a great thing for Ogden.
Why is the mayor doing this now? That's simple: It's political season and Godfrey's running for re-election, so this sort of jockeying on issues is to be expected. His critics, with increasing futility, have been sowing doubt about his intentions regarding the golf course and adjoining land, despite his unambiguous July proclamation. But in politics, facts rarely get in the way of an argument, so Godfrey is moving now to completely remove that weapon from the other side's arsenal in the weeks leading up to the election.
For some people, nothing Godfrey does will ever be enough to quiet their tongues on this subject. But it appears to us that Godfrey is serious; if the legal documents ultimately offer the protection he's called for, then he's check-mated his critics on this issue and they should give him a deserved pat on the back.
Add Your Comment
