Ogden needs leaders who care more about the city rather than politics
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No comments [ Add Comment ]By David D. Griffiths
Guest commentary
T
he March 1 news article in the Standard-Examiner headlined "RDA mulls full disclosure policy" raised a number of issues in my mind.
Do the Redevelopment Agency Board members really believe that Ogden voters are so naive and uninformed that they don't recognize what is going on?
Don't you wonder why Council Members Jesse Garcia, Amy Wicks and Doreen Jeske are going to such lengths in an effort to slander the city's development director, when in my opinion he and his team have done far more to promote and improve this city than has been done by the RDA Board?
Given that this is an election year, and Garcia and Wicks would love to see someone other than Mr. Godfrey as mayor next year, don't you think this whole issue about Bootjack LLC and Chris Peterson could be more about political posturing than anything else?
Let's look at the facts and you decide.
The city needed to come up with some additional funds to pay for the parking plaza in The Junction development on the old mall site. Part of the plan to raise these funds, approved by the RDA Board, was to sell some excess RDA properties. Properties are considered excess if they have no planned current or future use by the city or the RDA. The property in question is about one acre located between 21st and 22nd streets on the west of Wall Avenue. The RDA Board was asked to approve the sale of this property to an entity by the name of Bootjack LLC for fair market value to be determined by an independent appraisal. The board unanimously approved the transaction. I wanted to buy the same property, but was only willing to pay $240,000.
Scott Brown, Ogden business development manager, sold the property to another entity for $270,000. What was he thinking about? He sold it to the highest bidder.
At a later date when the board learned that Bootjack LLC was linked to developer Chris Peterson, all hell broke loose. Based upon comments to the press from Garcia, Wicks and Jeske, you would have thought the administration had concocted a sinister plan to transfer the crown jewels of Ogden to the evil developer Chris Peterson. The city's development director has stated that he did not point out the connection between Bootjack and Chris Peterson because he did not believe it was relevant to the decision being made.
Obviously, the RDA Board did not think it was important to know who the principals were behind Bootjack or its members would not have approved the transaction without having this information. So why are they now trying to make it appear that the administration committed some major ethical violation by not volunteering this information?
In the news article the board members stated that the undisclosed information had, "obvious public significance and interest to the board." Give me a break!
Oh, by the way, I still would like to buy the property for $240,000. I would like to challenge the RDA Board members to tell us if they would have voted to reject this transaction had they known of the link to Chris Peterson, or even me. If they would have rejected it, how would they justify that action? Do they think it is OK to discriminate against someone who wants to invest in Ogden simply because they do not like them or their politics?
I don't see anything wrong with the actions of the administration regarding this transaction and therefore must conclude that Garcia, Wicks and Jeske are only making a big issue over this in an effort to discredit the administration for their own political benefit. I can see no other justification.
I am also concerned by Jesse Garcia's statement in the news article that, "The board needs to ensure there is full disclosure of who is involved when the RDA is selling property." I would like Jesse and any other board member who has the same belief to explain why.
I can't believe that members of the RDA board have such a short memory. Don't they remember what happened with Ernest Health Care when they chose to challenge the charter and worthiness of the principals behind Ernest as investors in Ogden? The board should make its decisions based upon the economic benefits of the transaction to the city and the developer's compliance with zoning or RDA project area requirements. I don't think they have any business evaluating whether or not the principals involved in these transactions are to their liking.
Garcia, Wicks and Jeske should remember that political posturing can cut both ways. I hope voters will remember their actions the next time they go to the polls. We need people representing us who are more concerned about doing what's needed to improve this city than in making personal judgments about potential investors and politicizing the process for their own personal benefit.
Jesse Garcia, I want to help Ogden grow;I am willing to buy property from Ogden city, the RDA or private property owners -- this is my "full disclosure."
Griffiths has lived in Ogden for eight years. His company is Griffiths Investments LLC.
