1) List three or four initiatives for Ogden that you want to spearhead during your term?
I would like to look at a comprehensive plan for biking and pedestrian travel in our community. Complete streets would help promote biking and walking in our community. Keeping our population active and healthy while using some of the great amenities we have with our walking, hiking and biking trails and reducing motor vehicle pollution can have a positive impact in the quality of life for residents of all ages. Currently, it is dangerous to walk or bike along certain routes and that needs to change.
I would neighborhood councils revitalized and activated. This could help improve citizen involvement and encourage them to work with their neighbors to address issues within their neighborhood.
I would like to increase the amount of time the Ogden City Council spends in the community. We have conducted meetings at venues in neighborhoods relevant to community plans that are being discussed and adopted and they are a good opportunity to talk to people from a broad range of backgrounds about their concerns and what they would like to see happen in Ogden. More opportunities like this would be valuable to both the members of the Ogden City Council and the citizens that they serve.
2) The splits in the Ogden City Council and its relationship to retiring mayor, Matthew Godfrey, have been well reported? What will you do to promote consensus and compromise within the council and with the new mayor?
"The splits in the Ogden City Council and its relationship to retiring mayor, Matthew Godfrey, have been well reported?" I will assume this is a typo and not a question as it is not in a format that makes sense. If this is not the case, please clarify and I will respond.
I know both of the mayoral candidates and have served either on the City Council with them or on various committees or boards in our community. I look forward to hearing more about their ideas for Ogden and working together in an open and trusting environment for the betterment of Ogden. This is exciting opportunity to look at new ideas and initiatives and to help shepherd along existing projects as they come to completion.
3) Do you think a streetcar system can work financially, and if it cannot, what would be your preferred alternative?
Alternative routes and type of construction all play into the costs associated with building a streetcar system from downtown Ogden to Weber State University. There seems to be some discussion that needs to occur with Weber Area Council of Governments regarding the amount of transit tax funds available for use for a streetcar project in Ogden to determine what type of local funding is available for the project if it is to move forward. Available federal funding is another area where the information that has been provided is not a clear picture and needs further study. Ongoing discussion with Utah Transit Authority, Weber State University, WACOG, Utah Department of Transportation, experienced transportation planners, residents in areas potentially impacted by this and other partners is necessary to come to a conclusion regarding whether or not this project is feasible and prudent at this time for our community. I don't feel as if there is enough information at this time to say yes or no. I think it does warrant further discussion and study as well as a look at other alternatives such as bus rapid transit or other modes or transit.
4) Are you satisfied with security measures in Ogden, including the planned-for blimp and the Ogden Good Landlord program?
I think our focus of resources on problem areas has been successful and should continue.
Attracting and retaining talented officers is challenge and some progress has been made in recent years with benchmarking salaries with other communities to help Ogden keep our best and brightest on the force.
I think that there are many challenges with the proposed blimp project that relate to privacy, effectiveness and Federal Aviation Administration rules that need to be addressed before the project moves forward.
The Good Landlord Program has been successful in many ways. There are still problem properties in our community with absentee landlords that may not care or realize their property is detrimental to the community it is located in. Finding a way to address this problem needs to be addressed in a fair and consistent manner and is something the city needs to look at in the future to help improve the safety of our neighborhoods and quality of rental properties in our community.
5) Name some ideas you have to increase the standard of living in Ogden's midtown area?
Quality jobs or educational opportunities for our residents will help increase the money the average family has to the ability to invest in their home. Working with the school district to encourage schools of choice and quality educational experiences for our youngest residents is an important part of improving quality of life in this area. It has the potential to be a great walkable community with some amazing restored homes; the city needs to be consistent with community policing and code enforcement support as well innovative in looking at ways to promote this a thriving walkable community with great access our vibrant downtown and transit.
6) Provide some ideas on bringing new businesses or recreation to Ogden?
Promoting our affordable quality of life, educated workforce, accessibility to cultural and recreational amenities and diverse and vibrant community will help attract businesses.
Ensuring that Ogden City policies and procedures relating to conducting business in our community are clear and easy to navigate should be a priority.
We have a wealth of existing recreational amenities in our community. A link to Ogden Valley and our ski resorts is the one key thing that is missing. Transit connections to these key areas to keep cars out of the canyon as well as a dedicated bike path are necessary to create that synergy and desirability as a tourist destination as well as provide safe travel between Ogden and those destinations.
7) Do you support a means, such as a website, to improve openness and transparency in government for residents? If not, why?
I support openness and transparency in Ogden City government on all levels. During my term on the Ogden City Council I have championed initiatives to transition to a paperless informational packet that is also posted in a publicly accessible link. All of the Ogden City Council meetings are recorded and aired in their entirety on Comcast Cable Channel 17 and available online to residents who do not subscribe to cable services. The Ogden City Council is conducting the public's business. This should be done in the most open and transparent manner possible with substantial opportunities for public involvement and input. With all that has been accomplished, there is much room for improvement in this area. There is at times a delay in review of draft meeting minutes which results in the document not being made available to the public until they are reviewed and adopted by the Ogden City Council. The archive of past meeting minutes does not have a functional search function so you need to know the date of the meeting and what was discussed if you are trying to access the information online. I have asked Ogden City Council staff to work with administrative staff to see what needs to be done to fix this situation.
8) Do you feel that Ogden's economy needs to be strengthened? If so, what do you think can be done to help the economy?
Strengthening Ogden's economy and employment base benefits our community on many levels. Stable good paying jobs help make increased investment in our neighborhoods possible. Neighborhoods with stable and engaged residents support the schools that fall within their boundaries and the students in this type of environment have a better chance of succeeding in their educational endeavors. Having a well educated workforce in a vibrant community helps attract new businesses and encourage expansion that provides new jobs to existing businesses. Preserving and supporting our locally owned business base is important. Independent local businesses employ a wide array of supporting services. They hire contactors, architects, cabinet shops, printers, sign shops and other services before they even open their doors for business. Local accountants, distributors, computer services, insurance services, media and advertising outlets, attorneys and a broad range or other local business often provide ongoing services to their neighboring businesses. A large percentage of money spent at a local business stays in the community and we need to promote that. Over the past year I have been actively involved volunteering with the Local First Ogden group and have enjoyed assisting local businesses educate the public about the importance of buying local as well as learning about the challenges they face.
Local business often define our sense of place and business owners who have often invested their life savings into their business have a vested interest in our community and we should do what we can to keep the dollars we spend within our community.
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