And that’s exactly what we’re doing.

Residents made it clear during the last election: They want better outcomes, stronger performance and greater stability — without seeing taxes continue to rise. We’ve taken that message seriously. And while fiscal stewardship can’t come at the cost of critical services, we also know that simply doing more with less is no longer a sustainable strategy.

Instead, we’ve set a new course — one that puts performance, partnership and purpose at the center of city government.

Acting with urgency — and intention

One of our earliest actions was to restore coordinated executive leadership across all departments. For too long, decisions were made without alignment or accountability. That’s changed. We now lead with a unified team that manages daily needs and long-term goals with shared vision and urgency.

This shift in how we lead has allowed us to make significant progress — while holding the line on new financial burdens. We’ve stabilized staffing, improved safety, engaged strategic partners and redeployed existing resources to deliver better services without increasing taxes.

At the center of this transformation is “The Ogden Way” — a framework I developed to serve as our compass.

The Ogden Way: Our true north

“The Ogden Way” is our leadership framework for internal and external excellence. It defines how we lead, how we serve and how we collaborate — both inside City Hall and across the community. It is our true north.

It’s grounded in four core values:

• Service: We exist to serve the people of Ogden — with humility, urgency and pride.
• Innovation: We challenge outdated thinking and embrace better ways of working.
• Collaboration: We align across departments and partner with those who share our vision.
• Constant improvement: We strive every day to be better — for our community and each other.

These values guide our mission:

To serve the people, partners and businesses of Ogden by collaborating and facilitating their success.

And they align with our vision:

A safe, vibrant community where people grow, connect and succeed.

Together, they define us as a “city of service and a community of opportunity.”

This is a cultural transformation. It isn’t fast or flashy — but it is deep. Every department is now responsible for aligning its work to these principles. We are reinforcing expectations, rewarding performance and holding ourselves accountable — not just to a system, but to a standard.

We fall short of that standard sometimes because we are human. But “The Ogden Way” gives us a way to course-correct. And we’re building systems to ensure we stay the path.

Progress you can measure

We are proud of the progress we’ve made. But we’re just as committed to the work ahead. Below are highlights that reflect both what we’ve accomplished — and what is underway.

Accomplishments to date:

• Part I crime down 12.6% so far this year (2025 vs. 2024).
• Police and fire departments are now fully staffed.
• Five hundred fifty percent increase in lateral hires for improved onboarding.
• Forty-three grants submitted, totaling more than $22 million in potential outside funding.
• Implemented ClearGov for real-time budget transparency.
• Launched artificial intelligence tools (e.g., “Archie”) and digitized public forms for faster service.
• Deployed GovQA and BuyCrash, saving more than 2,000 staff hours annually.
• Restructuring service fees to reflect actual cost of delivery, especially for special events.
• Introduced ERP dashboards and enhanced back-end systems for smart decision-making.
• Completed the new Marshall White Center — delivering operational excellence while keeping resident access affordable, with free and reduced rates and scholarships available to any resident who needs them.

Initiatives underway:

• Plan Ogden: A 20-year community development blueprint built by and for Ogden.
• WonderBlock and downtown strategy: Focused implementation of long-delayed projects.
• Union Station: Historic preservation and artifact protection in progress.
• Small business reform: Overhauling how we engage and support our entrepreneurs.
• Key performance indicators (KPIs): Measurable goals for every department — aligned to pay-for-performance incentives.
• Citywide job performance contracts: Objective, written accountability plans with clear deliverables and no exceptions — ensuring every staff member knows what success looks like and is accountable to it.
• Five-year financial model: Real-time dashboards tracking progress toward long-term fiscal sustainability — with the goal of avoiding tax increases.
• Health and community impact metrics: Aligning our efforts with nonprofits, health care systems and local, state and federal partners.
• Technology upgrades: Enhancing Munis and ERP systems to support data-driven governance.

We are not finished

The work of building a sustainable, responsive and high-performing city is never done. But what matters is direction. And for the first time in years, Ogden’s direction is becoming more clear, coordinated and measurable.

We’re moving with urgency. We’re working differently. And we’re making real progress — not by cutting corners or raising taxes, but by aligning operations with purpose.

Politics doesn’t have to be performative. We’re not Washington, D.C. — we’re Ogden, U.S.A.

And we can lead differently. We can and we will continue to lead with progress as our goal, not perfection. We win by performing, day after day — with our focus on progress, and with enduring discipline and integrity. That’s what leadership demands. Real results. Real service. Real accountability. Done by real people, each and every day.

Because in Ogden, excellence and opportunity still matter. And we’re here to deliver both.

That’s the work we’ve started. That’s the commitment we’ve made. And that’s “The Ogden Way.”

Ben Nadolski has been the mayor of Ogden since 2024, served two terms on the Ogden City Council and had a 23-year career with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).