My husband and I have been Ogden residents for the past four years since buying ourfirst home. We moved from Utah County but are originally from the Midwest. When shopping for a home, we noticed the lower home prices and unique “flavor” that Ogden has. It reminds us both of our respective home towns. People feel less busy, less worried about impressing the neighbors with a false front, and more open about the hard times we all go through. I’ve lived in six different states. I believe there isn’t really one best place for everyone to live in the country. We all have different preferences and priorities. We all have our own best place to be, which can vary based on season of life.

I love my chosen city. Ogden has a rich history full of beautiful moments and rough experiences. It’s a city full of people who (usually) try to help each other and build community. We look out for those around us, help our neighbors, and (again, usually) try to leave enough following distance that we don’t crash if someone slows down to turn without signaling. We work hard. Because many of us are lower income, we know how important each dollar and each moment of celebration can be to leading a full life. We have always had our scoundrels, con men, and scallywags. We still have many of those today. Particularly troubling are those that have masks, an affinity for prowling down Jefferson Avenue, and four paws.

I thank you for the good you have done to help row the ship that is the city council. You have helped care for the city over the past 16 years. I admire your willingness to give back to the city that you were raised in. I recognize that being in government comes with a lot of responsibility. You have to do your best to fill many never-satisfied needs with money you are given in trust. You stand in front of every Ogdenite and answer for those choices. It is the counterbalancing job of every citizen to push back, question choices, make their will known, and shine a light on the decisions that are made and checks that are paid. We must do it with respect, AND it is acceptable for us to stand firm. If we don’t, we end up with a mess. “Keep Ogden Weird” is one thing; “Drive Everyone Mad” is quite another. I worry Ogden is mired in a mess from years of, for one thing, behaving like a small town when it actually has a substantial population. So here comes my spotlight.

I have questions I’d like to ask for you to answer and for others to ponder as they consider who to vote for. If I’m mistaken in any of my assumptions or facts, I’m happy to be corrected. Maybe that will help point out communication gaps in the information coming out of the city council and/or spreading through our rumor mill:

• Why do you claim to be a fiscal conservative when the city debt has ballooned during your terms? You’ve voted yes to every tax increase. You agree to fund projects you speak against. Sure only spending a small amount too much is better than a big amount too much, but it’s still too much.
• Why was the lot next to your gas station purchased by the city only to sit empty for nearly a decade? I don’t doubt that the house there was unstable, but it was a beautiful property someone could have fixed up or rebuilt in the name of historic preservation. Now, it’s an empty lot on a hill since the art deco home was bulldozed.
• How is it acceptable for the city to profit off the services it provides to its citizens? I don’t mean tax revenue. I’m referring to various projects done by the corporation of Ogden City that conflict with the basic duties of a municipal government.
• Why do we have potholes and broken pavement that lasts for years? There are city garbage trucks traversing every mile of our streets at least weekly. It shouldn’t be hard to geotag areas of degradation.
• Why are you making it more expensive to go downtown? When I tried to find out information regarding downtown paid parking, I actually received the answer that “we’re charging for parking to pay for the paid parking infrastructure.” As I said earlier, I love my city, but I will go to another city to avoid going downtown if I must pay to park and then walk where I really want to go.
• Why is Ogden City becoming more onerous than the strictest HOAs? Property rights are one of the most basic building blocks of our country. If I can’t dig and fill in a hole on my own property, do I really own my land?
• I have so many more questions I’d like to ask. I have a young family and can’t attend every city council meeting. Even when I can attend, there are very specific times I’m allowed to speak to keep a sense of order in the meeting. I understand the need for that. But it creates an intense feeling of formality and distance between the citizen and the council.

I’ll close with these thoughts. I want to see you willing to fight for your seat. I want to hearfrom you about your opinions and see you stand your ground even if it rocks the boat. Because there are seven seats on the council, there is room built in to allow for compromise. I appreciate that you have experience I don’t have. But the council can have unity without acting in unison.

My advice is that you let people see that you want this seat for more than your own comfort, that you don’t just keep running for municipal offices because you like the power or it’s what you’ve grown accustomed to. I don’t think you can count on your family name to help you keep your seat anymore. Don’t rest on your incumbency and think your track record proves to be enough to outweigh the “risk” of electing an untested candidate. It seems that you want to sit back and listen to everyone else and then make a decision to keep things steady in the direction suggested by others. You do talk to people every day at your store. You do have business experience. Use it and let people see you do that. Communicate with all constituents even if you have to move out of your comfort zone a bit. Make sure you’re still growing, especially now that you have the basics down. Make sure your time on city council leaves a positive legacy that moves forward other council members who carry on the work after your tenure.

Thank you,

Juliene Snyder

Ogden City resident

P.S. Don’t try to force Ogden to become Park City. Let us be unique. Take care of the current residents instead of courting new ones.