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Show Volume XV Issue VIII The Ogden Valley news Page 17 April 1, 2008 Letters to the Editor (cont. from page 2) It’s Time to Hold Gage Froerer Accountable Hi, I am your neighbor, and I am challenging Gage Froerer as a candidate for Republican state representative. I believe Mr. Froerer represents special interests, including developers and realtors, instead of the voters. I realize many of you do not know me well so I am pleased to be able to share more about who I am and what I believe. We all love our beautiful communities and I cherish the opportunity to live here among you in District 8. I have lived in Utah most of my life and have been a resident of South Fork for the past 18 years. I am a retired civil servant and my children are raised and leading productive, independent lives. I retired from Hill Air Force Base in 2003 after 38 years. It was a terrific job and provided decades of experience in navigating and negotiating interpersonal relationships. Most recently I served as an aircraft flight test crew chief; previously as foreman for vital aircraft repair production lines, foreman for the hydraulic shop, and an F16 radar equipment specialist. I have some college and paralegal training. I have a deep interest in serving my community and am grateful at this point in my life to have the time to devote to such a worthy endeavor. I very much want to serve my community by representing friends and neighbors of District 8 in the Utah State House of Representatives. One of my strengths is that I am not involved in any special interest groups. I represent the voters. We live in a time of rapid inflation, a free-falling U.S. dollar, and a volatile stock market. The only thing that is not rapidly inflating is our income! Our state and county governments are taking in a huge surplus, yet we are being taxed out of our homes, and off our farms and property. Thanks to our existing representatives, we now have another ½% state sales tax. Our state representatives passed House Bill 466 that benefits special interest groups, including developers and realtors. This law denies our constitutional rights and allows Powder Mountain and other developers to form their own town with appointed officials without a vote from the citizens of this district. I believe House Bill 466 must be repealed because it sets a Powder Mountain by the Numbers very bad precedent and opens the door for other developers to demand equal benefits. It denies the voters’ constitutional right to elect their own officials. Mr. Froerer confused the issue by adding a new law but not repealing the old law. I do not believe that our constitutional rights can be legislated away. There are excessive expenditures that we, the taxpayers, cannot afford. Elected officials are taking trips, to China for example, at our expense. They are consuming critical tax dollars needed elsewhere. These wasted dollars could be returned to the taxpayers in the form of lower taxes. We, the taxpayers, are absorbing the costs of a new soccer stadium for a professional league. We hear that committees have been appointed to study the issues but again, of course, at taxpayers’ expense. Our elected officials avoid these issues during election times by forming committees. I believe these issues should be addressed immediately as they arise. I will resolve such issues based on the consensus of the voters and will work to eliminate needless and excessive expenses. If I am elected, I will send a strong message to our State. We, the voters, demand to be represented and we will not tolerate endless tax spending and tax increases. We, the voters, will not tolerate passing of laws that deny our constitutional rights or erode those fundamental rights for the benefit of special interests. Please vote for me if you want change. I am the person who will represent you, the voter. I will send a strong message that we, the voters, demand representation and tax reform. Thank you for your support and for your vote. As your friend and neighbor, I care about your opinions and concerns. Your input is extremely important to me. Please feel free to contact me at my home 801-745-1310 or email at <MHHM5@aol.com> When elected, I will represent YOU! Last, but most important, I want to thank all the veterans and members of the armed services who have made our freedom possible by their numerous sacrifices. Max E. Hohman, Huntsville needed items within the school, books for the library, and activities for the students. Personally, we feel North Ogden is the greatest place to raise a family and the city and the businesses here have a long tradition of supporting the children and the schools. We couldn’t be doing this without them and the support of our fantastic parents too. We are asking ALL Knight’s, past and present, to spread the word to everyone they know so that this 40th year celebration will be a success. So . . . show your Knight Pride and be there! If you are a business or individual that would like to have a booth, reasonably priced at $25.00, at the 5K celebration on April 26, please contact Lisa Dahl at <dahl.house@ comcast.net> There is also a form that can be down-loaded with all of the information on the schools’ website. For other general questions, contact Lisa Storey, PTSA President at jrstorey2@comcast. net or 801-782-3672 or 801-814-3672. Looking for the perfect spot in Ogden Canyon, right on the river? See MLS #748281--located at 307 Ogden Canyon-beautifully remodeled, priced $50,000 below appraised value! ~ Listed at $325,000 ~ assuming that the remaining 20 voters are evenly split on the issue, 18 voters in favor do not represent “many,” nor do 54 voters opposed represent “few.” You may understand why I and many other residents of the proposed town are skeptical of information provided by a group that can characterize 25% of the residents as “many” and the other 75% as a “few.” If the incorporation petitioners truly believe that the incorporation will be in our best interest, why do they continue to refuse to allow the decision to incorporate and the selection of the mayor and council to be made the way these decisions are made throughout the rest of this great country—at the ballot box? Darla VanZeben, Eden An Open Letter To Our Neighbors—No Powderville town council We would like to start this letter by saying we have nothing against Powder Mountain Resort, land developers in general, or profit. As a matter of fact many of us work and ski at Powder Mountain and have seen Powder Mountain as a good neighbor and a valuable asset to our community. Our concern at this point is the way the petitioners have chosen to apply for incorporation for the Town of Powder Mountain. Using the law created by HB-466 certainly entitles large landowners to incorporate and it appears the petition has a chance of being approved soon. The flaw in using HB-466 in this fashion is that the law abridges our rights as citizens of the United States of America. Incorporating under this law takes away our rights to choose whether to incorporate and it removes our rights to vote for our own town council. Assuming the petitioners’ intentions and plans are good and reasonable, if they proceed with the incorporation and disenfranchise us, we will still lose our civil rights. The developers began by petitioning the Upper Ogden Valley Planning Commission for more zoning density than they had when they purchased the resort two years ago. When the Planning Commission made a reasonable recommendation for increased zoning with a few conditions to make the new larger resort a safer and responsible th neighbor to the rest of the valley, the developers abandoned the lawful process and North Ogden Junior High Celebrates 40 Anniversary with Community Events This year is North Ogden Junior High School’s 40th Anniversary and to celebrate the occasion we are inviting all former principals, faculty, students, and student body officers, as well as the community, to come and be a part of the fun. Activities begin on Tuesday, April 22 starting out with Alumni Athletic Tournaments. Then, on Wednesday evening from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., there will be an open house with refreshments in the library as well as art exhibits as follows: The NOJH Art Department began with the first teacher, Keith Dagley, who is an extremely talented artist and gifted teacher. He has influenced many students at the school for 34 years, and retired from teaching in May 2002. He now paints year round and goes to Arizona each year for several months to sell his work as well as locally. He will bring some of his work for all to see and enjoy. Blair Buswell, who was a student of Mr. Dagley’s and who is known for his athletic bronze sculptures, will also be attending the evening event. He has sculpted busts of all new Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees since 1983. Blair has also agreed to bring some of his current work as well as some of the art work that he did while he was a student at the school. There will also be an exhibit of art work by some of the current artist’s from the school. Amy Southwick, current Art Dept. Head, is proud of the many gifted and talented students, and would like to showcase their talents as well. The artwork from the students on display that evening will go up for auction at the event on Saturday, April 26. Who knows, perhaps you will be purchasing a piece of art from a future famous artist? If you have questions regarding the open house, have school memorabilia, or want to showoff your Knightly “skills” by participating in the tournament, please contact Ms. Shanna Campbell at (801) 452-4800 or email her <scampbell@weber.k12.ut.us> It would be great if there is anyone out there that has some photos of the school while it was being built and could share them with us during the evening. On Saturday, April 26, the PTSA will be hosting the First Annual 5K Family Run/Walk Fundraiser. The 5K is non-competitive, and will be held come rain or shine. The run/walk begins at 9:00 a.m. with registration starting at 8:00 a.m. Our goal and hope as a PTSA is that this 5K will become a yearly event that will help to foster friendships and the start of a long-lasting tradition. This activity is not only a great way for families to spend quality time together, but to bring the community together and promote a healthy activity for people of all ages. The PTSA will use the money raised from the event to continue doing charity work, donations for The representatives of the petitioners to incorporate the Town of Powder Mountain have repeatedly stated that “many” residents are in favor of the incorporation, while the opposition is composed of a vocal group from the Ogden Valley including a “few” residents. A total of 20 owners of property within the current boundaries petitioned to incorporate the town. Conversely, 63 owners of property within the boundaries have petitioned the county in opposition to this incorporation. Which are “many” owners, which are “few”? According to the Weber county elections office, there are 72 registered voters living within the proposed town. At present, 8 have “voted” to incorporate (by signing the incorporation petition), and 44 have “voted” against incorporation (by signing the opposition petition). Generously instead used a loophole law to hijack 100 citizens in our little neighborhood. One thing which can stop the incorporation is if no one will serve on the town council. The developers need to find six residents who are willing to abridge their neighbors’ rights to free and fair elections. We believe that we are all basically good and fair citizens who want the best for Powder Mountain, our neighborhood, and the Ogden Valley, and we should find a fair and decent way to allow the developers to make Powder Mountain a world class resort. We are asking that none of our neighbors step up when asked to participate on the town council in this miscarriage of justice. That will send a message which cannot be ignored. This neighborhood steering committee has sent a letter requesting the petitioners to withdraw their petition for incorporation and instead start anew with having a community meeting which we can all attend and decide what is best for all of us. The petitioners should leave their public relations firm out of the process and come prepared to convince us with honest facts and figures why we should join up with them to create a town where we truly have a collective voice in our own destiny. Warm regards, Powderville Neighborhood Steering Committee WRAP-UP cont. from page 3 Township Incorporation Another important issue that needed a great deal of time and attention for the citizens of Ogden Valley was the needed corrections to HB 466, Town Incorporation Amendments. With the help of many concerned Valley residents, we were able to pass legislation that corrected this flawed bill. The retroactive provision that I was able to amend in committee did not get a hearing on the House Floor, but sent a strong message to existing town incorporations (and the Courts) that a citizen’s right to vote must be the top priority in any incorporation applications or land use applications. I want to personally thank the many people who took time out of their busy schedules to support legislation and attend committee meetings on the important issues we face in our State, district, and in Ogden Valley. The close friendships that I have formed outweigh the difficulties of being an elected official. Thanks again for all your support and your attention to the important work of the People. Good government depends on involvement from everyone and I appreciate your willingness to be involved. As always, please feel free to call or email with questions or concerns. PRICE REDUCED TO SELL! $699,000 ~ 1882 River Run Drive MLS #703705 Exquisite country farm house in East Huntsville. 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