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Show PANGUITCN • PANGLITCII LAKK • HATCH • Buvci- • TROPIC • ANTIMONY • HKNMLVIU.E • CANNONVILLF. • ESCALANU: • BOLLDKII • DLTK CKH-:K Thursday, February 15, 2007 • Issue # 99 FIVE YEARS LATER, OLYMPICS REMEMBERED IN UTAH BILLS CREATE SHROUD OF SECRECY St. George Spectrum Editorial Five years ago, the 2002 Olympic Winter Games welcomed the world to Utah, confirming the state's position as a world-class sports and recreation destination. The Olympic venues continue to attract out-of-state visitors, and tourism spending is up statewide. During the games, a total of 220,000 people visited Utah, pumping an estimated $4.8 billion into the state's economy. However, according to state tourism officials, the positive economic impact of the Games is even more evident now. 'The Olympics had a positive impact on Utah's tourism industry because the Games raised the awareness of Utah as a world-class destination," says Utah Office of Tourism managing director Leigh Von der Esch. "Our Olympic venues are still in operation and continue to be a major draw for visitors who come to see where the Winter Games were held in 2002." The Utah Office of Tourism launched its new "Life Elevated" brand last year to attract more visitors to the state and boost visitor spending in Utah. An estimated 19.3 million visitors came here in 2006, compared to 17.3 in 2002, an increase of nearly 12 percent. This has lead to a sharp increase in revenue for our state — in just the last two years, Utah saw a 12.1% increase in hotel tax income and over $5.8 billion spent by tourists. The ski industry is experiencing the Games' lasting economic effects. 'There is no denying the Olympic legacy lives on," says Ski Utah president Nathan Rafferty. "With three consecutive years of skier visit increases, it's clear to me that hosting the games played a big part in our recent success promoting 'The Greatest Snow on Earth®.'" Apart from monetary rewards, the Games brought Olympic-class facilities to our state. These Olympic venues not only still draw people to Utah, but thanks to effective preservation and management, they are raising the quality of life for many Utahns. "The Utah Athletic Foundation is excited to see the continued use of the Olympic legacy facilities," says Colin WEATHER rhu Peb IS Sunny Febl6 Sunny 49 V19* 10% Sfil Fcb 17 Sunny 49V2O* 10% Sun Feb 18 Cloudy 4BV22* 10% *»„ 10% 44°F 49'F Hilton, Utah Athletic Foundation president and CEO. "The mission of the UAF is to promote sport for athletes of all ages and abilities." Since 2002, the Utah Olympic Park and Utah Olympic Oval have seen continued growth in both public use and the training of athletes. Many Utah lawmakers like to talk a good game during their campaigns. They tell voters stories about the importance of keeping the public informed. They tell voters that they believe the people hold the real power in society. They tell people they believe in government transparency. Then, they file bills like several working their way through the Legislature that cast a shroud of secrecy on government and actually put up barriers to the public finding information. Two bills, in particular, are troublesome as the Legislature nears the halfway point of the 2007 session. House Bill 222, sponsored by Rep. John Dougall, R-American Fork, would pull notices of public meetings from newspapers of record in favor of posting the information on a Web site. What happens if that Web site has a technical problem? Don't worry. The bill considers such a problem. A provision in the bill forbids a court from undoing whatever is accomplished in what would be, essentially, an unpublicized meeting. Senate Bill 67, sponsored by newly elected Sen. Dennis Stowell, R-Parowan, would allow public entities - school districts, cities, counties and other taxing entities - to pull the bulk of their legal notices from newspapers. If it passes in its current form, you could read a brief summation of the legal notice in the newspaper of record, but then you would have to go to a state Web site to get the rest of the details. Proponents of these actions are well versed in their talking points. They don't hesitate to say that this will save the public money because they won't have to Every nation ridicules other nations, and all are right. Arthur Schopenhauer Showers «* MuthmecJa snapshot@scinternet.net Scattered Showers pay for advertising in newspapers or other media entities. They make the argument that the Internet makes the information from public meetings and legal notices more accessible to more people. In the interest of full disclosure, these moves would hurt newspapers across the state. And that appears to be the real motivation for these actions. Newspapers keep an eye on lawmakers and report what they are doing. As long as what they are doing is popular, lawmakers have no problem with print reporters doing their jobs. But if we watch them and report things that don't look or sound like a public relations effort, they get disgusted and angry. Who will these two bills truly help? Will the mom-and-pop contractor trying to secure a government contract benefit from not being able to see the full legal notice in a newspaper, where people have gone to look for this information for decades? Will residents without Internet access, many of whom read newspapers, benefit by not being able to keep tabs on their government's actions? How can a state government look voters in the eye and tell them they care about transparency in government when they appear poised to say that public meetings and agendas should only be placed online, and if that Web site happens to fail, it's OK to wash their hands of the responsibility? In this information era, it appears that at least some Utah lawmakers are more interested in grudges than in governing. That isn't leadership. It is shameful. It is a disservice to Utah. BOXHOLDER m Phone: PRE-SORT 435-676-2621 STANDARD Fax 435-836-2700 PAID PO BOX 472 LOA, UTAH Loa, Utah 84747 PERMIT No. 5 THE GARF1ELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia and distributed weekly to all of Garfield County . Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Thank you. |