This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Mayor Matthew Godfrey is hoping his success in redeveloping downtown and attracting recreation companies to Ogden will carry him through the primary election Sept. 11, while his four challengers vie for support from voters ready for a change.
Matthew Godfrey
Godfrey said the fruits of his eight years in office are becoming more evident - safer neighborhoods, more jobs and a revitalizing downtown - and voters can expect more good news if he's re-elected.
Eighteen police officers have been added, and it's having an effect on crime, Godfrey said.
Ogden's total crime dropped 12.8 percent and violent crime dropped 5.1 percent between the two six-year periods of 1994-1999 (before Godfrey took office) and 2000-2005 (the six years after), paralleling a trend in the rest of the state, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. The final 2006 report is not yet available.
Godfrey says 5,000 new jobs have moved to Ogden because of the city's efforts, and another 1,000 are on the way. Moreover, more than $1.5 billion of private money is being invested, he said.
All that economic development, he said, will help the city make the necessary repairs to the water, sewer and storm-water systems.
"We have been building the tax base."
He says infrastructure repairs would have been well under way by now - if he had had his way. He blames the City Council for delays. "You can't wish it to be done. These are hard decisions we have to make," Godfrey said.
Godfrey notes that the city reduced its property-tax rate three times - for a total of 5 percent - since he took office.
The mayor in July put on ice the controversial issue that consumed much of his time and attention for nearly two years - a sale of the Mount Ogden Golf Course and adjacent open space to finance a gondola from downtown to the foothills.
"We won't entertain selling the golf course," Godfrey said. Nor will he consider selling the city-owned land around the golf course. "I can't imagine . . . any developer wanting that. That's all very steep ground," he said.
A gondola, however, is not out of the picture - if studies show it can meet transit needs and the city doesn't have to pay for it, he said.
Neil Hansen
Among the four challengers, state Rep. Neil Hansen is Godfrey's harshest critic.
"He actually has turned the city into a real-estate company. He's forgotten about the infrastructure and services," said Hansen.
Ogden City invested more than $40 million in demolishing and replacing the failed Ogden City Mall, and now owns its replacement, The Junction.
"It is hurting the taxpayers, because that money could be going elsewhere," Hansen said.
The debt package was designed so lease payments to the city would cover debt payments.
"There has got to be some economic development, but the mayor has put all his eggs into one basket," said Hansen, referring to outdoor-recrea- tion companies.
Hansen said he would emphasize basic services like police, fire, water and sewers.
As for reducing property taxes, Hansen said, Ogden City just opened the door for Weber County to raise its taxes. "We gave our tax base away."
Hansen said he doesn't trust that Godfrey will not revive a plan to sell the golf course, and he rejects a gondola as a tourist ride that would not serve mass-transit needs.
Susie Van Hooser
One of Van Hooser's goals, if elected mayor, is to repair the relationship between the City Council and mayor's office.
Appointed a year ago to the council, Van Hooser said she was stunned to learn how adversarial the two branches of government had become.
"Nobody gets along. . . . That's detrimental to Ogden," she said.
Van Hooser blames Godfrey, who takes a "my-way-or-the-highway" approach to many issues, she said. The council is cast as an obstacle to progress, when council members are not given the time and information to make good decisions, she said.
"It's not what he's done, but how he has done it," she said. "There is no trust."
That lack of trust extends to the possibility of a golf-course sale, she said.
"If we allow that to go, we're selling off one of our best assets."
Van Hooser said the council, with its water-rate study now under way, is taking good steps toward planning repairs to infrastructure.
Doyle Sexton
Sexton said he's in the race to help businesses by lowering their taxes and fees and to give a voice to the people who often feel ignored.
"I want to give people back their vote," he said. "People are being taxed too much. They're down and discouraged."
Sexton said he would work on reducing the city's debt before taking on more to repair the water and sewer systems.
And he would oppose any effort to sell the golf course or build a gondola.
Sexton said he would stay in touch with voters by providing them a way, via the Internet, to give him a piece of their minds.
John Thompson
Thompson would make a big change if elected mayor of Ogden. He would take his marching orders from the City Council.
"The mayor should execute the policies of the council," said Thompson.
"To be a good leader, you also have to be a good follower."
Thompson said he admires much that Godfrey has done, but believes two consecutive terms is enough in any office.
While Godfrey, with a business background, has been focused on economic development, Thompson would focus on basic services and neighborhoods, he said.
"I would try to make the city better, make sure the services are there and have the residences and neighborhoods improved.
Thompson proposes using city employees who already drive through the neighborhoods - such as meter readers or garbage collectors - to scout out homes or businesses needing attention.
Thompson also questions whether some of Godfrey's job and sales gains are true gains, since they may just represent a shift from other areas.
While Thompson would prefer the golf course and adjacent area remain in open space, he would take a close look at any proposal to buy them. "But it's not my decision to sell city property; it's the council's."
He would be receptive to a gondola if it were a private business venture.
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* TONY SEMERAD contributed to this story.
Matthew Godfrey
* Age: 37
* Profession: Mayor; previously worked at Iomega and as a landlord.
* Education: Bachelor's in finance and master's in professional accounting, Weber State University.
* Political experiences: Mayor for eight years.
* Family: Wife, Monica, and five children.
* Fun Fact: Speaks a language known as Papiamiento, spoken on the islands of the Netherlands Antilles.
Neil Hansen
* Age: 47
* Profession: Independent representative for telecommunication company; worked for Ogden parks and public works for 19 years.
* Education: Attended WSU, Ogden-Weber Applied Technology and Davis Applied Technology.
* Political experience: 10 years in Utah House.
* Family: Wife, Debbie, and eight children.
* Fun fact: Loves to scuba dive.
Susie Van Hooser
* Age: 64
* Profession: Retired Ogden schoolteacher and library media specialist.
* Education: Bachelor's in education from Southern Illinois University and certificate in library media from Utah State University.
* Political experience: Finishing one-year City Council appointment.
* Family: Husband, Dwane, and three children.
* Fun fact: Loves antiques and recently made an arbor from two old screen doors and a ladder.
Doyle Sexton
* Age: 63
* Professional: Retired Hill Air Force Base, machinist, about 27 years.
* Education: GED during service in U.S. Army.
* Political: None.
* Family: Wife, Barbara Jo, and two children.
* Fun fact: Prospects for gold.
John Thompson
* Age: 58
* Professional: Compliance agent, Office of Recovery Services. Retired Marine.
* Education: Bachelor's in history from Weber State; master's in management and in human relations, Webster University.
* Political: Several unsuccessful campaigns.
* Family: Wife, Bonnie, and three children.
* Fun fact: Had a makeover on "Good Morning America" for Father's Day last year, but new look didn't stick. He still has long gray beard and hair, earning the nickname "Moses."