Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Smart Move By Smart Growth?

I recently received the following email from Smart Growth Ogden:

Please join the community for a discussion of possible streetcars and transit-oriented development (TOD) in Ogden. Jeffrey Boothe, a distinguished transportation planning expert, will be visiting from Washington, DC to discuss TOD and funding for a streetcar system to connect downtown Ogden to WSU and the McKay-Dee hospital.Mr. Boothe is Executive Director of the Community Streetcar Coalition, a founding board member of Reconnecting America, chair of the New Starts Working Group, and a board member of the American Public Transportation Association.Mr. Boothe will give two presentations on Monday, Jan. 30: first at noon in the WSU Wildcat Theater located in the Student Union Building, and then at 6:30 pm in the Lindquist Alumni Center (1305 41st Street).

As I read the email, I thought to myself "Wow, finally SGO is going to walk the walk and actually be able to present something INFORMATIVE regarding streetcars/ anti-gondola stuff. That admiration was quickly shattered when I read the final line of the email stating that for more information, we could contact... Mitch Moyes??? I couldn't believe that an organization who has spent as much time and energy as they have to get the public to begin listening to them would use Mitch Moyes as a go-to guy.
Don't get me wrong, I am not intending this post as a blast against Mitch Moyes, but this should set off a few alarms for anyone who remembers the CBCOF debaucle that tied up the rec center for a few months with petty lawsuits and a decietful petition. If Mr. Moyes has indeed regained his senses, then more power to him, but one can't help but wonder- Isn't that (power) exactly what he's trying to do by placing himself smack in the middle of Ogden's newest "controversial" group?
Let's hope this meeting is more productive and informative than the last expert that Moyes brought in for his defense who ended up just reinforcing Ogden's current course of action.

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