Traffic School Loop Hole - South Ogden in trouble?

Some bad press is beginning with an issue first brought to our attention by Rick Westmoreland, city council candidate, nearly 2 years ago and mention often in this blog.

The Salt Lake Tribune has begun running a series of articles regarding the issue and we are following it close. Here is the latest about this issue: See Here

Interesting part is when Mayor Minster explains they canceled the program but at the same time there is nothing wrong with it. The article above states:

"South Ogden Mayor James F. Minster said the city stopped issuing invites to traffic school several months ago and "we’re not going to go back to it." Minster, however, defended the practice. "In reality, it really doesn’t matter," he said. "It was a way for people that wanted to keep their record clean. ... It’s no different than going down to the court and putting the charge in abeyance. It doesn’t go on your record. It’s just a different way of doing it."

That kind of sounds like a contradiction to me. Like saying, "I stopped stealing for no reason, but really I could have kept going if I wanted to do because there is no problem with it."

Interesting to see how this will play out with this and future elections.

My wife went through this, she got a traffic ticket and was told she had to pay for school or pay for the ticket. She felt pressured into taking the traffic course and it ended up being a waste of a class. The teacher showed late and he said he wasn't feeling well. He answered traffic questions for 45 minutes and then dismissed everyone.

Comments welcome.

Rick Westmoreland says "I told you so"

Ever since Rick Westmoreland ran for office he has been explaining South Ogden's abuse of a loop hole in the traffic school laws. Finally it seems people are taking notice. The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story explaining how South Ogden has been getting nearly $100,000 in fines for forcing people to go traffic school instead of paying for a citation. Big money maker for the city and shady at best.

You can read the whole article here: See Here.

Just remember Rick told us all first nearly 2 years ago...could be a win for him in this close city council race.

Also most recently they updated the traffic school policy so more people could take it, more often.  Now we know why.  It was a big MONEY MAKER!

For more info see my past blog posts from January regarding this issue here. http://www.fromwhereisitblog.com/search?q=traffic+school

South Ogden City Election Results

You can see the results here: http://t.co/k9UGqbX

My prediction of "Skip" being eliminated was correct.  I am surprised how close the race is between Strate and Zaugg.
Here is the breakdown:


Total Votes 1479 - 6.87% voted - Ouch!

• Michael Jacobazzi 83 5.61%
• Sallee Orr 383 25.90%
• Marvin (Skip) Sexton 52 3.52%
• Wayne M. Smith 326 22.04%
• Brent Strate 211 14.27%
• Rick T. Westmoreland 179 12.10%
• Kelly R. Zaugg 245 16.57%

In a nutshell here are the rankings:


1st - Salle Orr
2nd - Wayne Smith
3rd - Kelly R. Zaugg
4th - Brent Strate
5th - Rick Westmoreland
6th - Michael Jacobazzi 


If Michael has any chance he will have to do a lot of work, honestly I am almost counting him out.  So right now it is Kelly's to lose he will need to keep his nose clean and watch out for negative attacks. Strate is close and Westmoreland is behind him; however Rick will have the most ground to make up and will need to bridge the gap between his regular constituents and branch out to new ones.  His campaigning will have to go the next level and be more than asking for donations on facebook.  Strate really hit the streets, probably did the most door to door out of anyone.  If he keeps that up he will pass Zaugg. I think some key endorsements would help, just depends on how much he is willing to spend to get out there.   Primary voters are way different than general election voters, and even worse during a municipal election.


More to come and comments welcome.

South Ogden Primary Elections Today!

Don't forget to vote today! - The South Ogden Facebook Page has a voting map: See Here

Polls are open until 8pm tonight!

One more time here are some candidate info from the Standard Examiner:

http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/08/31/s-ogden-council-candidates-tackle-crime-business

Also here is my blog post on the candidates:

http://www.fromwhereisitblog.com/2011/09/thougths-about-south-ogden-primary.html

Thoughts about South Ogden Primary Candidates

With at least one seat up for grabs, because two will most likely land with the incumbents.  I have begun thinking about who deserves this last seat.  So lets talk about each candidate.

Sallee Orr - Personally like Sallee Orr.  She has had lots of guts to stand up for what she believes on the council.  The number of meetings I have attended I have seen her time and time again go against the grain.  Not to mention she has stood behind many great causes including a cross walk on Highway 89.

Wayne Smith - He has been a strong presence on the council as well and has brought a much needed connection to the public safety side of things.  He and I have spoken many times about the community and he will continue to do well.

As for the open seat, well I know very little about the other candidates but here is what I do know.

Rick Westmoreland - Previously endorsed by me when he ran for mayor.  This time he appears to be very busy and hasn't had much time for campaigning.  He created a facebook and twitter page to start communicating but he isn't an active user.  Rick's biggest issues will be directed toward public safety.  His profession makes him very knowledgeable in this area and could be an asset to the council.  However he hasn't really attended any council meetings since he was defeated for mayor and he is still bugged about South Ogden's traffic school policies.

Kelly Zaugg - Veteren South Ogden Police Officer.  Rumor has it, and I mean rumor, he just has a bone to pick with Chief Shupe and wants to take it out by running four council.  Who knows?

Brent Strate - Brent is a local school teacher and has been very active on the campaign circuit.  Personally I have been very impressed with Mr. Strate and his desire to run.  His number one concern is to improve efficiences, save money and potentially lower the cost of government for South Ogden.  Also he has been attending a number of council meetings, planning commission meetings and Urban Forestry commission meetings.

Mike Jacobazzi - No Clue - Feel free to post info

Marvin Sexton - No Clue - Feel free to post info

What I have found most interesting has been the main issues of this years candidates are exactly what I have been talking about on this blog for months.  Good luck to all and look for my endorsements as we get closer to the final election.

Comments welcome.

South Ogden Primary Election Tuesday

Hopefully you know this Tuesday begins the South Ogden Primary elections.  To help with your decisions I have decided to post a link to the Standard Examiner's profile of the candidates.  See Here: http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/08/31/s-ogden-council-candidates-tackle-crime-business

Essentially there are 7 candidates running for three seats.  One will be eliminated on Tuesday's election.  The candidates are:

• Sallee Orr - Incumbent
• Wayne Smith - Incumbent
• Rick Westmoreland
• Kelly Zaugg
• Mike Jacobazzi
• Brent Strate
• Marvin "Skip" Sexton

Good luck to all. - Endorsements to come as we get closer.  My prediction is Marvin Sexton will be eliminated.

Comments welcome.