Blogging for Legacy

In the fight over the Legacy Parkway, Davis County leaders have added a new weapon to their arsenal: the Internet blog.

It's like an online journal, where supporters of the beleaguered roadway can advocate their case for construction.

Plus, it's great for blowing off steam.

Case in point: Wilf Sommerkorn, Davis County director of community and economic development.

Online, he's known as "Legacyman," one of many ardent supporters of the highway. He's also the most prolific contributor to the Legacy Parkway Hotsheet — Davis County's registered blog site.

During a spat last week between the Utah Department of Transportation and opponents of Legacy, Sommerkorn was the first user of the hotsheet to get online and post cyberspace opinions about the fight.

"Who is the Sierra Club really concerned about?" he wrote. "Is it the citizens of our communities?"

His blog later affirmed the position of UDOT: The Sierra Club and other opponents were responsible for nearly $217 million in additional costs of the road.

"Their tactic is to delay," Sommerkorn said. "They believe if they delay it long enough, the cost and public support will wither away and it won't be built."

But that breeds resentment, he added.

And it fosters the need for a forum to vent.

University of Utah political scientist Tim Chambless calls blogging one of many new tools for political junkies or those with passionate views of an issue.

It's also just the beginning of what's to come with the Internet, he said.

"I think we are somewhere in the basement of a very large house in which the footprint we call the Internet has not yet been determined," he said. "Really, the future is the limit."

The fact that Davis County has turned to blogging doesn't surprise him.

It's a way to circumvent the media and distribute their message unedited, he said. Anyone can use it because the spectrum is unlimited.

"It doesn't surprise me that they would be the innovative ones, because they're the ones that have great emotion over this issue," Chambless said. "They are looking for innovative ways to get their message out, to inform constituents — to inform the public."

For Gary Uresk, informing the public is a key reason to contribute to the Legacy Hotsheet.

"I guess our feeling is that the other side on this issue has been very, very good at the public relations," he said. "They've been very good about getting access and telling their story."

But Davis County has a different story to tell, said Uresk, the Harvard-educated city manager of Woods Cross.

Davis County feels the highway needs to be built.