Ogden's economy primary concern

OGDEN — The city's troubled economic record has prompted a flurry of candidates — 19 — who will vie for four Ogden City Council seats in Tuesday's primary election.

"Having this many file just reflects the issues that we have been dealing with in Ogden," said longtime city recorder Gloria Berrett. Of the 19, residents will select eight to advance to November's general election.

Some of the recent heated issues stem from a proposed Wal-Mart for the area and proposals for the abandoned Ogden City Mall site, Berrett said.

"Ogden had been going downhill," she added. "We had businesses in town that had been leaving Ogden with the mall closing down."

Berrett said that she can't remember an election year that has attracted so much interest in City Council races.

"I've just kind of attributed everything to the unhappiness of the economic development of the city," Berrett said.

Candidates were asked to respond to a questionnaire sent by the Deseret Morning News. Summaries of their responses follow:

Municipal Ward 1:

• Social worker and incumbent Jesse M. Garcia, 52, said economic development is the most important issue facing Ogden. "There are many reasons, such as our downtown mall was demolished without a replacement plan and four years later trying to develop this site has been, at the very least, difficult," Garcia said.

• Warehouse supervisor and landlord David Berghout, 39, listed Ogden's downtown development, historic preservation and getting back to public service as issues facing Ogden. "We've got a fair amount of area down there, but not a lot of businesses," Berghout said of the downtown area.

• Dori Mosher, 38, owner of Creative Genius and former Weber State University student senator wants safer communities and better schools. "The aging buildings need to be repaired," Mosher said. "Teacher-to-student ratios need to be reduced. A greater percentage needs to be allocated to teachers, books and teaching materials." Mosher, active in the Republican Party, interned for a U.S. senator.

Municipal Ward 3: