OGDEN, Utah — From seven candidates who ran in a crowded primary, Ogden is gearing up for a general election between just two - Taylor Knuth and Ben Nadolski.
Knuth emerged as the frontrunner in the primary, and he announced his campaign on the steps of City Hall, surrounded by friends and supporters.
“I’m running to be the next mayor of Ogden city,” announced Knuth. “To get back to the basics of good government. I believe our government works best when people are at the center of it. I will always look to solve problems through the lens of building our community, creating connections with our neighbors and preserving the character of Ogden City.”
Along the Weber River that Nadolski helped restore into a fishery, he made his announcement a week after Knuth’s.
“We do the work in this town. And we do it together, we’ve done the work of this campaign, and we’ve done it together,” said Nadolski. “Thank you for all of you who have been here with us, alongside us the whole way. You’ve gotten us to this point. You didn’t get me here, you got us here. You got Ogden to this point.”
One particular issue that was stressed by both candidates was the improvement needed in the west side of Ogden.
“The one thing that I really wish they had out there and because I’m really passionate about youth and youth recreation is I really wish they had a ball court out there,” said Nadolski. They used to have one, it used to be an area that people felt like was a problem and they felt like it added to the problems at night. I want to use it in the reverse way. Make sure that those kids have access to a facility that they need for recreation, to keep them out of trouble.”
“People drive right through that. I don’t want people to drive through that, I want people to stop and stay and enjoy their time on our front porch – what is our front porch of the city,” said Knuth. “And we have incredible assets that are already in west Ogden and some emerging assets that are really exciting. The development that’s happening around B street, is not only notable and worthy, but it’s exciting.”
Knuth has shared his hope to translate his love for the city that built him into expanding the Own-in-Ogden program, putting an emphasis on community engagement and trust in local government, being a part of the renewable energy program, establishing a housing division in the city, and implementing a 411 line to report non-emergencies.
“You know who can help us accomplish the aim of improving the infrastructure, you all – 87,000 of us, who can call, text, open an app, report a situation, so our government can be more responsive," said Knuth. "That’s what getting back to the basics of good government is all about."
Nadolski hopes to involve officers in youth sports, improve city partnerships by truly being a partner with the community – and be a leader in Weber County when it comes to issues like homelessness.
“We need to make sure we have more advocates, that’s why we need to make sure that we’re treating these issues one-on-one. We have to have better healthcare, we have to have better mental health treatment,” added Nadolski.
You can learn more about Knuth here.
And Nadolski here.
