Let the Best Name Win – Ogden Valley Included
By Gordon Auchincloss - 29 August 2026
On July 30, our City Council voted 4-1 to retain the official name Ogden Valley City. Setting aside which name should have won, the real issue is how the decision was made and what it reveals about representation and transparency.
The council itself commissioned a survey with Weber State University that drew 2,189 responses; more than the votes cast for the mayor in the election that seated this government. 84% of respondents, along with all 5 districts, wanted to change the name from Ogden Valley. Volunteers funded the survey, so the city spent nothing.
At the meeting, the council set that data aside. The justifications of councilmembers were all over the board. One member dismissed the responses as too few, even though she holds her seat based on an election where comparable numbers mattered. She also treated non-responses as support for the status quo - an inference no election makes. Another member said she was “elected for my judgment” and need not follow survey results from her own district. Another, who voted for Ogden Valley, claimed to represent his district, yet that district preferred Pineview. Multiple theories of representation, one predetermined conclusion.
Transparency suffered as well. At the meeting, several members read detailed prepared statements. As a result, the outcome appeared settled before the hearing began, making the meeting seem inconsequential. Residents who came to speak that night were, in effect, invited to provide input and witness deliberations on a question that had already been decided.
The mayor’s recent message calls for unity and says the door remains open if a broader consensus emerges. A professional survey in which every district favored change was apparently not enough. Unless the council defines that threshold, the open door is illusory. The data show more unity for change than for the current name.
There is a constructive path forward. By the city’s estimate, a name change costs about $500. State law leaves the decision to the council. The council should first announce clear rules, then conduct a new survey in which residents rank the finalists, including Ogden Valley. If no name receives a majority of first choices, drop the least popular and reallocate those votes until one name has majority support, which the council will then adopt. This is known as a ranked-choice system. It is used throughout our country in elections and surveys because it is a fairer way to measure consensus and is preferred by those who use it.
Together we decide, and together we accept the outcome of an open, fair process. If Ogden Valley wins fairly, so be it. We incorporated to create a government that listens. This is an early, inexpensive opportunity to prove we created one.
Gordon Auchincloss
Eden in the Ogden Valley
By Gordon Auchincloss - 29 August 2026
On July 30, our City Council voted 4-1 to retain the official name Ogden Valley City. Setting aside which name should have won, the real issue is how the decision was made and what it reveals about representation and transparency.
The council itself commissioned a survey with Weber State University that drew 2,189 responses; more than the votes cast for the mayor in the election that seated this government. 84% of respondents, along with all 5 districts, wanted to change the name from Ogden Valley. Volunteers funded the survey, so the city spent nothing.
At the meeting, the council set that data aside. The justifications of councilmembers were all over the board. One member dismissed the responses as too few, even though she holds her seat based on an election where comparable numbers mattered. She also treated non-responses as support for the status quo - an inference no election makes. Another member said she was “elected for my judgment” and need not follow survey results from her own district. Another, who voted for Ogden Valley, claimed to represent his district, yet that district preferred Pineview. Multiple theories of representation, one predetermined conclusion.
Transparency suffered as well. At the meeting, several members read detailed prepared statements. As a result, the outcome appeared settled before the hearing began, making the meeting seem inconsequential. Residents who came to speak that night were, in effect, invited to provide input and witness deliberations on a question that had already been decided.
The mayor’s recent message calls for unity and says the door remains open if a broader consensus emerges. A professional survey in which every district favored change was apparently not enough. Unless the council defines that threshold, the open door is illusory. The data show more unity for change than for the current name.
There is a constructive path forward. By the city’s estimate, a name change costs about $500. State law leaves the decision to the council. The council should first announce clear rules, then conduct a new survey in which residents rank the finalists, including Ogden Valley. If no name receives a majority of first choices, drop the least popular and reallocate those votes until one name has majority support, which the council will then adopt. This is known as a ranked-choice system. It is used throughout our country in elections and surveys because it is a fairer way to measure consensus and is preferred by those who use it.
Together we decide, and together we accept the outcome of an open, fair process. If Ogden Valley wins fairly, so be it. We incorporated to create a government that listens. This is an early, inexpensive opportunity to prove we created one.
Gordon Auchincloss
Eden in the Ogden Valley