Our New City’s Name—Where the Majority of the City Council got it Wrong
By Victoria Malmborg - 16 August 2026
Some of the council members’ claims:
CLAIM: Those who opposed the name “Ogden Valley City” just didn’t like having “City” in the name. This is not true. In WSU Survey 1, 83% selected Change the Name, and when adjusted for those who selected Change the Name but then commented “just drop ‘City’” the percentage was 75%, still a high rate of disapproval.
In WSU Survey 2, “Ogden Valley” (without “City”) was the name presented for feedback. It ranked fifth place out of seven.
CLAIM: What’s the harm in keeping the name Ogden Valley City? Why change it? Residents understood the name was a place-holder and could be changed. Mark Ferrin, an incorporation sponsor wrote, “I single-handedly chose the DRAFT name for our new city because an identifier is legally required during the incorporation process.” “I submitted it without sufficient input from the valley. I am thrilled to have community input!” Among many reasons to change it, “Ogden Valley” is overreaching and dismissive of the other municipality and residents of the valley. The harm is an expectation not met, voices not listened to, and trust lost in city leadership.
CLAIM: We need more feedback. Really? There was ample opportunity to provide feedback and a significant number of residents did. For a year, surveys were promoted through the newspaper, flyers, social media, public gatherings, email, the city’s website, and a mass mailer delivered to every address in the city. Around 2000 residents provided feedback. Multiple surveys produced the same results. A simple online survey calculator says you’d need feedback from around 365 residents to accurately represent a population of our size. We had 5 times the number needed for reliable results.
Claim: The most popular name, “Eden”, is the most controversial/Eden is outvoting the rest of the city. This is not true. The most controversial name, disliked 3-to-1, is “Ogden Valley.” That’s a consensus, and I dare say, a mandate.
The most popular name valley-wide was “Eden.” It’s also the only name with more positive than negative ratings. And it’s not because Eden residents outvoted the rest. If we look at feedback from the areas outside of Eden, subtracting all feedback from districts 3 and 4, it is still the top name. In WSU Survey 1, the top names from districts 1, 2, and 5 (Liberty, Nordic Valley, South and East Uninc. Huntsville) were in order: Eden, Pineview, Eden Valley, and Pineview Valley. Of those four, Eden received 39% of the votes and combined with “Eden Valley” made up 62%. In WSU Survey 2, the highest rated name for districts 1, 2, and 5 combined was also—wait for it—“Eden.” Whether or not you think it should become the name of the city, it is demonstrably true that Eden is the most preferred, least controversial name.
I’ve quoted a lot of statistics from a year’s worth of feedback. These are not just numbers, they are voices of individual residents who spoke up repeatedly and thought they were being listened to.
Many were shocked and disappointed by the council’s decision. Only one of our five council members, Peggy Dooling-Baker, stated she’d represent her constituents and did so. Thank you, Peggy, for having confidence in the voice of the people. I have respect for the talents and diligence of each member of the city council. But I feel that in this instance four of them missed the mark and the opportunity to build trust within the community.
Victoria Malmborg,
South Fork
By Victoria Malmborg - 16 August 2026
Some of the council members’ claims:
CLAIM: Those who opposed the name “Ogden Valley City” just didn’t like having “City” in the name. This is not true. In WSU Survey 1, 83% selected Change the Name, and when adjusted for those who selected Change the Name but then commented “just drop ‘City’” the percentage was 75%, still a high rate of disapproval.
In WSU Survey 2, “Ogden Valley” (without “City”) was the name presented for feedback. It ranked fifth place out of seven.
CLAIM: What’s the harm in keeping the name Ogden Valley City? Why change it? Residents understood the name was a place-holder and could be changed. Mark Ferrin, an incorporation sponsor wrote, “I single-handedly chose the DRAFT name for our new city because an identifier is legally required during the incorporation process.” “I submitted it without sufficient input from the valley. I am thrilled to have community input!” Among many reasons to change it, “Ogden Valley” is overreaching and dismissive of the other municipality and residents of the valley. The harm is an expectation not met, voices not listened to, and trust lost in city leadership.
CLAIM: We need more feedback. Really? There was ample opportunity to provide feedback and a significant number of residents did. For a year, surveys were promoted through the newspaper, flyers, social media, public gatherings, email, the city’s website, and a mass mailer delivered to every address in the city. Around 2000 residents provided feedback. Multiple surveys produced the same results. A simple online survey calculator says you’d need feedback from around 365 residents to accurately represent a population of our size. We had 5 times the number needed for reliable results.
Claim: The most popular name, “Eden”, is the most controversial/Eden is outvoting the rest of the city. This is not true. The most controversial name, disliked 3-to-1, is “Ogden Valley.” That’s a consensus, and I dare say, a mandate.
The most popular name valley-wide was “Eden.” It’s also the only name with more positive than negative ratings. And it’s not because Eden residents outvoted the rest. If we look at feedback from the areas outside of Eden, subtracting all feedback from districts 3 and 4, it is still the top name. In WSU Survey 1, the top names from districts 1, 2, and 5 (Liberty, Nordic Valley, South and East Uninc. Huntsville) were in order: Eden, Pineview, Eden Valley, and Pineview Valley. Of those four, Eden received 39% of the votes and combined with “Eden Valley” made up 62%. In WSU Survey 2, the highest rated name for districts 1, 2, and 5 combined was also—wait for it—“Eden.” Whether or not you think it should become the name of the city, it is demonstrably true that Eden is the most preferred, least controversial name.
I’ve quoted a lot of statistics from a year’s worth of feedback. These are not just numbers, they are voices of individual residents who spoke up repeatedly and thought they were being listened to.
Many were shocked and disappointed by the council’s decision. Only one of our five council members, Peggy Dooling-Baker, stated she’d represent her constituents and did so. Thank you, Peggy, for having confidence in the voice of the people. I have respect for the talents and diligence of each member of the city council. But I feel that in this instance four of them missed the mark and the opportunity to build trust within the community.
Victoria Malmborg,
South Fork