Your $7.00 monthly contribution will go a long way to helping us expand the coverage and services you enjoy.
GET THE LATEST PUBDEF NEWS 24/7:
CHECK OUT THE NEW PUBDEF.TV!
ABOUT PUB DEF
PUB
DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
City of St. Louis, Missouri. Our goal is to cast a critical eye
on lawmakers, their policies, and those that have influence upon
them, and to educate our readers about legislation and the political
processes that affect our daily lives.
Help us with the cost of this site:
Got
a press release, news tip or rumor to share? Maybe a suggestion on how we can improve this site?
Email us at editor@pubdef.net or call or fax us at (314) 367-3429.
Missouri's Democratic and Republican U.S. Senate candidates will be debating before a national audience tomorrow morning. Sen. Jim Talent and State Auditor Claire McCaskill will take questions from respected moderator Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet the Press". The show airs locally at 8:00 a.m. on KSDK Channel 5. Set those Tivos!
The person holding Ald. Lewis Reed's place in line to file to run against Aldermanic Board Pres. Jim Shrewsbury abandoned her post today.
Mary Cullins, who had been holding Reed's place since Wednesday, left today around 1:40 p.m., according to sources. Her early departure means someone could jump ahead of Reed and secure a higher placement on the ballot.
Andy Hayes, a 29-year-old aspiring law school student, continues to hold the number one spot for incumbent Shrewsbury.
Pub Def has learned that a bomb threat resulted in at least one downtown courthouse being evacuated this morning.
We are told police received the threat by telephone and evacuated the City Courts building, 1430 Olive, first before marshals at the Carnahan Municipal Courthouse stopped all incoming traffic and searched that building.
Soon after, they issued an "all clear" and have allowed people to again enter Carnahan. We are in route to City Courts. Stay tuned...
UPDATE: Officials at the City Courts directed us to Ed Rhode, spokesman for the Mayor's Office. Rhode said he was waiting to hear back from the police department before commenting. As of 7:40 p.m. he still had not commented.
We haven't reported very much on polls in the current race for U.S. Senate between Republican incumbent Jim Talent and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill. We haven't because the different polls continue to report the same information: it's too close to tell.
A new USA Today/Gallup poll says McCaskill leads Talent 44% to 39% with 7% undecided. But the poll, conducted on Sept. 27, has a margin of error of 5%, meaning McCaskill could have as high as 49% or as little as 39% support.
Similarly, a poll released yesterday by Reuters and Zogby said Talent was leading the race with 43% to McCaskill's 39%. This time the poll had a slightly better margin of error of 4%, but still putting the two candidates in a virtual tie.
It remains too close to tell. And as any political scientist or Election Day poll worker will tell you, there's only one poll that really matters. And it's just 32 days away.
Yesterday we took our camera over to the East Side, near Brooklyn, Illinois. No, it's not what you're thinking. It was for a project. No, not that kind of project... Look, can we just get back to the story?
Anyway, not far past all the strip clubs and prostitutes, in a town called Lovejoy (oh boy), is a school appropriately named Lovejoy School. Six decades ago, a boy named Hamiet Bluiett attended that school. That boy grew up to become one of the most respected saxophonists on the planet. Yesterday, he returned to Lovejoy and he brought along three of his friends. Together, they call themselves the World Saxophone Quartet.
The World Saxophone Quartet -- comprised of founding members Bluiett and Oliver Lake, and master saxophonists James Carter and St. Louis native Greg Osby -- are currently celebrating their 30th Anniversary. They will be performing tonight and Saturday at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave., across from the Fox Theatre.
A couple of things that were in my notebook but took a while to get posted...
'BOYISH' JEFF SMITH? -- Washington Post columnist Jabari Asim on St. Louis' own Jeff Smith: "Jeff Smith, an aspiring politician in Missouri, bears no resemblance to Jimmy Stewart. Unlike Stewart, who was a lanky leading man, Smith is small and boyish. Unlike Stewart's homespun tenor, Smith's voice tends toward the upper registers. His appearance is so youthful that a colleague once said of him, 'He's obviously short, looks like he's 12 and sounds like he's castrated.'" Click here to read the full article.
THE POST IS LOSING MONEY -- "Lee acquired Pulitzer Inc. in June 2005, and Pulitzer revenue is reported in statistical periods. For the statistical reporting period ended Aug. 27, 2006, Pulitzer advertising revenue decreased 2.0 percent compared with 2005, with total revenue down 1.6 percent. In St. Louis, advertising revenue decreased 2.8 percent, and total revenue decreased 2.6 percent. In the other former Pulitzer newspapers, advertising revenue decreased 0.2 percent, and total revenue increased 0.4 percent." Click here to read more.
SPECIAL REPORT: ACORN Workers Claim Minimum Wage Funds Helping McCaskill
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Wednesday, October 04, 2006 at 9:01 PM
PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT
Several former and current workers demonstrated today in front of the St. Louis office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) demanding to be paid for work they had performed and alleging that they were instructed to tell people to vote for U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill while registering voters in support of the proposed minimum wage increase.
Ten-year ACORN veteran Josephine Perkins claims she was fired last week, in part because she informed the teams she supervised that it was inappropriate and illegal for them to campaign for McCaskill while being paid by ACORN and Give Missourians a Raise, the political action committee which supports Proposition B and, according to campaign finance reports, has given money to ACORN to circulate its literature.
Several other ACORN workers also told PUB DEF that they were told to ask voters to vote for McCaskill. But Johanna Sharrard, the political field director for ACORN, denies that is the case.
"That's not going on in this office," she said. "It's not been the case at all."
She declined to say on-camera why Perkins was fired. But Perkins told us the reason Sharrard, who has been at the St. Louis office only four weeks, gave for her termination was theft, a charge she vehemently denies.
Another ACORN worker, Joseph Weick, said he has not been paid for work he did with the organization last month. He also said that he and others were told last week that they needed to re-apply for their positions, which he took as a termination.
"They refuse to give me my check," said Weick. "I guess there's at least about a half a dozen of us that have worked for these people and aren't getting paid."
Weick said he too was told to ask people to vote for McCaskill while registering voters and passing out literature supporting the minimum wage increase, which if true could be a violation of federal election laws.
"These are very serious allegations and we are reviewing our options as they relate to the McCaskill campaign and the potential exploitation of a tax-exempt organization that is supposed to help those who need help the most," said Rich Chrismer, a spokesman for McCaskill's opponent, Sen. Jim Talent.
The McCaskill campaign declined to comment for this story.
Ald. Lewis Reed has started a committee to begin raising money for his campaign against Aldermanic Board Pres. Jim Shrewsbury.
The Committee to Elect Reed was established yesterday in paperwork filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. It is clearly classified as a "candidate" committee and not an "exploratory" committee.
There has been speculation for weeks that Reed would challenge Shrewsbury for the City's top legislative position. Nearly two weeks ago, Reed told PUB DEF he would be making a final decision sometime within the next 3-4 weeks. It appears an announcement is imminent.
The Missouri Supreme Court will address the controversial voter photo identification requirement today. Last month, a Cole County judge struck down the new law as Unconstitutional. At a town hall meeting in south St. Louis last night, Sec. of State Robin Carnahan, the state's chief elections officer, said she was confident that the Court will agree with the lower court's ruling.
Carnahan spoke at a neighborhood meeting hosted by State Rep. Rachel Storch (D-64). Aldermanic Board Pres. Jim Shrewsbury also addressed the group of about 60 people, mostly elderly, informing them about the various charter amendments, referendums and initiatives that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot, just as he did last week in Tilles Park (click here to see that video).
Blogger, urbanist and "best gadfly" Steve Patterson has a way of pissing people off. It's a gift. Earlier this evening, he attempted to share that gift with the owner of downtown restaurant Copia Urban Winery. The result makes for great TV.
Click here to see Steve's video of the incident at his site, UrbanReviewSTL.com. Then watch the Pub Def "Fight the Power" remix...
With 6th Ward Alderman Lewis Reed still mulling a run against Aldermanic Board Pres. Jim Shrewsbury, attention has turned to who would fill Reed's seat.
Democratic Committeeman Patrick Cacchione has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but several large financial contributions to Republican candidates have left some of his fellow Dems scratching their heads. Tower Grove East resident Christian Saller's name has been mentioned by some white, self-described "urbanites" as a possible progressive candidate.
But the racial dynamics of both the ward (which has a majority black population) and the Board of Aldermen (while whites make up only 44% of the city's population, they hold almost 60% of the aldermanic seats) have caused much of the behind-the-scenes conversation in black political circles to focus on keeping the 6th Ward seat filled by an African-American.
"Black folks need to be picking up seats, we don't need to be giving one away," said one northside elected official who asked that her name not be given.
A name being circulated around as a possible black candidate is Kacie Starr Triplett, aide to Congressman Russ Carnahan and granddaughter of former Comptroller and State Sen. John Bass.
"I have received many phone calls from people encouraging me to run as Alderman for the 6th Ward," Triplett responded in an email.
"I believe this is due to being a lifelong resident of the ward, and also serving the 6th Ward constituents as a community liaison for both Congressman [Dick] Gephardt and Congressman Carnahan. At this time, nothing has been finalized. Just a lot of questions and calls," she said.
BIG LEAGUE, BIG DOUGH -- Sports fans weren't the only ones holding their breaths hoping the Cardinals wouldn't blow winning their 3rd straight National League Central Division title last weekend. Business owners had their fingers crossed too.
RCGA Chief Economist Bryan Bezold estimates that each home playoff game will have an estimated direct and indirect impact of $2.8 million on the St. Louis regional economy. "This economic impact is due to fan spending in and around Busch Stadium, approximately $1.5 million per game, and the indirect benefits are due to the circulation of that money throughout the region, worth another $1.3 million," Bezold noted Monday in a RCGA briefing.
Tickets to the game for you and your kid - $75. Food and drinks - $55. Watching a home game at home on TV because you can't afford to see the inside of the new Busch Stadium - priceless.
CAN STL BE LIKE ATL? -- Speaking of the RCGA, next month Chairman Scott Schnuck will be leading a delegation of 125 St. Louis regional business, civic and elected leaders in Missouri and Illinois on a trip to Georgia to meet with more than 25 of their Atlanta counterparts. They'll be trying to find out how Atlanta has been so much more successful in the areas of economic development, transit, education, parks and trails, and race relations.
Could it be that many of St. Louis' finest black thinkers in the areas of economic development, transit, education, parks and trails, and race relations all run to Atlanta, a place where they can actually get a job?
BRINGING IN BACKUP -- Claire McCaskill's getting a little more help from the phenom to the East, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Obama -- who told a crowd in St. Louis back in March, "I can't do it alone!" -- will be stumping for the Democatic Senate candidate again this weekend (Oct. 7) -- this time in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, her Republican opponent, incumbent Sen. Jim Talent, is having special guest of his own at a breakfast fundraiser on his birthday, Oct. 18. -- Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC). Let's hope she isn't inspired to go all "Marilyn Monroe" and sing "Happy Birthday, Mr. Senator".
In a ceremony in the U-City Loop today, Missouri's first black Congressman, Bill Clay, became the 114th name added to the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Joining Clay to celebrate his honor was his family, including his son, current Congressman Lacy Clay, and current and former elected officials from all over the region -- among them: State Auditor and U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, Congressman Russ Carnahan, former Lt. Gov. Harriet Woods, State Reps. Rodney Hubbard and Ted Hoskins, former State Rep. Betty Thompson, soon-to-be State Reps. Jamilah Nasheed and Talibdin El-Amin, former Ald. Irvin Clay, and others.
Walk of Fame founder Joe Edwards was host of the event and welcomed all of the attendees back to his bar, Blueberry Hill, after the ceremony.
Approaching the last 30 days of a very close re-election campaign against Democrat Claire McCaskill, Republican Sen. Jim Talent made his fourth appearance on former Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr.'s radio show yesterday. This time the subject was Iraq.
Talent, who spoke via cell phone on his way to Sunday service at the Cathedral in the Central West End, said America must win the war in Iraq and leave behind a functioning, stable democracy operated by Iraqis.
"We gotta win," said Talent. "If we don't win then that encourages the other side and it'll be a set back for us."
Talent's appearance on Bosley's show, which airs on hip-hop station 100.3 FM, is just the latest example of the Chesterfield Republican's push to make inroads into the tradition Democratic base of black voters. Here's an 8-minute clip from the show...
Former Congressman and political powerhouse Bill Clay has been added to the St. Louis Walk of Fame. There will be a formal induction ceremony and brunch today at 12:00 p.m. at Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar, in the Loop.
The St. Louis Walk of Fame is a non-profit organization founded in 1988 to provide a showcase for the cultural heritage of St. Louis and to advance the knowledge, awareness and appreciation of great St. Louisans and their accomplishments.
The Walk of Fame itself consists of sets of brass stars and bronze plaques honoring individuals from the St. Louis area who made major national contributions to our cultural heritage.
Clay's star is located between Meshuggah Cafe and Napps hair salon on Delmar. Click here to see a close-up of the plaque listing Clay's many achievements.
