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JEFFERSON CITY -- As St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa and Police Board President Chris Goodson roamed the halls of the state Capitol today lobbying against a senate bill calling for a return of local control of the St. Louis Police Department on an unrelated issue, a group of city lawmakers were lobbying to return local control to the city police department
At this moment, several St. Louis aldermen are in the audience as the bill is being heard before the committee. Aldermen Terry Kennedy, April Ford-Griffin, Jeffrey Boyd, Kacie Starr Triplett, Frank Williamson, Marlene Davis, and Sam Moore are here in support of the bill.
Senator Maida Coleman is handling sponsoring the bill in the senate and Rep. T.D. El-Amin will be handling the bill on the House side.
UPDATE: There was a tense exchange between between Alderman Boyd, speaking in favor of the bill, asked Senator Harry Kennedy, a member of the committee who seems to oppose local control, if he feels elected officials are "incompetent." Kennedy, who is also a city committeeman, said he was offended by the question. The commiittee chairman quickly ended the exchange.
Following the sudden resignation of Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman as attorney and clerk for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, in a closed session this morning, the board quickly hired a member of the Aldermanic President to fill the position.
According to documents obtained by PubDef through a "Sunshine Law" request, Dave Sweeney, looks to be getting a $22,000 pay raise — from $73,545.94 per year to Coleman's salary of $96,014.10 annually. That is, unless the Board voted to change the salary, which we have not heard yet.
Here's Coleman's resignation letter, dated January 11, and also obtained via a "Sunshine" request. In it, she writes that her resignation would be effective February 10.
Coleman was the first African-American to hold that position. She was the compromise candidate and was voted on unanimously after the Board was bitterly divided, mostly along racial lines, between two other candidates, Hope Whitehead, the former head of the state Liquor Control Division, who was black, and Annette Kolis Mandel, a former mayor of Creve Coeur, who was white and an employee of Richard Callow's Public Eye PR firm.
Best Intentions: Bad Things Happen When Pols Try to Play Psychologists
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 6:28 PM
Watch out, all you anonymous blog posters who are so mean to Veronica O'Brien, Francis Slay, and Steve Gregali. Pretty soon, you might be prosecuted for your cyber insults.
A proposed new law would make it illegal in the City of St. Louis to harass someone over the Internet or other electronic communications, like texting. "Harassment" is defined in the bill as:
"To engage in a course of conduct that serves no legitimate purpose and would cause substantial emotional distress, and shall actually cause substantial emotional distress..."
In other words, hurt someone's feelings.
The St. Louis legislation follows legislation passed recently in the cities of Florissant and Dardenne Prairie. The spark for all of this new Internet regulation by local municipalities is the suicide last week of 13-year-old Megan Meier of Dardenne Prairie.
The girl's parents said she hanged herself after receiving mean Internet messages from an adult neighbor posing as a boy.
With Megan in mind, the St. Louis law, co-sponsored by Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and Alderman April Ford-Griffin, further defines harassment as "contact by a person over age eighteen with a person under the age of eighteen that would cause a reasonable parent to fear for the well-being of their minor child."
A suicide by a child is always a tragic thing. They are also often done for reasons that we as adults see as tragically minor — boyfriends or girlfriends... bullies... zits.
As adults, we know what our mothers told us was indeed true: "This too shall pass."
As educated adults we also know that the "reasons" for teen suicide is rarely the real reason at all. The real cause — and I'm not a psychologist here, but I used to date one and armed with that knowledge it seems to me — the real cause is mental illness — namely, clinical depression.
Again, I'm not a psychologist. But neither are aldermen. I do however spend a lot of time on the Internet. More than most, I would bet. I'd also bet I get more annoying, unsolicited e-mail than almost anyone you know. Today, including the mail snagged in my junk filter, I received 304. It was a slow day.
Most of that email was sent to me by someone trying to get me to do something: write a story about them, come to some event, help a foreigner transfer his millions of dollars, enlarge my penis.
Not once has an email caused me to do anything that I didn't choose to do myself — except maybe LOL.
These reactionary lawmakers are putting the freedom of the Internet at risk in the name of preventing a tragedy that no law could have prevented.
The new crime of "cyber-harassment" consists of two basic parts (the bolded language is the most ridiculous):
An individual intends to harass, alarm, annoy, abuse, threaten, intimidate, torment or embarrass any other person by means of the transmission of electronic communication or knowingly permits an electronic communication to be transmitted from an electronic communication device under the person’s control using lewd, lascivious, etc… words, images or language; anonymously or repeatedly whether or not the conversation occurs; or threatening to inflict injury on the person or property of the person communicated with or any member of his or her household.
So if someone annoys a person with a text message or an anonymous blog posting using "lewd" language, even if the "victim" engages in the conversation, a crime has been committed.
Consider me both victim and offender.
Part Two:
An individual uses or allows the use of an electronic communications device under the person’s control to harass, alarm, annoy, abuse, threaten, intimidate, torment or embarrass any other person through the direct action of the individual or through the actions of a third party, which third party actions are instigated, initiated, prompted or brought about by the person’s communication.
So now if someone is inspired by my blog postings to go and annoy someone else (say a certain unpopular elected official) I can be charged for instigating the annoyance by my email or blog posting?! WFT?!
Bad things happen when legislators try to play psychologists.
The headline could have read: "Hometown Boy Makes Good".
St. Louis' President of the Board of Aldermen was featured Tuesday in his hometown newspaper, The Herald News, which serves Joliet, Illinois, the town a young Lewis Reed started his journey from wrestler and part-time janitor to the second-highest elected official on our city.
The current president of the Board of Aldermen for the City of St. Louis was a wrestler at Joliet Central High School, but he didn't spend much time picking himself up after a match. A mainstay of the Steelmen teams of the late 1970s and early '80s, he moved to the varsity as a freshman and wound up earning a third-place trophy in the state competition in his senior year.
"I went through a transformation as a person in those years," Reed said. "The lessons that Coach Mac (Eural McLaughlin) taught are the same lessons I used to get where I am today. He said everything in life is a matter of preparation and execution, and I've never forgotten that."
Reed, now 45 and well over the 155-pound weight class in which he used to compete, had to prepare himself to unseat a better-funded, better-known 20-year incumbent to win the election for the second most powerful position in St. Louis government. His campaign signs were blue and gold in tribute to his days as a Steelman.
Friday's unseasonal upper-80-degree temperatures weren't the only reason things were hot in the Board of Aldermen meeting yesterday. Racial tensions are high in the City of St. Louis following Mayor Francis Slay's removal of the city's first black fire chief and the subsequent promoting of 25 fire fighters to the rank of captain, 88% of whom are white.
Third Ward Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), whose son was the city's first black mayor, took the opportunity during the announcements period at the end of the meeting to ask for a moment of quiet reflection and prayer to help heal the racial divide. Ironically, it was at that moment that the divide showed itself clearly to the citizens in the chamber and watching on television.
Alderman Steve Conway, who along with fellow southside aldermen Jennifer Florida and Steve Gregali have been at the center of much of the racial division at the Board, interrupted Bosley. Upset at Conway's interruption at a call for prayer, Bosley snapped back: "Oh, shut your mouth!"
Board President Lewis Reed asked Conway to back down from his point-of-order objection in the interest of keeping things civil. Conway eventually agreed and moved on.
The Board unanimously passed a resolution at their morning meeting today stating their support for Mokwa. Leading the way was the alderman from one of the most crime-ridden parts of the city, Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward).
Sure, the police officers want more money, Bosley said, but so do we all. The police motto is to protect and serve and sometimes, Bosley remarked in his raspy voice, that means doing some service for free.
Bosley also did not blame Mokwa or the department for crime — “Whenever we’ve called for help, you’ve been there.”
Besides, Bosley said, crime has been around since biblical times.
“Cain slew Abel,” Bosley reminded the chamber.
“Whenever you have more than three people, there is going to be crime,” Bosley said.
By the way, no such resolution has been introduced to show support for Fire Chief Sherman George, whose department, in comparison, is squeaky clean. And if it were, it would not likely pass unanimously.
The Board of Aldermen returns from their long summer break this morning. They were scheduled to return last Friday but cancelled the meeting so that aldermen could attend the funeral of 10th Ward Alderman Joe Vollmer's father.
Today will mark the first meeting for new Board Clerk and Attorney Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman.
Here's today's agenda. Meeting starts at 10:00 as usual.
Fourteenth Ward Alderman Stephen Gregali played tour guide yesterday for the visiting president of Bosnia-Herzegovina. After leaving the mayor's office, President Zeljko Komsic got a tour of the Aldermanic chamber.
"The Board has hired a new attorney," Alderman Steve Conway told reporters in the hall outside the Board of Aldermen chamber. "Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman."
Coleman is the first African American ever to hold the important attorney/clerk position. Her selection, which occurred in a closed session this morning, comes as a compromise after the board was divided among two other candidates, Hope Whitehead, the former head of the state Liquor Control Division, and Annette Kolis Mandel, a former mayor of Creve Coeur.
According to Lawyers.com, Coleman, 61, was born in Chicago and graduated from DePaul University in 1976. She received her law degree from St. Louis University in 1984.
Coleman has experience in the following areas of law: Public Finance; Administrative Law; Health Care; International Law; Criminal Law; Probate; Personal Injury; and General Practice.
Her previous experience includes: Law Clerk, 22nd Judicial Circuit, 1988. Member, Board of Directors, Harry S. Truman Restorative Center, 1989-1995. Member: Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, 1989-1998; American Bar Association, 1989-1997; Illinois Bar Association, 1989-1997; National Association of Bond Lawyers, 1989-1995; Junior League of St. Louis, 1989-1995; Mentor, Homeless Mothers and work for St. Louis Public Schools.
With the Black Caucus and its allies clearly with the votes to hire the Board attorney of their choice, and the opposition, led by Alderman Steve Conway, forced into desperation, shouting and disorder, Alderman and Caucus member Freeman Bosley, Sr. abruptly calls for adjournment.
The looks of his stunned colleagues could only be described as... "WTF?"
The second and decisive round of this important battle will be Wednesday. Stay tuned.
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen took up a considerable slew of legislation at its weekly meeting Friday morning. But two bills, Board Bills 1 and 179, dealt directly with the city's financial health.
The biggest bill finalized and passed this morning was Board Bill 1, sponsored by Board President Lewis Reed and Ways and Means Chairman Stephen Conway, the city's $867 million fiscal budget. It passed unanimously.
Conway also introduced Board Bill 179, which was first read and referred to his committee. That bill directs the St. Louis Municipal Finance Corporation to issue and sell up to $155,000,000 of the Corporation’s Taxable Pension Judgment Leasehold Revenue and/or Refunding Bonds.
The money from this sale would go to pay what the city owes in connection with the Police Retirement System, the Firemen’s Retirement System, and the City of St. Louis Employees’ Retirement System.
Board Bill 137, Alderman Freeman M. Bosley's parking expenses payment bill, passed 22 to 2, despite vocal opposition during discussion from Alderman Alfred Wessels.
Board Bill 162, Alderman Samuel L. Moore's quit claim bill for 3025-27 Marnice Place, passed with 23 aye votes and 1 present. As this was Moore's first bill, however, his fellow legislators couldn't resist a traditional bit of good-natured hazing.
When the bill first came up for a vote, a roll call appeal was made and the vote came in with 22 against and only 2 in favor. After a bit of laughter, a motion to reconsider was made, resulting in its passage.
Board Bill 167, Alderwoman Phyllis Young's bill for the improvement of the two block "Gateway Mall," passed unanimously.
Board Bill 170, Alderman Terry Kennedy's bill prohibiting the issuance of any new liquor licenses within the Eighteenth Ward, passed 25-0.
These bills were given their first reading:
Board Bill 178, sponsored by Alderwoman April Ford-Griffin, would authorize and direct the Mayor and Comptroller to execute a Quit Deed claim onto A and F Realty LLC upon receipt of $25,000 payment.
Board Bill 180, sponsored by Alderman Joseph Roddy, would approve a redevelopment plan for the 4158 West Pine Blvd. Area in the case that the area is found to be blighted - as defined in Section 99.320 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, 2000 Board Bill 181, sponsored by Alderwoman Lyda Krewson, would authorize a payment of $425,000 to purchase additional park land in City Block 3899.
In what has become an almost annual event, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen today passed another resolution asking the State of Missouri to return to the City of St. Louis control of its police department.
Click here to read Alderman Terry Kennedy's resolution, which passed 22-1.
In this video from February 2006, Kennedy talked to PubDef.net about the need for local control.
At today's Board of Alderman meeting, Board president Lewis Reed acknowledged a delegation of Russian political leaders currently paying a visit to the St. Louis area. The group, sponsored by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, is making a stop in town on its larger tour of the United States.
The ACYPL is an organization that provides US and international leaders between the ages of 25 and 40 the opportunity to travel abroad and experience other political systems.
License Collector Mike McMillan is acting as the group's host while they are in town. A veteran of the program himself, McMillan told PubDef that the program "gives you a very broad prospect of the types of challenges... of different governments throughout the world... and of the role of the US abroad."
Dave Chilenski, Deputy Chief of Staff for McMillan, noted that the Missouri stop has been of particular interest for the visitors. "Missouri was almost more interesting [than DC]" for the visitors since many of them "aren't from Moscow, so they're more interested in how the outlying regions function," said Chilenski.
The Russian visitors will spend one more night in St. Louis. The next stop on their tour of America is Salt Lake City, Utah.
VIDEO: Challenges Ahead as New Board President, Aldermen Are Sworn In
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 at 11:00 PM
The day the new and re-elected members of the Board of Aldermen where sworn in, an article in the New York Times highlights the challenges which lay ahead of the city's leaders.
"The city has retained attractions like Forest Park, excellent universities and a vibrant arts scene. But vast sections of North St. Louis show what happens when people leave town in big numbers: What is left is a shell of a city, boarded up, rotting, populated by the most impoverished. Residents, mostly black, are still fleeing these parts of town," writes the Times reporter.
This very issue was the subject of new Aldermanic President Lewis Reed's speech today.
"We will rise and fall as one city," said Reed. If a business closes in north St. Louis, it impacts the people who live in south St. Louis. If there is a vacant, abandoned building in south St. Louis, it affects taxpayers in north St. Louis.
"If we work together and tackle these issues as one St. Louis, St. Louis will be a stronger and safer city," said Reed.
Here is video of today's swearing-in ceremony. Click here to read the full article in today's New York Times.
Here's video of the swearing-in before the swearing-in.
Little did you know that the swearing-in you see on television is really just ceremonial. The real swearing-in of city officials happens minutes (and sometimes days) before in a smaller, far less crowded place. Today that place was Room 208 (The Kennedy Room) in City Hall.
Immediately following the real swearing-in, performed by City RegisterParrie May, the new officials sign the city's official record, making them honest to God elected officials of the City of St. Louis.
Check back later for video of the much more elaborate swearing-in ceremony that took place on the floor of the Board of Aldermen.
After weeks of speculation about who the new President of the Board of Aldermen would select as his Chief of Staff, Pub Def can report that Lewis Reed has tapped Thomas Shepard to lead his office.
Shepard, a certified public accountant and principal of the firm Thomas Shepard & Associates, had previously served as Reed's campaign treasurer.
Pub Def can now also report that Antonio French will serve as Reed's political director.
Reed and the new members of the Board will be sworn this morning at City Hall. Check back later today for video.
One day before their swearing-in, the new President and members of the Board of Aldermen were in City Hall today to rehearse for tomorrow's formalities.
New aldermen Sam Moore (4th Ward), Kacie Starr Triplett (6th Ward) and Marlene Davis (19th Ward) got a crash course in aldermanic procedures today as they prepare to make their first motions on the floor of the city's legislative body tomorrow.
The Board's new president, Lewis Reed, was also preparing for his big day tomorrow. See video below of Reed taking the podium for the first time.
Democratic members of the Board of Aldermen met yesterday for their first caucus meeting of the new session. With all but one member of the Board being a Democrat, the meeting is practically an informal meeting of the full body with members letting their committee preferences be known and drawing for seniority.
New 19th Ward Alderman Marlene Davis was one of three Democratic aldermen who did not make the meeting. But despite her absence, and thanks to a motion to allow a colleague to draw for her, Davis will not be the lowest ranking Democrat. That distinction belongs to the new 6th Ward Alderman (who is by coincidence also the youngest city legislator), Kacie Starr Triplett.
Davis, Triplett and 4th Ward Alderman Sam Moore are the three freshmen on the Board.
The Democratic alderman with the most seniority is Ald. Phyllis Young (7th Ward). Although she and Ald. Fred Wessels (13th Ward) have served on the board the same amount of time, Wessels conceded seniority to Young.
Young's most senior status is going to make for an ironic photo op at next week's Board meeting. The downtown alderman was a vocal supporter of former Aldermanic President Jim Shrewsbury in last month's primary election, even being quoted as saying if his opponent was victorious she would resign her seat on the Board.
Well, next week as the most senior alderman it will fall upon Alderman Young to introduce the new President of the Board, Lewis Reed, and hand him the gavel for the first time.
Call it a case of being misquoted or maybe just saving face, but at yesterday's meeting Young told several colleagues that she never said she would resign if Reed won.
After nearly 12 years serving as the attorney for the Board of Aldermen, Patrick J. Conaghan received a warm farewell Friday as he headed to his new job in the Probate Courts.
Conaghan received a proclamation from Mayor Francis Slay and a resolution from the full Board of Aldermen, presented by Alderman Fred Wessels, before being sworn into his new position by Judge David Dowd.
Conaghan joked to the crowd filling the floor of the Aldermanic chambers that after a dozen years in City Hall he knew most of them were there for the food.
Some aldermen are worried that some pretty big things will be happening a little too fast today at City Hall.
Hearings, introductions of bill substitutes, aand last-minute wheeling and dealing are all on the agenda as the full Board of Aldermen, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee, and the Public Utilities Committee all meet Wednesday morning.
The big items of discussion are the BJC/Park lease agreement, the new Ballpark Village plan, and a Wi-FI access agreement between the City and AT&T.
All three of these plans are long and complicated and more than one alderman has told Pub Def that they don't see how anyone can make an informed, independent decision without time to read all the bills and agreements.
The BJC/Park lease agreement has been presented several times and is basically in the hands of Comptroller Darlene Green. The comptroller told Pub Def last week that her office has been trying to negotiate an agreement between the hospital and park advocates. Green nor her aides are showing any cards yet on how she'll vote today.
The Ballpark Village plan has undergone quite a few changes, we are told. Most of which many aldermen, specifically members of the Black Caucus, are not fully briefed on. Said one northside alderman, "I'm still waiting to see how it helps my community."
There are also concerns about the proposed citywide Wi-Fi agreement. Among them are the concern about the timetable by which different parts of the city will go online, and the specific terms of the agreement, which is not available online and, we are told, permits only non-binding arbitration as the city's only means to clarify some of the finer points of the deal.
On Friday the Board of Aldermen passed a bill that seeks to make it harder for brick thieves in the city.
Calling St. Louis the "Used Brick Capital of the World", Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr., the bill's sponsor, said that "brick rustlers" are more than a nuisance, but also a danger to themselves and others. He told the story of man, apparently a "brick rustler", who was recently discovered by a group of children pinned under a pile of bricks that was once one of the strong red structures St. Louis is known for.
Bosley said new homes being built across the country are often built with bricks from St. Louis. The used bricks, which Bosley said sell for as much as 50 cents each, are taken -- legally and illegally -- from the deteriorating housing stock in the city. These old houses are often replaced with new homes covered in vinyl siding and far inferior in quality, said the alderman.
"These new houses you can kick your foot through the walls until they put on that brick veneer," said Bosley. "But if you kick one of these old brick homes, you better call an ambulance first."
Board Bill 311 requires every person engaged in the sale or purchase of bricks to have a valid city business license and a permit issued by the Director of Public Safety that is not more than 90 days old.
Green Reserving Comment on Park Deal, Slay Lists Improvements and Supporters
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Friday, January 19, 2007 at 5:46 PM
The following statement is from John Farrell, Comptroller Darlene Green's spokesman...
"The comptroller believes people on both sides of this issue have strong points. On one side are the citizens and taxpayers who want to protect their parks and have a say in plans to develop park land. On the other side is the city's largest medical facility that serves thousands of disadvantaged residents each year and is an economic engine for the community.
"The comptroller intends to move forward in an effort to bridge the gap on these two very valid viewpoints and hopefully reach a compromise solution. She is working now to hold meetings beginning next week with both sides that focus on common ground and building consensus instead of rehashing differences. This issue is too important to our community on a number of levels for us to settle for anything less than a mutual agreement.
"The comptroller is reserving comment on the new lease plan revealed today until after these meetings and, hopefully, a compromise is reached."
UPDATE: Meanwhile, Mayor Francis Slay has posted on his website a list of improvements in the latest version of the plan. He also says this deal, which he admits is "much better than originally proposed" (he supported the old one too), now has the support of Forest Park Forever and the Forest Park Advisory Board.
According to Slay, here is how the proposal is better:
The size of the land covered by the lease has been reduced to 9.4 acres. In addition, BJC has agreed to set aside no less than 15 percent of the land for green space, effectively reducing the developable space by another 1.4 acres.
Even though the amount of acreage is smaller, BJC has agreed to raise its lease payments to $2 million per year. All of that money will be put into a trust. It can only be invested to maintain Forest Park.
One-and-a-half acres of land south of Clayton Road will be protected. A new park will be created with playground equipment and tennis courts. The new park will be more convenient for families in Forest Park Southeast. BJC will light the park, and provide security and maintenance.
Some of the tennis courts at Triple A will be improved and made available to the general public at no cost. The handball courts behind the visitor’s center will also be expanded and improved.
In all, BJC has agreed to set aside $1 million to pay for the changes and improvements.
Forest Park Forever has agreed to match at least $1.8 million per year. Combined with the $2 million from the BJC lease, that means at least $3.8 million per year in dedicated revenue will be available to maintain Forest Park.
In addition, $1.6 million in General Revenue will be freed up. That money will be set aside to help maintain the City’s other 104 parks. In the first year, that money will be invested within a mile-and-a-half of the Hudlin location to create new green space or recreational opportunities.
The Board of Aldermen seem to be rushing to get this deal passed before the voters can have a say in the matter through the ballot initiative recently approved for the April ballot.
An incident at the last meeting of the Board of Aldermen is making a few elected officials take a second look at who they will be supporting in the race for Board President.
On Thursday, the morning of the meeting, Ald. Kathleen Hanrahan (23rd Ward) asked President Jim Shrewsbury to include a prayer for the son of Ald. Jennifer Florida (15th Ward). Gram Florida, 13, was undergoing his second surgery that week after a sinus infection spread into his brain. According to Hanrahan, Shrewsbury refused to allow the prayer.
According to Ald. April Ford-Griffin (5th Ward), who shares an office with Hanrahan, Shrewsbury denied the request saying he thought it was a personal matter and didn't want anyone to be upset with him.
Both Ford-Griffin and Florida are supporters of Shrewsbury's opponent in the March primary election, Ald. Lewis Reed**. Just two days before, Shrewsbury lost the endorsement of the 15th Ward (Florida's home ward) to Reed.
Ald. Fred Wessels (13th Ward), a Shrewsbury ally, also spoke to the President about the prayer. Shrewsbury says he told Wessels that Florida's was a personal situation and he wasn't sure she wanted it publicized.
"I was not going to violate her privacy," Shrewsbury told Pub Def.
But according to Ald. Stephen Gregali (14th Ward), Florida called the Board office on Monday and asked that everyone be informed about her situation and to pray for her family. Shrewsbury says he was not aware of that.
"It just shows [Shrewsbury's] indecisiveness," said Gregali. "It was the right thing to do and he didn't do it."
Near the end of the meeting, during Aldermanic announcements, Gregali asked his colleagues and the public to pray for the Florida family. He said it was after the meeting that he heard that Shrewsbury had not allowed the prayer earlier.
Gregali is now supporting Shrewsbury's opponent. When asked whether this incident played any part in him deciding to support Reed, he said, "it certainly helped."
In a phone interview Monday, Florida said she believes in the healing power of prayer and contacted the Board office and hundreds of other people and churches in the area requesting prayers for her son, who is now in stable condition.
She said she also resented that Shrewsbury allowed a prayer Thursday for the then-still-missing Ben Ownby, but not her son.
"I don't think Jim was trying to protect my privacy," said Florida.
After two years of trying, Ald. Lyda Krewson is one step closer to getting passed her bill aimed at ending the common practice of children and adults selling items to drivers at busy intersections.
Representatives from the Nation of Islam, city firefighters, the Suburban Journal's Old News Boys Day, and even a candidate for alderman raised concerns about the bill's possible unintended consequences.
After two years of fighting to kill the controversial bill in the Streets Committee, the chairman, Ald. Freeman Bosley, Sr., was the only member member to vote against Krewson's compromise bill today.
The Board of Aldermen started off their morning meeting by honoring one of their own.
Former 19th Ward alderman Mike McMillan, the new license collector for the city, was the subject of resolution honoring his years of service on the board and wishing him well in his new citywide elected office.
Resolution #182, introduced by Ald. Craig Schmid, recognized McMillan as the youngest member ever elected to the Board and his abundance of resolutions honoring local do-gooders.
"I think Mike set the record for most resolutions introduced," said Ald. Greg Carter.
"We implore him to remember us as he moves to 'greener pastures' and collects all of those checks from our constituents," read the resolution passed today to a standing ovation.
Arnisa Samuel, a former Board secretary who will be following McMillan to his new office, was also recognized for her years of service.
The two candidates for President of the Board of Aldermen addressed members of the 15th Ward Democrats last night at the Carpenter Branch Library in south St. Louis. After giving their intro speeches, both took questions from the audience.
One question asked was on what kind of person each would look for if as Board President that were to select someone for the three-member appointed board recommended to run St. Louis Public Schools.
Check back later for more questions and answers from last night.
SECOND ONLY TO DETROIT -- According to the latest government statistics, the St. Louis metropolitan area lost 3,300 jobs over a recent yearlong period -- the worst in the nation, save Detroit. (What is it about St. Louis and Detroit? First crime, now job loss. Talk about a race to the bottom.)
The report, which examined 367 metropolitan areas, showed Detroit and the St. Louis area (which includes suburbs in Missouri and Illinois) as the worst of 60 metro areas that saw decreases. Detroit was by far the worst with over 26,000 people losing their jobs.
According to the AP, Mayor Francis Slay's office had a positive spin.
"We don't have the city numbers yet but our earnings tax withholdings went up by 4 percent last year, which was an increase over the previous few years," Slay spokesman Ed Rhode told the AP. "Based on that we think the city's economy is improving."
REED GETS THE 15th -- Both candidates for President of the Board of Aldermen appeared last night at a forum hosted by the 15th Ward Democrats (check back later for exclusive video). Afterwards, the ward members voted by secret ballot to endorse challenger Lewis Reed over incumbent Jim Shrewsbury.
15th Ward Ald. Jennifer Florida, a Reed supporter, was unable to attend the meeting because of a family emergency (Our thoughts go out to her and her family).
"CASH"-CHIONE -- Patrick Cacchione, candidate for 6th Ward Alderman, has given some cash to help with the cost of a study aimed at getting a new grocery store in his ward.
According to his press release, Cachione donated "10 percent of the cost" of the population density and demographic study to the Gate District East Neighborhood Association in an effort to bring in a major grocer to the vacant Foodland Grocery site on 1605 S. Jefferson Ave.
The Board of Aldermen today passed legislation to change the law banning new liquor licenses from being issued in the 22nd Ward on the north side. At the same time, they passed a new ban against issuing new licenses in the 24th Ward in south St. Louis.
Twenty-Second Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd said his bill (BB #292) is part of a move to reduce the number of liquor stores in his district, while still allowing the creation of new lounges and restaraunts selling beer.
Readers may recall Royale owner Steve Smith's ongoing battle with 20th Ward Ald. Craig Schmid over a ban of new bars in his ward.
The Board of Aldermen today approved Mayor Francis Slay's appointments to the Locust Central Business District. Samuel Coleman was reappointed to the board, representing the district's renters. Harry Michael was also appointed to the board, replacing Brad Hamilton.
Committee pushes back vote on cop residency bill to June 30
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 at 2:59 PM
The Legislation Committee of the Board of Aldermen met this afternoon to discuss a bill to again ask voters whether they prefer cops to be required to live in the city.
Board bill 47, sponsored by Aldermen Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), Ken Ortmann (9th), Steve Gregali (14th), and Jennifer Florida (15th), would be non-binding since by state law St. Louisans have no say over STLPD policies. Backers say it is meant simply to "assist the Missouri General Assembly in their deliberations regarding the residency requirement."
City voters approved similar language about ten years ago. Since then, the St. Louis Police Board, whose members (except for the mayor) are appointed by the governor, voted to allow some officers and civilian employees to move out of the city.
Today's meeting did not have the necessary quorum for a vote. The committee will likely vote to pass the bill out of committee on Friday, June 30.
VIDEO: Aldermen pass budget, give small wage increase to city workers
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Friday, June 16, 2006 at 1:52 PM
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen today passed Board Bill #1, the bill which sets the city's budget for the fiscal year begining July 1. Much to the delight of the employees of the City of St. Louis, the budget does include a pay raise for city workers, albeit a small one.
Alderman Steve Conway, an accountant by trade who co-sponsored the bill along with Board President Jim Shrewsbury, was instrumental in finding the money for the raise and including it in the budget. Just a month ago, Mayor Francis Slaysent out an email to city workers telling them that there would be no pay increase this year.
The 3% raise won't kick in until January 2007 and therefore will only be reflected in half of employees' paychecks this fiscal year. So in actuality it amounts to just a 1.5% annual increase.
Conway sat down with PUB DEF this afternoon to explain where the money was found to pay for the $3.7 million in extra salary payments and how the city may save another $10 million in management costs.
