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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.
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Aldermanic Board President Jim Shrewsbury held a fundraiser on Thursday at The Royale, a popular southside bar, and PUB DEF's camera was on the scene. See more photos from the event at www.pubdef.net/photos/shrewsbury_party.
The new Southwest City Dog Park, sponsored by the Southampton Neighborhood Association, will have a grand opening celebration tomorrow, Sept. 23, at its location in Willmore Park.
The park, which provides a fenced space for dog owners to allow their dogs to run and play off-leash, is the first in a St. Louis City park.
The Arch City Chroniclebeat us to reporting (doesn't happen very often) the latest rumor which is making its way around city political circles: 6th Ward Alderman Lewis Reed will be challenging Jim Shrewsbury in next year's President of the Board race.
We all know race and races go together like peas and carrots in this town, so of course the chief concern among many black politicos is who would fill Reed's seat on the board. Win or lose, if he was to run for President he couldn't keep his aldermanic seat since both races occur on the same day.
The name that most often comes up as Reed's likely successor is Democratic Committeeman Patrick Cacchione (who curiously is on record as giving $1,000 to Republican Sen. Jim Talent less than two years ago). Cacchione is white. Reed is black. While whites only make up 44% of the city's population, they hold the vast majority of elected offices -- including almost 60% of the aldermanic seats.
Some northsiders may withhold supporting Reed's longshot campaign for Board President if he doesn't make a clear effort to keep the 6th Ward seat filled by an African-American.
PUB DEF will be at today's meeting of the Board of Aldermen. Check back later for comments and reactions from colleagues of both Reed and Shrewsbury to this rumored Battle Royale.
UPDATE: Reed tells PUB DEF that he is indeed contemplating a run against Shrewsbury. He said he will be making a final decision sometime within the next 3-4 weeks.
But judging by the presence and close proximity to Reed of political consultant David Poger (fresh off of Jeff Smith's state senate victory) at today's aldermanic meeting, it appears Reed might already be picking up some talent.
Friends, family, past colleagues, and elected officials -- including St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, and State Senators Rita Days, Joan Bray, and Pat Dougherty -- all showed up yesterday to congratulate retired State Sen. Wayne Goode as he received a very unique honor.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis paid tribute to Goode (who Chancellor Thomas George called the campus' founder) by unveiling a life-size statue of the former legislator near the spot where the campus was first dedicated 40 years ago.
The bronze sculpture was created by renowned sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter. Goode served in the Missouri House and Senate for four decades and is credited with writing the legislation that established UMSL.
Editor's Note: This reporter managed Goode's last senate campaign in 2000.
Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill today accepted an offer by KMBC-TV, KCPT-TV, KCUR-FM and the Examiner Independence to debate in Kansas City on October 18. This is the fifth scheduled debate between the two U.S. Senate candidates.
The Kansas City debate will take place at the University Academy charter school. The debate will be moderated by KMBC-TV’s new anchor Larry Moore. The panelists are KMBC-TV’s political reporter Michael Mahoney, Kansas City Star political reporter Steve Kraske, KCPT-TV public affairs and the news programming director Nick Haines, KCUR-FM news director Frank Morris and Examiner Independence editorial board editor Jeff Fox.
Talent and McCaskill participated in their first debate last Friday at the Lake of the Ozarks. The candidates will also debate on October 8 on NBC's "Meet the Press" in Washington, D.C., on October 11 in St. Louis and on October 16 in Springfield.
GOP charges McCaskill with "hiding" environmental group's endorsement
By Antonio D. French
The Sierra Club recently endorsed State Auditor Claire McCaskill in her bid to unseat U.S. Senator Jim Talent, but Republicans today charged the McCaskill campaign with trying to hide her support from the pro-environment organization, which is often at odds with conservative lawmakers.
"You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep," said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party, in a press release sent out this morning. He pointed out the Sierra Club's endorsement is not among those listed on McCaskill's website.
"The McCaskill-Sierra Club agenda is clear: No to ethanol, no to farmers, no to job creation, no to private property rights, no to flood control and no to locks and dams. Claire McCaskill’s record shows she would put the interests of the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters ahead of Missouri interests. Missourians can’t afford that risk," said Sloca.
The McCaskill campaign has not yet replied to a request for comment.
U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill and State Auditor candidate Susan Montee will be addressing a meeting of the 3rd Congressional District Democratic Committee tomorrow at the Firefighter's Hall. Central Committee Chairman Brian Wahby tells PUB DEF that "all Democrats are invited."
The meeting starts at 7:00 at 4271 Delor (just east of Gravois in the Bevo Neighborhood).
The Police Board voted this morning to lift the residency requirement for civilian employees who have been with the department for seven continuous years.
Mayor Francis Slay had made a motion to table the vote until after the Nov. 7 non-binding referendum in which voters would let their preference be known in the matter, but the mayor's motion was not seconded by any other board member.
Video later...
UPDATE: Here are some clips from today's meeting. BTW, the final vote was 3-2 with Slay and JoAnn Freeman Murrow voting against -- though interestingly, Murrow did not second Slay's motion to table the vote.
Citing the city's budget woes, Chief Joe Mokwa recommended the police board table a proposed pay matrix for the police department employees. Police will still receive a 3% pay increase in January.
The state-appointed St. Louis Metropolitan Police Board will be meeting this morning at 9:30 a.m. at the department's headquarters, 1200 Clark Avenue. They are scheduled to vote on a proposal to change the residency requirement for civilian employees -- seven weeks before the public is allowed to let its feelings be known on this issue in a Nov. 7 non-binding referendum.
Board President Chris Goodson and Mayor Francis Slay (who as mayor is also a member of the board) have not responded to requests for comment on whether this action is further evidence that the police board has no accountability to the citizens of the City of St. Louis?
Gov. Matt Blunt has appointed former Downtown Now! director and current Pulaski Bank president Tom Reeves to fill one three suddenly open seats on the seven-member board of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA).
The board is scheduled to vote Sept. 27 on Blunt's $350 million plan to divert funds liquidate assets from the college loan system to pay for construction projects at universities around the state.
Reeves is also a member of the special committee created by Mayor Francis Slay to examine the proposal to allow BJC Hospital to expand its use of a portion of Forest Park land.
We've obviously made some changes around here. As we approach our One Year Anniversary on October 16, we're updating the site a bit. Let us know what you think.
The Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy and the Missouri Transportation Institute will be sponsoring a forum this week on the challenges to people and businesses expected from the planned reconstruction of Interstate 64 (Highway 40).
"Jobs and Community Life During the I-64 Reconstruction" will be held Friday, September 22, from 7:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom (Room 310), Anheuser-Busch Hall, on Washington University's Danforth Campus. The audience will be invited to take part in a panel discussion led by Kurt Odenwald, County Councilman from the 5th District of St. Louis County, and two nationally known transportation experts -- Genevieve Giuliano, professor and senior associate dean for research and technology at the University of Southern California; and Joseph Giglio, a senior academic specialist and executive professor at Northeastern University. Click here for more info.
Music legend Willie Nelson, who was recently in St. Louis to endorse U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, was issued a misdemeanor citation this morning for possession of narcotic mushrooms and marijuana.
According to the AP, Louisiana State Police stopped Nelson's tour bus early this morning for a routine commercial inspection when a state trooper smelled marijuana inside. Police seized about 1.5 pounds of marijuana and two-tenths of a pound of mushrooms.
PUB DEF interviewed McCaskill just a few weeks ago standing in front of that very bus. We had joked with her communications director, Adrianne Marsh, earlier that day about whether Willie Nelson's tour bus is a place a Senate candidate really wants to be in the final weeks of the campaign.
UPDATE: The McCaskill Campaign has some more star support. Rock star and Missouri native Sheryl Crow has recorded a video message in support of Claire McCaskill. Click here to watch it.
POLICE BOARD TO VOTE ON CIVILIAN RESIDENCY -- BEFORE VOTERS GET TO
By Antonio D. French
On November 7, city voters are scheduled to vote on a non-binding referendum that would again let their feeling be known about the police department's residency requirement. But it appears the state-controlled police board won't be waiting to hear what voters have to say.
St. Louis Police Board President Chris Goodson has scheduled a vote this week on lifting the requirement for civilian employees to live in the City of St. Louis. The vote will be Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the department's headquarters, 1200 Clark Avenue.
We have requested comments from Goodson and board member Mayor Francis Slay, who told PUB DEF last month that he hoped the police board would wait until after the citizens were allowed to vote in November.
Slay said that referendum vote would be a "more accurate representation of what the people of St. Louis want" than the series of public meetings held by the board over the past few months.
SMART PLAY, REGARDLESS - The Kansas City Star's Steve Kraske gave U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill props for the "Smart Move of the Week" for buying 100 tickets to last weekend's Rams game, helping to ensure the game would be broadcast locally. "It gave McCaskill a big splash of free media in the state's largest media market," wrote Kraske.
But some Republicans are talking conspiracy. STLMedia.net is reporting allegations that the McCaskill campaign and the KMOV sales department made a deal to give the campaign TV coverage in exchange for the buying the tickets, valued at $4,400.
"The sell-out made it possible for KMOV to air the game, which otherwise would have been blacked out locally," writes Mike Anderson. "Unconfirmed, so far, but eminently believable: without a News Director and GM Alan Cohen out of town, the Sales Manager forced the deal through, promising the news coverage in return for the sell-out of tickets so the game could air and thus be sponsored locally."
CAPITOL INACTION - As legislators gathered in Jefferson City last week for their annual Veto Session, many observers were left wondering, "What's the point?"
In the constitutionally required session, the State Legislature declined to override any of Gov. Matt Blunt's vetoes (he only made four line-item budget vetoes this year) and a move to restore some of the Governor's harmful reductions in Medicaid benefits didn't even make it on the agenda.
"We could've ensured some of our most vulnerable citizens could continue to report for work. But we didn't," State Sen. Maida Coleman told the Associated Press.
One cynical Capitol observer noted that, despite accomplishing next to nothing, all of the legislators that showed up did get paid for their efforts -- and if they opted to stay overnight, they got paid for that too. For those that did stay overnight, several lobbyist-sponsored Shindigs kept them from getting too bored in their hotel rooms.
THE AIR WAR - Both Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill are duking it out on the tube now. After a month-long headstart in which incumbent Talent ran unanswered commercials touting his centrist "political party's don't matter" message, challenger McCaskill joined the TV fight last week with an ad featuring her mom, daughter, and true-and-through Missouri values.
The Hill'sJonathan E. Kaplanreported on a survey which showed both ads appealing to centrist voters. From his article:
The survey conducted by Wilson Research Strategies showed that the advertisements were equally appealing: Talent's ad was slightly more effective than McCaskill's ad, 42 to 38 percent. But among independents, McCaskill's ad trumped Talent's by 42 to 34 percent.
Nevertheless, neither ad was particularly impressive to the respondents in terms of message, effectiveness or an ad that "I would talk about." Both ads scored lower than the average in each category. Yet they were equally appealing, earning a 5.8 on a 10-point scale. McCaskill's ad was more memorable.
Kaplan quotes political handicapper Stuart Rothenberg calling the race a "toss-up", but adding he thought of the five most vulnerable Republican seats, the Republicans are most likely to hold Talent's.
Aldermanic Board President Jim Shrewsbury will be holding an "evening of political dialogue" Thursday, Sept. 21, at The Royale, 3132 S. Kingshighway. Various friends, prognosticators and characters (including Royale proprietor Steve "Iron Skillet" Smith) are promised to be in attendance. And of course, political contributions will be accepted.
Next week, the 6th Ward Democrats will be holding a fundraiser at the home of Committeeman Patrick Cacchione, 3419 Hawthorne Boulevard. The "Taste of the 6th Ward" will feature dishes from ward restaurants, including Panama Red's, The Pepper Lounge, The Tap Room, Sqwires, and Tanner B's. It all happens on Wednesday, Sept. 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
