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DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
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Statement from Lt. Governor Peter Kinder regarding the passing of former Lt. Governor Harriett Woods...
"Harriet Woods was a pioneer in Missouri and national politics, and her impact upon the lives of Missourians will be felt and remembered for many years to come. I urge us all to celebrate the life of Harriet Woods, for a life well lived."
Harriett Friedman Woods (born June 2, 1927) is an American politician and activist, a two-time Democratic nominee for the United States Senate from Missouri, and a former Lieutenant Governor of the state of Missouri.
Woods was born Harriett Friedman, in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her BA degree in philosophy from the University of Michigan. She married Jim Woods on January 2, 1953. Before beginning her career in politics, Woods worked as a journalist and TV producer. Her political career began as a member of the University City Council in 1962, where she served for eight years. Woods was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1976 and was re-elected in 1980. In 1982, she made a strong bid for the US Senate, running against incumbent Republican John Danforth. Aided by a strong grassroots base that rallied under the slogan, "Give them hell, Harriett!" (a play on a similar slogan used by supporters of another Missourian, Harry Truman), Woods built up a political presence in the state. Danforth defeated Woods by a margin of less than two percent. Some have argued that the deciding margin in the campaign was Woods strong support for abortion rights in a state where rural voters generally oppose abortion.
Two years later, Woods ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor. Her name recognition from the Senate race gave her a significant advantage. She succeeded in her bid, even as voters elected the deeply conservative John Ashcroft as Governor and as President Ronald Reagan carried Missouri on his way to a 49-state re-election victory. Woods was the first woman elected to statewide office in Missouri.
In 1986, she once again was chosen as the Democratic nominee for the Senate, this time running against former Governor Kit Bond for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Thomas Eagleton. In another tight race, Woods lost by a five-point margin. She served as Lieutenant Governor until 1989.
Since her retirement, she has remained prominent, especially as an activist for women in politics. From 1991-1995 she was president of the National Women's Political Caucus. In 1999 she was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. In January 2001 she joined other Missouri Democrats to oppose the nomination of John Ashcroft for U.S. Attorney General.
State Rep. Connie Johnson will be hosting a public forum to encourage open dialog with the Police Board on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in the auditorium of Northwest High School, 5140 Riverview Blvd.
The Forum will be co-hosted by the Northside Neighborhood Action Association, Area F Neighborhood Counsel, the Organization for Black Struggle, and the Urban Progressive Caucus.
This is the first of several forums being conducted by the Board of Police Commissioners; however this forum will focus specifically on the activity that has occurred in the Walnut Park and the Mark Twain Neighborhoods.
Walnut Park and Mark Twain are part of the 6th Police District where two new appointments have been made. Alfred Adkins is the new Major for North Patrol and Dan Isom is the new Captain. Both Akins and Isom, who are residents of the district, have previously worked in the District and will be in attendance at the forum.
Comptroller Darlene Green, nor Aldermanic President Jim Shrewsbury, would second Mayor Francis Slay's motion today to approve the lease agreement that would have allowed BJC Hospital to expand into a small portion of Forest Park on which it already operates a parking garage.
Green and Shrewsbury's silence came just minutes ago at a morning meeting of the three-member Board of Estimate and Apportionment.
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.
6th Ward Candidates on Reducing the Size of the Board of Aldermen
By Antonio D. French
The three candidates vying to be the next alderman from the 6th Ward met last night for a debate hosted by the Downtown Residents' Association and the League of Women Voters.
Candidates Patrick Cacchione, Christian Saller and Kacie Starr Triplett were asked for their opinions on a wide range of topics. Throughout the day, we'll post videos of some of their answers.
A special meeting of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment has been scheduled for Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in City Hall Room 200. The meeting agenda has not yet been posted, but will be sometime this morning.
The three-member Board of E&A is made up of the mayor, the comptroller and the president of the Board of Aldermen.
6th Ward Alderman candidate Kacie Starr Triplett has posted a new web commercial on her campaign website. The spot, produced by A.D. French & Associates, highlights Triplett's campaign pledge to be the most accessible and responsive alderman at city hall.
All three candidates have been invited to a debate tonight at 7:00 at the Central Library, 1301 Olive St., hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Downtown Residents Association.
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.
The editorial board of the Post-Dispatch told its urban readers yesterday that they don't give a damn about what they think about the future of their public schools — and neither should the state.
"Let's get real," said the editors condescendingly. The editorial says that sure, at the first and only opportunity the public has had to let its feelings be heard about this matter, hundreds of people showed up to clearly, and often very articulately, express their opposition. But what do they know?
The Post says the public should not trust in the ability of the current superintendent, Dr. Diana Bourisaw, but rather in the wisdom of Mayor Francis Slay (who brought us such figures as Veronica O'Brien and Dr. William Kincaid) and the sensitivity of Gov. Matt Blunt (who's said that nobody in their right mind would live in St. Louis City).
The Post says the parents, voters and taxpayers of the City should trust that what is being threatened will only be "temporary" and in ten years the politicians will give us our rights back. Kind of like state control of our police department was just a temporary action when the nation was gripped in civil conflict.
The Postjoins its partner the American in asking the public to have faith in something for which their is no proof; that the State of Missouri or any three people it empowers can do what has, so far, been very difficult for us to do locally: get parents, teachers, school board members, political leaders, civic leaders, the business community, the general public, and the media to focus on the needs of young people in the City of St. Louis and help them, in all parts of their lives, prepare for a better future.
Just one problem: There's nothing about how to do that in the Danforth-Freeman report. A takeover in no way guarantees success. In fact, no plan at all has been presented on how the state plans to improve the district. But Dr. Bourisaw has.
And the reality that DESE, the Danforth-Freeman committee, the Post-Dispatch, and the American never seem to acknowledge is that SLPS is just recovering from one takeover. From 2003 to 2006, the district was under the de facto authority of the mayor's office. And during that time, things got worse.
During the same period, the Wellston school district was under the authority of DESE and the Governor's office. And things got worse.
So what now, by bringing these two failures of leadership together, are the people and parents of St. Louis promised in exchange for turning over their power, tax dollars and children?
And as one speaker at last week's public forum asked so appropriately: If ten years from now we find ourselves in the very likely situation of having a failing, state-operated school district, then what? Will they hand it back to the voters? What is the exit strategy?
There are few times in history that power is given up and given back without a fight. The editors at the Post-Dispatch and the St. Louis American must excuse us if we don't share in their faith in the abilities or promises of politicians.
It is up to the people and parents of the City of St. Louis to make right our own house. The state can aid in that by: better funding public education across the state, passing Sen. Maida Coleman's bill to allow for the recall of school board members, and respecting the rights of the citizens of this city as you do those of people elsewhere in this state by allowing our vote to mean something on April 3, 2007.
"Harriet Woods was a pioneer in Missouri and national politics, and her impact upon the lives of Missourians will be felt and remembered for many years to come. I urge us all to celebrate the life of Harriet Woods, for a life well lived."
