Davis on Tax Credit, Slay and George

Speaking at a meeting hosted by Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe Wednesday in north St. Louis, freshman alderman Marlene Davis fired off at legislators that voted in favor of the Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit (three of the four northside state reps and both state senators supported it).

She also weighed in on Fire Chief Sherman George’s situation. She said voters should hold Mayor Francis Slay accountable in 2009.

Click To Play

Davis joined Troupe in spreading some incorrect information about the Land Assemblage Tax Credit that caused fear in the minds of many poor homeowners in the audience.

She said the legislation was filled with “jargon” that “doesn’t mean a whole lot other than [developer Paul McKee] can have what he wants and you don’t have no say so.”

That is false.

1. The words which Davis disregarded as “jargon” say that the tax credit can only be awarded after the Board of Aldermen has passed an ordinance approving the redevelopment plan. That process, like with any other bill, means public meetings and hearings.
2. Any “giving private land or property to a developer” has to be initiated and approved by the Board of Aldermen. This piece of legislation has nothing to do with that process.
3. Any properties taken by eminent domain, condemnation, or acquired from the LRA are not eligible for this tax credit. Such properties may be part of the total redevelopment, but only if the ordinance passed by the Board of Aldermen says so.
4. I am not aware of any instance in the history of the Board of Aldermen (and please, if someone knows otherwise, do let me know) when a property was taken by eminent domain without the support of the alderman in whose ward that property was located.
5. Most of the Blairmont property is located in the 5th Ward where Alderman April Ford-Griffin has said repeatedly that she will not support — and in fact, fight — anyone’s property being taken by eminent domain for this project. One can only assume that Davis, in whose ward McKee also owns property, has a similar position.

There is too much on record that developer Paul McKee and the City of St. Louis have done wrong since the inception of this project that there is no need for people to start making things up. It damages the credibility of the valid arguments of people who are serious about making sure this project benefits the people who live there today and it’s irresponsible because it uses lies to scare the shit out of people.

While these people keep spinning the events of two weeks ago they are missing the fight which is going on right now.

Details, details. We’ve said it before and we will keep saying it. The difference between if this thing turns out to be good for St. Louis or very bad for the people who live in the Blairmont area will be in the details.

All the little details not expressly stated in the legislation — you know, all that “jargon” — is being worked out right now by bureaucrats at the Missouri Department of Economic Development in the form of rules. These rules will further lay the groundwork for what can and cannot be done with this money.

Please, no more public meetings and press conferences on old stuff. Three in one week is quite enough.

Will the legislators who are unafraid of big words and legal phrases please get back to the table. This thing is not over.

Look for more videos from Wednesday’s meeting later.

UPDATE: And if you haven’t read the final version of the legislation, here’s a link (see pages 13-18).

And if you’d rather watch someone explain it to you (I know you spoiled PubDef readers like the video stuff), here is a very informative 10-minute video of Sally Hemingway from the Department of Economic Development discussing the tax credit in detail.