PubDef had a front-row seat to history last night.

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

The mayor’s education liaison’s PR event with a group of St. Louis Public Schools students Friday got a little too real when a parent asked why recently air conditioned schools were closed and sold off by the past school board supported by Mayor Francis Slay.

Robyn Wahby told parent Yolanda Nelson that the mayor’s office had nothing to do with that decision, that it was entirely the decision of the school district, a separate government entity.

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Despite Wahby’s assertion to a parent, the mayor’s office — through Wahby — was indeed very much involved in decisions made by the school boards of 2003 through 2006, including big ones like:

• the decision to hire a $425 per hour New York-based corporate “turn-around” firm to run the district for a year;
• the decision to close 16 schools (mostly in north St. Louis); and
• the decision to outsource the district’s food service and maintenance.

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE

At a panel discussion on race and politics yesterday, Democratic State Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal and Republican State Rep. candidate Shamed Dogan sparred over Dogan’s assertion that intermarriage is one of the best ways to reach a “color-blind” society.

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PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE

During a panel discussion hosted by Congresswoman (and St. Louis native) Maxine Waters (D-CA) at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington D.C. last weekend, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons made a surprise visit and jumped into a discussion about the use of words like “nigga,” “bitch,” and “ho” in urban music.

Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, talked about his recent appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s show, where he discussed the same topic. He said that appearance may have been a mistake because the audience already had their minds made up and weren’t hearing what he had to say. Simmons soon found some panelists and audience members in D.C. also had their own strong opinions on the subject.

Simmons received some opposition from some of his fellow panelists, including a spoken word artist and actor Hill Harper, who was recently in St. Louis at a St. Louis American Salute to Excellence banquet.

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The head of the Democratic Party, former Vermont governor and Presidential candidate, Howard Dean, stopped by to say a few words at the annual Missouri Walk of Fame reception hosted by Congressmen Lacy Clay (St. Louis) and Emmanuel Cleaver (Kansas City).

At a 1st Ward neighborhood meeting this morning, Mayor Francis Slay broke the news of the arrest of three youths in the shooting death of police officer Norvelle Brown.

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE

State Rep. John Bowman told PUB DEF today that under his leadership the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus (MLBC) will continue on the road to becoming an influential player in the State Capitol, despite several members leaving the organization and forming a new caucus last week.

He disputed reports that there are now more African-American House members in the newly formed spin-off organization than are left in the MLBC. “That’s inaccurate,” said Bowman.

PUB DEF was the first to report last week that what was expected to be a normal fight for caucus chairmanship between Bowman and State Rep. Rodney Hubbard ended in several House members accusing Bowman of cheating and using strong-arm tactics to silence his colleagues.

Within hours of Thursday’s meeting, a new organization called the Urban Progressive Caucus (UPC) was being formed, with at least nine state representatives defecting from the MLBC.

Bowman said the state’s three African-American senators (Maida Coleman, Rita Days and Yvonne Wilson) are still in the MLBC, as are the caucus’ “most effective legislators”.

Bowman said those state reps that are criticizing his leadership “never came to meetings” and “never put any work in” to build the organization.

Bowman said he did what he had to do to prevent the caucus from being led by those focused on a single issue — school vouchers. Hubbard and his close ally, State Rep. Ted Hoskins, have been vocal supporters of a form of vouchers (or “school choice”). Both are now members of the new UPC.

But State Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, also a defecting black caucus member, has been a vocal critic of vouchers, even helping to oust Hoskins from the chairmanship back in April in large part over his strong support of the issue.

In the past, she and Hubbard have been seen as bitter political enemies. But last week the two put their differences aside.

“For Rodney and I to come together would not have happened unless for these extraordinary conditions,” Nadal told PUB DEF.

“This has nothing to do with school vouchers. It has everything to do with [Bowman’s] failed leadership and ego,” she said.

When asked how Nadal’s involvement fits into his description of a single-issue agenda causing this fight, Bowman said, “I can’t explain what Maria does from minute-to-minute.”

“I refuse to even try to understand her anymore,” said Bowman.

Nadal points to herself and at least five other members of the new caucus that are anti-vouchers — State Reps. Jamilah Nasheed (St. Louis City), Connie Johnson (St. Louis City), Martin Rucker (St. Joseph), Michael Brown (Kansas City), and Leonard Hughes (Kansas City).

Hughes agreed that what happened had nothing to do with vouchers.

“It’s about a breath of fresh air in the new millennium,” said Hughes.

“I don’t think John Bowman is a bad leader. I just think it was a bad situation for everybody.”

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Hundreds of people were standing in line this morning at the corner of West Florissant and Jennings Station Road in north St. Louis waiting to help flush out voters for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill.

There is some confusion among the potential workers in line just what they will be doing and how much they will be paid.

Some people near the back of the line think they are going to be paid between $300 and $250 for the day, while others closer to the front think the pay is around $9 per hour.

Some said they thought think they’ll be working a poll. Others said they thought they would be going door-to-door. But all seemed to be clear on one thing: that they would be voting for the Democrat, Claire McCaskill, today.

Stay with PUBDEF.NET today for hourly updates.

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

The first votes have arrived at the St. Louis City Board of Elections. Election judges arrived at in police cars around 12:30 carrying white boxes filled with optical scan ballots.

Election officials said no vote totals will be released until after the polls close.

Stay with PUBDEF.NET today for hourly updates.