Monday, May 14, 2012
A June 5 vote is planned in St. Louis county and city on Proposition Y, along with eight charter amendments aimed at increasing the efficiency and transparency of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District.
People living in the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) can't change the fact that their sewer bills are going to rise incrementally over the next several years, Ed Rhode said. What they can control is the rate at which that change happens. That's why Rhode and Mike Kelley—members of the pro-Proposition Y committee Clean Water STL—are encouraging residents of St. Louis County and St. Louis city to vote yes on the $945 million bond issue June 5. MSD gave a presentation to Manchester aldermen in June, 2011 about the pending rate hike. (Read Previous Story: Sewer Rate Increase, City Audit, Arts Council Top Aldermen Meeting) In November, 2011 the City of Manchester voted to send notice to MSD that it does not support the rake hike. It…
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Former Rep. Gina Walsh is aiming for a spot in the State Senate.
Former state Rep. Gina Walsh (D-Bellefontaine Neighbors) continues to rack up endorsements in her bid for the 13th District Senate seat. Walsh this week said that she had been officially endorsed by St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, not a surprising development since the Democratic official attended her kick-off party earlier this year. She also received backing from St. Louis County Councilman Mike O’Mara (D-Florissant), Councilwoman Kathleen Burkett (D-Overland) and Councilman Pat Dolan (D-Richmond Heights). Walsh was also endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents thousands of police officers across the state. “As the largest law enforcement organization in Missouri, representing over 5,000 sworn law …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Area state senate and general assembly races are still changing after the filing deadline.
There’s one less Democratic candidate in the race for the 1st Senatorial District, which encompasses a sizable portion of south St. Louis County. Michael Vogt, an Affton resident who served four terms in the Missouri House, withdrew his candidacy earlier this week. Vogt, an attorney, raised only $100 during the past fundraising quarter, a far cry from either Rep. Scott Sifton (D-Affton) or former state Rep. Sue Schoemehl (D-Oakville). Whoever wins the primary between Sifton and Schoemehl will face incumbent state Sen. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay). While the redistricted 1stDistrict is more Democratic, Lembke does have a sizable campaign war chest. That could come in handy, especially since his first bid for the state Senate was one of the more …
Friday, May 11, 2012
This edition of Political Potpourri has campaign machinations on both sides of the race to be Missouri's next U.S. Senator.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) made an appearance this week on The Colbert Report, a popular satirical news show on Comedy Central. The first-term senator spent time on the show talking about her latest ad, which hones on third-party organizations that have been running ads against her. “Stephen, as he always does, used his character to point out the absurd loopholes in federal election law that allow corporations and special interests to anonymously influence the political system. I applaud the work he and his show do to educate America about 501(c)(4) organizations and secret money,” McCaskill said in a letter to supporters. “But, until the system is fixed, secret money will continue to flow into Missouri and attack me. As I said, if…
Friday, May 4, 2012
Pending student loan legislation is a source of controversy in the race to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate.
Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) got some press in late April after President Barack Obama alluded to the U.S. Senate hopeful’s comments about government-backed student loans. At a debate in Columbia, Akin said the following about pending student loan legislation: "America has got the equivalent of the stage three cancer of socialism because the federal government is tampering in all kinds of stuff it has no business tampering in. So first, to answer your question precisely, what the democrats did to get rid of the private student loans and take it all over by the government was wrong, it was a lousy bill, that's why I voted 'no.'" Soon after Akin made that statement, Obama told a crowd at the University of Iowa that “you’ve got one member of …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Chesterfield is in nearby district, but Carnahan could have run in either district.
U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis) scored a major endorsement Tuesday from the head of Missouri's Democratic Party. Gov. Jay Nixon issued a press release in support of Clay, who faces a primary fight from fellow incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis.) "For over 25 years, Lacy Clay has been a powerful voice for working families and a tireless advocate for the people of St. Louis," Nixon said. "He’s the right man to continue serving the people of the First Congressional District, and I fully support his re-election." City of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley backed Clay earlier, when Carnahan said he was in the 1st District contest. Clay also received the support of the local …
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The Attorney is using an old ambulance to collect petition signatures.
Chalk this up as one of the more unusual transportation vehicles utilized during the 2012 election season: St. Louis City attorney Ed Martin’s campaign for attorney general is using a retrofitted ambulance aimed at showcasing the Republican’s opposition to President Barack Obama’s health care plan. Martin’s campaign announced last week that the “Ed Martin for Attorney General Campaign ‘Stop Obamacare’ Ambulance” would be traveling around the state to collect signatures against the health care law passed in 2010. “We are inviting citizens from across the state to come out to the ‘Stop Obamacare’ Ambulance Tour and sign the petition to stop the implementation of Obamacare here in Missouri,” Martin said in a statement. “The petition is meant…
Friday, April 20, 2012
Also, find out why Newt Gingrich may not be a fan of the St. Louis Zoo, and we have links to this weekend's congressional district caucus events.
The tea party movement’s activism may have helped tip the 2010 election cycle to Republicans, especially since dedicated volunteers helped Republicans win the U.S. House and close the gap in the U.S. Senate. So it’s no surprise that candidates—including the three major Republicans running for the U.S. Senate in Missouri—are trying to gather support from tea party organizations and political figures. But one of the interesting aspects of the movement is its inherent decentralization—no one entity speaks for everybody. For instance, former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman announced a few weeks ago an endorsement from Tea Party Express, a California-based group that touts itself as the “nation’s largest tea party political action committee.” “…
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Chesterfield incumbents sworn in post-election.
After municipal Judge Rick Brunk swore in four incumbent councilmembers Wednesday night at City Hall, Chesterfield City Council President Pro Tem Michael Casey announced committee assignments for the new year (based on the election April 3.). Committees are created from among the city's eight councilmembers (two from each ward.) Committees are on specific topics. Chairpersons of city committees like finance, and planning, typically carry the lion's share of work among council members. The teams meet separately from the monthly council meetings, and make recommendations to the council at large, for action. Committee Chairs: However, paid city staff typically does the research, presentations and legwork on every issue before the city, to …
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday reorganization brings new names and officers.
In its first post-election meeting, Parkway School District installed its Board of Education members and elected new officers. Newly-elected director Kim Appelbaum—no relation to existing school board member Tom Appelbaum—was sworn in Wednesday night, as was re-elected incumbent Beth Feldman. Feldman subsequentally was elected president of the board by her peers, after serving as vice president last school year. Director Chris Jacob was outgoing president of the board. Director Dee Mogerman was unanimously selected vice president. Incumbent Helen Casteel lost to Kim Appelbaum and Feldman in the April 3 election, where the contest was three candidates for two seats on the 7-member board. Casteel told the school board Wednesday that she was …
Don Zykan
6:23 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
Gina Walsh is a person of high character and integrity, and should be highly considered as a first choice to represent this area as our State Senator. more ›