“Old Ward System Has Lost Clout in City Politics”
The above was the headline in the Post-Dispatch on a story about the decline in importance of the old ward system. The author, Jo Mannies, quoted 11th Ward Alderman Matt Villa:
“If you are naive enough to count on ward endorsements to carry the day, you’re completely out of touch with reality.”
I could not agree more. The 25th Ward organization only has 26 voting members – possibly less at this point because we barely made quorum at the January meeting. The ward system is an old relic.
19th Ward Alderman Mike McMillan is quoted regarding the rise of the internet and how it makes the ward organizations less important:
“The average citizen has much more immediate access to information about government,” McMillan said. “They no longer need to rely on precinct captains or committeemen.”
The story continues:
The result is a growing number of Internet blogs that focus solely on city and regional politics, such as the Arch City Chronicle and St. Louis Oracle. Such blogs are popular among city political activists.
Such is the reason for this website – to communicate as much information to as many people as possible. This contrasts sharply with the old fashioned method of getting fed bits and pieces of information at sparsely attended neighborhood meetings.
– Steve