HUDZ Committee & Aldermanic Courtesy
The controversial Board Bill #39, to amend the Grand/Gravois/Meramec redevelopment area to allow a drive-thru on a single parcel along the mile-long area (encompassing 61 acres), is not on the formal agenda for the Housing, Urban Design and Zoning Committee meeting for this Wednesday morning at 10am (room 208 city hall).
Committee Chair Alfred Wessels (13th Ward), probably one of the strongest supporters of aldermanic courtesy, has the ability to allow for last minute additions to the agenda. We’ll see if he tries to pull a fast one to help out his colleague in need.
Wessels has told me directly he supports the old practice of “deferring” to the wishes of an alderman as they assume he/she knows what is best for their own ward. Back in the day when nothing new was being built and aldermen were just handing out patronage jobs and putting up stop signs, where requested, such a practice might have been OK. Wessels has been in office so long it is likely a challenge for him to think any differently than they have for decades.
But this old school tradition sells the city short — big time. Today’s developments are bigger in scale than anything we’ve seen for a good 40 years yet we are treating major planning issues like small time concerns. Nobody in city government is looking out for the city as a whole. We’ve adopted a new strategic land use plan but it is a worthless document until our zoning is modernized from its 1940s roots.
Planning wise the city is in a mess. Aldermen are selfishly protecting their territories to the detriment of the city as a whole. Aldermanic courtesy must end if we are to update our zoning and look at how we are to redevelop those areas of the city that have been damaged through suburban sprawl and abandonment over the last 50 years. We cannot thrive under the current political structure.
Those aldermen, such as Florida and Wessels, who support Aldermanic Courtesy need to be sent back to their day jobs or at the very least get a strong message that we will no longer tolerate them deferring their legislative duties to the wishes of a single person.
– Steve
Let’s guess at which aldermen would support an end to the tradition of aldermanic courtesy.
It would be great to hear a whole program of “The Wire” devoted to the topic of aldermanic courtesy.
A debate perhaps…between Steve Patterson Jennifer Florida?
“Those aldermen, such as Florida and Wessels, who support Aldermanic Courtesy need to be sent back to their day jobs or at the very least get a strong message that we will no longer tolerate them deferring their legislative duties to the wishes of a single person.”
Amen, brother. St. Louis has suffered long enough from this passing of the buck.
It’s the old world tradition versus Generation XY and Z’s quest for an urban vision for STL.
However, it’s the baby boomers (and their parents) still running the show.
And voting.
What office holder today would ever rock the boat on aldermanic courtesy?
Craig Schmid tried and look what they did to him.
Don’t forget Sharon Tyus, who valiantly stood up against the tradition for years. She roasted along with Schmid in the worst example of aldermanic courtesy ever: the 2001-2 redistricting scheme. (Where was “progressive Lyda” then? Shrewsbury?) Their wards were both destroyed by a bunch of clowns who could not stand the examples being set by these two actual legislators.
I agree completely.
This “tradition” (for lack of a better term) will continue as long as the alderman/woman are cut from the same cloth ya know?
I hate to admit it but I dont see this ending anytime soon due to what culture clash brought up- boomers versus gen xy.
I’m involved in my ward and I do get the feeling that there is a tug of war for the power between the groups. Its like they want us to takeover but on their terms. Some of the old guard are just ready to hand it over and say run with it- it’s a strange dichotmy.
HOWEVER- that isnt to say that all is lost. I know of at least three people my age that are ready to run for alderman and a host of others who want to run for state rep once term limits come up.
Dont forget that redistricting is also going to be coming up soon