Cacchione on Public Service, Gates for Compton Heights and Cigarette Taxes

Last night I attended the 6th Ward debate sponsored by the Downtown Residents Association and the League of Women Voters. Turnout was good despite the weather and all three candidates were in top form. Patrick Cacchione reiterated his many years of experience in public policy — working as a paid lobbyist. So rather than rehash some of the same stuff that was said last night, I thought I’d look into some of Cacchione’s statements from the past.

LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE St. Louis Post-Dispatch February 20, 1997

New Entitlement: Elected Office

If you asked people what they considered the fastest growing entitlement program they might answer Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. However, it appears the fastest growing entitlement in this country is elected office.

Today, elected offices are being transferred from one generation to another like season tickets to the St. Louis Blues games.

Least we think this is a St. Louis phenomenon (Jo Mannies’ Feb. 9 column, “In St. Louis Politics, Family Counts, As The Names Around City Hall Show”), consider the Republican and Democratic conventions we witnessed in August. The keynote for the Republican party was Congresswoman Susan Molinari, daughter of former Congressman Guy Molinari. The keynote for the Democratic party was Evan Bayh, son of former Sen. Birch Bayh.

These speakers were accompanied by a host of other political offspring including Vice President Al Gore, son of Senator Albert Gore Sr., Gov. George Bush, son of former President George Bush (son of Sen. Prescott Bush), Congressman Jesse Jackson, son of presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, Sr., Congressmen Patrick and Joseph Kennedy, son and nephew of Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, daughter of Gov. Alf Landon. The list is endless, Dodd, Cuomo, Daley, etc.

Why is this of concern? It merits our attention for a variety of reasons. It renders “public service” obsolete because the public (except for the wealthy) are excluded, and service has become an entitlement (unearned and expected). The result is a political class that speaks its own language and has its own common experiences, neither of which prepares them to address the needs of the people.

Further, the fact that money or name recognition are increasingly the elements that attain elected office, the average citizen is closed out of the political process. These factors only continue to alienate an already disengaged and apathetic electorate. Which brings us full circle to answer the proverbial “chicken and egg” question: generational politics because of a disengaged electorate or visa-versa?

Patrick J. Cacchione
St. Louis

In St. Louis we have many of the examples Mr. Cacchione cites. Ald. Villa, Ald, Roddy, Ald. Conway, Ald. Kennedy just to name a few. But the issue of entitlement goes beyond simply being related, it goes to being next in line. Mr. Cacchione has said he deserves to be the next alderman for the 6th ward because he has earned it — by dutifully being a part of the 6th Ward Democrats. This entitlement could simplify things so much — why bother with elections. We’ll just have someone take attendance at ward functions and the person with the most gold stars will be the next alderman. He who has been in line the longest gets the job. Such a process takes away all that hard work of sorting through positions on issues. Sadly much of the city’s politicos believe this to be a logical system. Take a look around this city and ask yourself how well that has served us for the last 50 years.

Mr. Cacchione speaks of the wealthy above, speaking a different language. Interestingly, he lives in one of the wealthiest areas of the city: Compton Heights. A few years ago, residents of Compton Heights sought city funding to install a gate to close off access to public streets. Mr. Cacchione was among the supporters. From the Post-Dispatch story GREAT GATE DEBATE IN CITY PITS ISSUES OF SAFETY VS. ISOLATION dated 4/24/2003:

In St. Louis’ Compton Heights, discord is brewing between residents who want a gate at the main entrance to their neighborhood and those who don’t. The neighborhood is bordered by Interstate 44 on the north, Nebraska Avenue on the east, Shenandoah Avenue on the south and Grand Boulevard on the west.

Proponents point to traffic concerns and security, while opponents say not only is a gate unwarranted, but no traffic studies have been done to demonstrate the need, and no vote has been taken on the issue.

They add that a gate would isolate the neighborhood and require the use of city money to close a public street.

But Dr. Shahrdad Khodamoradi, president of the Compton Heights Neighborhood Betterment Association’s 12-member board, says that adding a gate at Grand Boulevard will not create a gated community. The board unanimously supports a gate.

“We’re not closing the neighborhood; we’re closing just one entrance. We’re not creating a gated neighborhood; we’re putting gates that can be opened and closed at Grand,” he said.

Compton Heights is split between two aldermen who disagree on the issue – Alderman Lewis Reed, 6th Ward, and Alderman Phyllis Young, 7th Ward.

Reed has said he is prepared to ask the Board of Aldermen for up to $15,000 in city money to help pay for a gate. A final cost for a gate has not been computed.

“This is an attempt to liberate the neighborhood,” Reed says of the traffic concern – an issue he says has simmered for more than 33 years.

He says the city and residents have looked at other alternatives, including cobblestone strips, at a cost of $180,000, to be placed on the streets as an attempt to slow traffic.

Young said she would be reluctant to support a gate but hasn’t decided how she would vote.

“It seems quite divisive … from what I’ve seen,” she said of the brewing discord.

Opponents suggest that a gate would foster a sense of elitism for the neighborhood.

And yard signs that say “Residents Against Gates” jar the serene impression of the century-old mansions on the neighborhood’s quiet streets with literary names such as Longfellow, Hawthorne and Milton.

Phyllis Calhoun, who has lived on Longfellow for several decades, calls the move to put up a gate “an arrogant breach of authority.”

She says that although at peak traffic times, occasional speeders zoom through the neighborhood, the streets are quieter than most.

Patrick Cacchione, a neighborhood association board member, says the push for a solution to the traffic problem is not new.

“Talking to the fire and the street departments, we’ve concluded that if we want to solve the problem, you put up gates at Grand,” he said.

Reed said he plans to introduce the gate proposal within the next two weeks.

Thankfully Compton Heights didn’t get their costly gates to privatize the public streets, something both Reed & Cacchione supported.
On April 2, 2002 Mr. Cacchione had an editorial in the Post-Dispatch commenting on the state of the city’s health department:

First, there’s a leadership crisis. The department has had five directors in five years and needs a permanent director. Other key staff members are needed as well — particularly a communicable disease physician and a finance director. But budget shortfalls keep those positions unfilled.

The city needs to see the big picture here: It is unconscionable for a major American city to operate one of its most important departments without critical staff needed to do its work.

Second, the Health Department needs to attract top-level talent. Public health is a knowledge-based enterprise. But with its host of problems — and its antiquated city residency requirement — that talent is going elsewhere. Even though the department does not provide medical services, it needs physicians. Right now, only one is on the staff full- time. Our city boasts an excellent school of public health at St. Louis University — but its top students go elsewhere.

Perhaps the note takers could enlighten us on Mr. Cacchione’s view on the “antiquated city residency requirement” as it relates to teachers, police and such. If I am not mistaken, he has recently spoken in favor of the residency requirement? Is it no longer “antiquated.”
For many years Mr. Cacchione lobbyied on behalf of Daughters of Charity National Health System and Carondelet Health System. His letters to the editor on health care issues were thoughful, passionate and very democratic. He spoke elequently of the need for health care for the poor.
So when the issue of an increased cigarette tax came up last year to assist health care providers with funding to help the poor you would have thought Mr. Cacchione would have been right in there working to increase the tax. Well, if you thought that you’d be wrong. From the Post-Dispatch on October 12, 2006:

Missouri voters will decide next month whether to raise the tax on cigarettes by 80 cents a pack and triple the tax on other tobacco products.

Opponents already have blanketed the airwaves with television ads opposing the tax. Many convenience stores and gas stations display “No on Amendment 3” placards.

“We’ve been running a full campaign, with the full anticipation this would be on the ballot,” said Patrick Cacchione, a consultant for an opposing group called Missourians Against Tax Abuse. The group includes cigarette-maker R.J. Reynolds Co., as well as tobacco farmers and retailers.

Mr. Cacchione’s group, Missourians Against Tax Abuse, gave $500 to 17 different wards in the city, including the 6th ward where he was and is the committeeman. The city’s central committee received $5,000. What keeps coming up is how Cacchione spoke before the 6th against the tax increase, convincing ward members to endorse voting no on amendment 3. The one thing he forgot to mention, however, was he was a paid lobbyist working on behalf of the interests of those seeking to kill the amendment. And before you start to think it was a small group of convenience store owners think again, their latest report shows they raised nearly $6 million to defeat the proposal with much of it coming from R.J. Reynolds.

Mr. Cacchione does have far more “experience” than probably his two opponents combined. The problem is that his experience is to say what it takes to win. Last night his answers were great — he said literally everything I wanted to hear while some of Saller’s and Triplett’s answers gave me pause. But that is exactly the problem, he is saying everything we want to hear. If he were to spend his four years as alderman working passionately on behalf of the 6th ward residents and the city as a whole I probably would support the guy, but the words come too easy for him. He seems like the poster child for slick politician. Sixth ward voters need to look to Kacie Starr Triplett or Christian Saller for the less polished but more direct candidate.

Note: St. Louis Post-Dispatch archives are not something I can link to. These can be accessed through their archives system if you desire the full articles.