My Endorsement for President of the Board of Aldermen
Regular readers know that I love incumbents to be challenged — nothing worse than someone getting elected for a four-year term simply due to the lack of a challenger. I’m also fond of giving the new guy a chance, especially if the incumbent has been in that office a while. So where am I on the race for President of the Board of Aldermen? I’m not a huge booster of incumbent Jim Shrewsbury but I am opposed to Lewis Reed. Let me explain.
I’m going to go right for big issue — race! I personally don’t vote on race and would hope that nobody does. Sadly, the reality is that white & black voters alike do too often vote on race. And candidates on both sides can sometimes use that to their advantage. From PubDef this morning:
Reed is trying to become the first African-American ever elected President of the Board of Aldermen and the first black to unseat a white incumbent in a citywide election in 25 years.
Funny, I thought Reed was trying to become a better President of the Board of Aldermen? I’ve seen similiar statements elsewhere which makes the campaign about race, not city-wide issues. From the St. Louis American on January 3rd:
If Reed beats Shrewsbury on March 6, he and Green would form an African-American majority on E & A. This would be the second time in the city’s history that blacks formed a majority on the city’s chief fiscal board. From 1993 to 1997, Bosley was mayor and Virvus Jones was the city’s first black comptroller.
I may be an exception, but I really don’t care what the race is of my elected officials as long as they are representing the interests of the city. However, I have commented that our elected officials are not fully representative as we do not have any asian or latino representation as well as many of the other ethnicities that make up our population. Everything is black vs. white.
For a number of years now we’ve had a white majority on E&A with Slay & Shrewsbury but that has seemed to make little difference in the final outcome of votes. All three have shown a willingness to vote with or against the others as it should be. Shrewsbury has twice ran for Comptroller against black candidates and lost.
At some point our city must address the issue of race. A city-wide election between a white candidate and a black candidate is not the time to do that. Mayor Slay needs to pick a non-election year and hold some on-going forums to hash out issues and concerns over race. During the election cycle a white candidate simply cannot say the black candidate is taking the black vote for granted and the black candidate can’t help sounding as though the only reason they are running is to shift racial power at city hall.
Both Jim Shrewsbury and Lewis Reed have supporters on their sides that gives me reason to doubt both. Shrewsbury has some of the white good-ole-boy network in his corner while Reed has both black & white political insiders in his corner. Jennifer ‘Drive-Thru’ Florida’s early backing of Reed turned me off right away. Ald. Phyllis ‘Raze Bohemien Hill’ Young supporting Shrewsbury is equally offensive. There are some people, elected & non-elected, backing each candidate that I like and respect so this does little to help in a decision.
Both candidates are political creatures. Shrewsbury has been in the game longer than Reed giving him some more experience, quite possibly a bad thing. Shrewsbury as the incumbent came into the race with a huge advantage — only needing to prove why he should remain. Reed’s task became having to prove why we should dump Shrewsbury and select him, no easy thing to do. As a result, his campaign has gone to the negative side while Shrewsbury has had the comfort of taking the high road in most cases.
St. Louis Oracle, on his site, had an interesting post about role reversal in this contest, concluding with:
So, in this classic match up, the slick black dude is the proponent of Big Business, tax cuts for the rich, and “trickle-down†economics, while the little nerdy white guy is the true representative of ordinary people. Go figure.
Oracle has also endorsed Shrewsbury, here is a quote from his endorsement:
Shrewsbury is a principled, matter-of-fact, no-nonsense guy who doesn’t “showboat†to the media. Reed has criticized Shrewsbury’s lack of “vision,†without really saying what that means. The contrast is reminiscent of that between Former Mayor Vince Schoemehl and Former County Executive Gene McNary. In describing their joint efforts for the region in the 1980s, Schoemehl explained that McNary “sold the steak,†while Schoemehl “sold the sizzle.†Notably, sizzle-selling Schoemehl’s ward organization backs Reed. But the “vision†thing doesn’t resonate with me. If “vision†means new proposals and new ideas, let’s see them! Reed offers hardly any specifics. The appeal seems to be an attempt to tap into the “style over substance†trend that is infecting society. I don’t buy it.
My reality is that I don’t have high expectations for the issues that matter to me, such as a new zoning code, to be any different regardless of who wins. However, I think I have a better chance of getting Jim Shrewsbury to listen and be responsive. He may not look it, but in many respects he is quite progressive minded. Reed simply has not impressed me to this point and I have no incentive to elect a black man to the position just for the sake of doing so. Tomorrow vote to re-elect Jim Shrewsbury.
“Funny, I thought Reed was trying to become a better President of the Board of Aldermen? I’ve seen similiar statements elsewhere which makes the campaign about race, not city-wide issues…..
I may be an exception, but I really don’t care what the race is of my elected officials as long as they are representing the interests of the city.”
I am with you 100% Steve on the President issue. I hope I don’t offend anyone but I have a problem. I am a little T.O.’d that this election is viewed as a B/W game on the Reed Camp. What about the rest of us who aren’t white or black? Do we give a damn about Reed being the first Black to do this or the first Black to do that? I think this election should be about the people of St. Louis. In addition PubDef has lost credibility in my eyes as he(Reed Camp) has focused on race. I have met BOTH candidates. I have talked to both candidates. I will choose the candidate with the best qualifications and character.
I really want someone new in the office but unfortunately, I am not convinced that Reed is that man.
Please. Let’s stop talking race all the time! I am NOT white or black and I don’t give a damn if you are the first white/black to do this or that! I want a better city, I want less crime, I want good urban development, I want a prosperous city, I want a clean city, I want more jobs, etc. etc.! For cryin’ out loud – stop talking about race all the time!
Well, I’m pretty much with you on this one. But for similar reasons, I can’t fathom why you’d endorse Galen Gondolfi in the 20th ward. His latest lit piece actually just says “vote for change” without giving reasons why. I don’t really see how his stated agenda is that different from Craig’s; and his open secret liquor license agenda is a distraction from the real issues.
“I have no incentive to elect a black man to the position just for the sake of doing so.”
I don’t think that Reed has said anyone should vote for him because he’s black. If you’re going to hold up historical, factual observations made by others regarding his color as a reason to not vote for him – you are more shallow than you’ve ever indicated before.
Do I understand correctly that you are endorsing Shrewsbury based on what PubDef and St. Louis American wrote about Reed? What about Shrewsbury’s record? He was the lone elected official to support festering KMart during the Southtown redevelopment saga.
You lost me when you said that President Shrewsbury will be more responsive to your needs going forward. Based on what past performance?
“I used the race thing as a segway into my post.”
Is that scooter-speak?
I am a strong supporter of Jim Shrewsbury for a variety of reasons – I don’t always agree with him but I know he is genuinely open to listening to the other side without concern about how much money I have donated to his campaign or who I know that he knows or that he wants to know.
I have found Jim to run his office well, responsibly and conscientously. I have also found Jim to consistently put the city’s concerns before his own!
My list of reasons could go on and on. And, for anyone who knows me, I am probably more picky than you are, Steve, about my ‘civic leaders’ and ‘public servants.’
I think Louis Reed is a nice guy who has not been very responsible in his own ward. Many of his constituents will tell you that. What on earth leaves anyone thinking he will be responsible with the whole city??
All of the above opinions are based on personal experience.
Marti Frumhoff
(not afraid to sign my real name)
So the past performance you’re talking about is returning phone calls and listening to you. Returning phone call is not evidence that he will advance your interests. It’s a track record for a constituent-service styled alderman. That’s a good thing. However, you talk about him being the one more likely to support you on your priorities. He has a perfect track record-on returning phone calls. What’s his track record on the urbanist agenda? Does he have one?
Shrewsbury helped Steve when he ran for alderman. Help in past = help in future.
Great post, Steve. I agree with you that it’s important to vote on the issues rather than subscribe to kneejerk identity politics. (I’m a woman and a feminist, but I’d rather Barack Obama get the nomination over Hillary Clinton, and although I’m not Jewish, I’d support Russ Feingold over either of them if he were in the race.) I don’t agree with Shrewsbury on all the issues, but I respect him for his independence and general integrity. I’ll be voting for him tomorrow, too.
Rene Saller
Regardless of what Antonio thinks, mentioning race, specifically a majority Black E & A, along with the First Black President of the BOA, is meant to unify the vote along racial lines, as well as attract progressives. This is what has happened.
The ad indicates this:
Hey you, black dude, we haven’t had one of our own in a long time, you better get out and vote because we can take over!
Hey you, progressive, we know you have a soft spot for minority representation! Well you know there has never been a black guy as the President? It’s about time they got a chance!
I also believe the push poll, assuming it was conducted by Lewis Reed, had the exact same intent. Paint Jim as a racist thus remove any black and progressive support.
Steve,
You and Antonio were excellent on KDHX last nite. It’s cool that you guys can be on different sides and still be friends. How do you think your analysis that Shrewsbury allowed Darlene to negotiate a better deal with BJC goes over with all the “Our Parks Are Not For Sale” voters for Shrewsbury?
“I do not feel that Reed has proven he will do a better job.”
I don’t think this is a fair judgement – it’s certainly a statement that will basically always favor incumbents. How is Reed supposed to “prove” he will do a better job. My vote for Reed was based on the stuborness shown by Shrewsbury regarding the BJC deal (very early he decided that he wouldn’t talk about it or consider alternatives/compromises). If the President of our Board of Alderman cannot at least talk supportively of the city’s largest employer (and a key component of middle to upper class professional growth in the city), then I think we need a new Alderman. In the end, I wouldn’t hold it against him if he were against the deal, but he should have been a leader on finding a solution for BJC expansion in the city. He did nothing.
anonymous
(still way too ashamed of my political views to ever consider signing my own name)
Oh, Maggie…
Well, all we can do now is hope he works for the best of the city.
When I voted at 5:pm yesterday there had only been 75 people ahead of me..
But I have to add, I got a bad feeling when I saw Veronica O’Brien giving Reed a big hug on the news.
Under the headline in the 3/8-14th issue of “The Saint Louis American” ‘Reed Shocks Shrewsbury’ states “Election brings black majority to city’s chief fiscal body”. Why does “The American” take an ‘us versus’ them approach to this? If “The Post” were to state something like white majority anywhere there would be huge protests.