Will She Or Won’t She?

Yesterday I updated my St Louis Municipal Elections Spring 2009 page with all the candidates that have filed for office as of the last date published by the St Louis Board of Election Commissioners, 11/25/08. I’ve added a few additional names to the list for those that I’ve read are running but did not file as of the date of the last list.

In 2009 we will elect Mayor, Comptroller and Aldermen for the 14 odd-numbered wards for a total of 16 races. Based on filed and announced candidates, only four of those are contested at this point. The remaining 12 face no opposition.Talk about apathy of voters all you want but it is the apathy of citizens to seek office that gets me. Anytime I talk about term limits someone always says to just elect someone else. Sure that sounds good, but when your ballot only has a single candidate for a race that is rather hard to do.

No candidate, even if I like them, should be elected to office due to the lack of an opponent. People tell me they’ve thought about running but the incumbents bank account intimidates them – keeping them out of the race. Term limits are an effective way to open races up periodically. I think we need term limits for all city offices set at three 4-year terms. This will give a person plenty of time to accomplish their agenda, retains institutional memory but open up races so that voters will have a choice of candidates. I had previously said the limit should be 8 years but 12 may be a better compromise.

A 3-term limit in effect today would prevent seven incumbents from running for the same office in 2009: Darlene Green, Greg Carter, April Ford Griffin, Joe Roddy, Phyllis Young, Matt Villa and Fred Wessels. For Young & Wessels, 2009 marks 24 years in office – they are both going for their 7th terms! Some of you reading this site were not event born when they were first elected to office. When was the last time they had an opponent? Asked another way, when was the last time voters in their wards had an option to elect someone else?

In the 23rd Ward we have a 4-way race so far. If Francis Slay had not stepped up the political ladder he’d be the only person in that race. If the incumbent, Kathleen Hanrahan, was running again we most likely would not see any of the current four that are running in the race.

In the 25th, my previous ward, everyone is wondering if Dorothy Kirner will run for a second full term. Kirner defeated me 55.9%-44.1% in 2005 after she won a 2004 special election to fill a vacancy when her husband, Ald Daniel Kirner, passed away. Filing remains open until January 2, 2009. Angie Singler, whom I’ve endorsed, was the second person to file for any race when the filing opened on 11/24/08. As such her name will be first on the ballot in the 25th Ward race. Shane Cohn, who I also know, has declared himself a candidate. If Kirner signals to others before filing closes that she is not going to run again I think we will see more candidates in this race – others may just be sitting on the sidelines patiently waiting their turn.

The next few months are going to be interesting.