Poll: Which Race In The August 7th Primary Will Be The Closest?

Often the August partisan primary is rather boring — at least to me some have been. But for 2012 we have hard fought races on the local, state and national level. Incumbents are being challenged from within their own party (Republican & Democrat), redistricting and term limits pits former allies. Fascinating stuff to observe.

The GOP races have candidates fighting to prove who’s the most conservative while Democrats just sling mud at their opponent(s), TV commercials have been non-stop and our mailboxes jammed with slick mailers. I still haven’t decided how I’m going to vote so I’m not making any endorsements.

I want to know which race you think will be the closest in the final vote count, the converse being which will have the biggest spread. Here are the races I’ve picked for this poll, there are others but these are the five I think people are watching closely:

• MO US Senate (GOP: Akin, Beck, Steelman, Brunner, Memoly, Lodes, Poole, Maldonado)
• MO US Rep Dist 1 (Dems: Britton, Clay, Carnahan)
• MO Lt. Gov (GOP: Kulmann, Lager, Kinder, Carter)
• MO State Senate Dist 5 (Dems: Wright-Jones, Nasheed, Mott-Oxford)
• STL Treasurer (Dems: Wessels, Wahby, Jones, Boyd)

Included in the poll are answers for “unsure” and “another race.” The poll is in the right sidebar, the answers display in random order in the poll. So vote in the poll and be sure to vote on Tuesday August 7th, the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners has sample ballots.

— Steve Patterson

Treasurer Candidate Forum Tonight!

Tonight voters will get a chance to hear all the candidates for Treasurer. This includes the four Democrats (Wessels, Wahby, Jones & Boyd), Republican Tim Bachmann and Greens Don DeVivo and Anthony Stevens.

The event starts at 7pm tonight, Thursday July 26, 2012 in the AT&T Auditorium located at 801 Chestnut St.    The 8th & Pine MetroLink station is very close and the #99 Downtown Trolley stops a block south on Market at Citygarden.

Please get informed on the candidates in the primary before voting August 7th. Three of these seven candidates will be on your general election ballot on November 6th.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Which Term Best Describes The St Louis Region Attitude Toward Urban Planning

The St. Louis region as multiple counties and hundreds of cities in two states. I want to know how you’d describe the region’s attitude toward urban planning. Progressive? Staid?

I don’t want to narrow the question or give specifics, I want to know how you feel. I’ll share my thoughts on Wednesday August 1, 2012 when I post the poll results. I used the graphic from the City’s 2005 Strategic Land Use Plan but think regionally.

Please vote in the poll in the right sidebar and share your thoughts below.

— Steve Patterson

August 7 Primary: Contested City Seats

August 7th is the Missouri primary election. Voters will be selecting their party’s candidate for various state offices that day. But locally we’ll also be be selecting candidates for our party to face an opponent in other parties in the November general election. The reality is locally the winner of the Democratic primary rarely faces an opponent from another party in the General election. This year there will be a few races not finalized until November.

Uncontested: Circuit Attorney, Public Administrator, various committeeman and committeewoman positions within the Democrat, Green & Republican parties. The complete list of candidates can be found here:

Offices:

Sheriff:

• Vernon Betts faces incumbent James W. (Jim) Murphy and David (DA) Mosley.
• The winner in the Democratic primary will face Republican Robert V. Sternberg on November 6th

Treasurer:

• Democrats: Alfred J. “Fred” Wessels Jr., Brian Anthony Wahby, Tishaura O. Jones and Jeffrey Boyd face each other, incumbent Larry Williams isn’t seeking another term thankfully.
• Greens: Don DeVivo and Anthony Stevens face each other.
• The  winners of the Democratic & Green primaries will face Republican Tim Bachman on November 6th.

Committeeman & Committeewoman:

Ward 1/Democratic:

• Committeeman: Sterling Samuel Miller vs Azim Azid
• Committeewoman: Sharon Tyus vs Althea (Haywood) Harris

Ward 2/Democratic:

• Committeeman: 4-way race between Larry Middlebrook, David (DA) Mosley, Terrance “Terry” Buchanan, and John Saxton

Ward 3/Democratic:

• Committeeman: 3-way race between Johnnie Saddler, Calvin L. Garner, and Anthony Bell

Ward 4/Democratic:

• Committeeman: Edward McFowland vs Offong R. Ahmed
• Committeewoman: Tina Sparkling vs Norma Leggette

Ward 5/Democratic:

• Committeewoman: Penny V. Hubbard vs. Tonya Finley

Ward 6:

Ward 9/Republican

• Committeeman: Daniel Morgan vs Christopher W. Rowley

Ward 15/Republican

• Committeeman: Michael W. Huett vs Nicholas Willard

Ward 16/Republican

• Committeeman: Jake Koehr vs. Frederick A. Hodes

Ward 21/Democratic:

• Committeeman: Kerry D. Wilson vs Michael Watson
• Committeewoman: Jamilah Nasheed vs. Audrey Larkin

Ward 22:

• Green Committeeman: Don DeVivo vs Barry Watkins
• Democratic Committeeman: Nora “Tumaini” Neal vs Angela D. Miles

Ward 26/Democratic:

• Committeewoman: Kay Ross Gage vs Shameem Hubbard

Bill Would Require A Pedestrian Access Route Separate From Vehicular Route

A bill was introduced to the Board of Aldermen on Friday that I’m very glad to finally see:

BOARD BILL NO. 92 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN SCOTT OGILVIE An ordinance pertaining to pedestrian access to buildings; establishing regulations for pedestrian access that primarily serves users of the subject property and for which dedication of public access rights is not required. (Board Bill 92)

Basically the bill makes it a requirement that buildings with public access have a pedestrian connection between the sidewalk and primary entrance. The route will be required to be separate from the vehicular route, the days of building new buildings and making pedestrians come/go through parking lots would be over.

Those businesses that don’t have a pedestrian path are basically saying pedestrians aren’t welcome, if you want to spend money here you’ll have to take your chances walking in the driveways. If approved, this would be required of new construction and presumably major renovations.Board Bill 92 has been assigned to the Public Safety committee.

Thanks to Ald Scott Ogilvie for listening to me and taking steps to make St. Louis a better place for pedestrians.

– Steve Patterson