5th Ward Candidate Forum Tonight

The three women seeking to fill April Ford-Griffin’s unfinished term as 5th Ward Alderman will make their case tonight:

The League of Women Voters of St. Louis is moderating a public forum for candidates running for the St. Louis 5th Ward Alderwoman race on Tuesday, December 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Vashon High School Cafeteria, 3035 Cass Ave., 63106.

The public will have the opportunity to learn more about the candidates seeking election in the 5th Ward by hearing them speak and answer questions in a public forum one week before the special election. There are three candidates running for one vacancy: Tammika Hubbard (Democrat), Tonya Finley (Independent), and Rose M. Green (Independent). (St. Louis American)

I’ve never met any of these candidates in person but I will have to decide which one will get my vote on the 20th. My expectations, frankly, are low. I’ve yet to see any evidence any of them are a 21st century candidate with use of social media and a website.  They might say the majority of 5th ward voters aren’t on Twitter/online but national research suggests otherwise:

Non-white internet users continue to have higher rates of Twitter use than their white counterparts; indeed, the Twitter adoption gap between African-Americans and whites has increased over the past six months. In November 2010, there was an eight percentage point difference in Twitter use between African-American and white internet users (13% for blacks vs. 5% for whites). By May 2011, that gap was 16 percentage points—25% of online African Americans now use Twitter, compared with 9% of such whites. African-American and Latino internet users are each significantly more likely than whites to be Twitter adopters. Even more notable: One in ten African-American internet users now visit Twitter on a typical day—that is double the rate for Latinos and nearly four times the rate for whites. (Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project)

The tern expires in the Spring of 2013.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Changes To Voluntary Ban Policy Good or Bad?

Recent changes regarding gambling in Missouri:

Regulators voted unanimously to relax the state’s voluntary exclusion program, allowing people who have chosen to bar themselves for life from Missouri casinos to have the prohibition lifted after at least five years. People could opt to rejoin the banned list later, but it would mean a lifetime prohibition. (KMOV)

Is this a good thing? The argument in support is more might be willing to ban themselves if they know it would be lifted in five years.

I know casinos are no place for me but this seemed like a good poll topic.

– Steve Patterson

Readers Would Change Downtown On-Street Parking

In the poll last week two-thirds of the voters would like to see a change in the on-street parking policy. A third selected no change:

Q: On-street parking downtown should be…

1. as is, free after 7pm & weekends 46 [33.33%]
2. free after 5pm & weekends 38 [27.54%]
3. Other: 10 [7.9%]
4. paid 24/7: 9 [6.52%]
5. paid until 5pm, 7 days a week 9 [6.52%]
6. free 24/7: 7 [5.07%]
7. paid until 7pm, 7 days a week 7 [5.07%]
8. paid until 9pm, 7 days a week 7 [5.07%]
9. paid until 9pm weekdays, free on weekends 3 [2.17%]
10. unsure/no opinion 1 [0.72%]
11. removed to provide more driving lanes 1 [0.72%]

The problem? No consensus among the two-thirds that voted for a change. The biggest response for change is lowering the free period from 7pm to 5pm weekdays, keeping weekends free. In my opinion we need to go toward more paid time to discourage driving and to turn over the spaces for use by other drivers.

The other answers provided were:

1. Set at the precise amount where the supply and demand curve meet by 4 hr periods
2. free for downtown residents
3. Priced to promote maximum occupancy
4. keep as is, but offer monthly parking passes for downtown residents.
5. congrestion pricing
6. free after 7pm, Sundays and Holidays
7. I’ll pay, just sucks when your car gets broken into b/c police sux in the city
8. Need to install credit card machines. People rarely carry loose change.
9. variable, based on supply & demand
10. paid twice current rate to fund demolition of historic buildings

Add any additional thoughts in the comments below.

– Steve Patterson

Thoughts on Cupples #7

A week ago the St. Louis Preservation Board unanimously upheld the staff denial of a demolition permit for the Cupples 7 building. Had Mary “One” Johnson still been on the board there would have been one vote in favor of demolition.  But enough about her…

Demolition was a moot point, owners Kevin McGowan & Nat Walsh couldn’t afford to demolish the building even if they were given the permit to do so. This was about liability, specifically the transfer of liability. Should the building collapse, damaging adjacent properties, they can say they tried to remove the hazard but were denied the right to do so. A clever move to absolve themselves of responsibility.

Well, at least an attempt to absolve responsibility. However, I’m not quick to forgive and forget. How did we get to this point? In 2000 when Bank of America owned several of the Cupples buildings a tank collapsed causing a hole in the roof of #7. The hole was known five years later when McGowan & Walsh bought three of the warehouses, including #7. They attempted to tarp over the roof, right?

Wrong, they did nothing! Water poured in a small hole in the roof for five years prior to their ownership causing structural damage to get to the point where it is today — which is mostly in the basement. They’ve been irresponsible owners for years and now they are maneuvering to blame the city if this historic structure collapses.

The city certainly has failed, I’ve had to resolve issues like peeling paint or end up in court! Where has the city been? They condemned the structure in 2008 and that then did…nothing. Everyone has been covering their own ass, but nobody has been trying to stabilize the building.

Can we all work together to find a way to support the exterior walls for future use? Not you Kevin and Nat, stay out of the picture — let Montgomery Bank foreclose on the mortgage or the city for back taxes.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Do You Support St. Louis Selling Bonds To Fund Park Improvements?

St. Louis will be selling bonds to fund improvements to the city’s park system. From STLtoday.com on Friday:

St. Louis aldermen today overwhelmingly approved a plan to issue $64 million in bonds for city parks, with about $30 million to be spent on improvements at Forest Park.

What’s not to like about better parks?

Comptroller Darlene Green isn’t happy about the city taking on more debt:

On Thursday, Green was outvoted when two related bills authorizing the funding plan passed the city’s three-person Board of Estimate and Apportionment, which also includes Mayor Francis Slay and Aldermanic President Lewis Reed. Aldermen today approved the bills by wide margins. (article)

So St. Louis will take on more debt. In a November 30th letter to the Board of Aldermen, Comptroller Green explained her concerns about paying off the debt.

This seems like a perfect subject for a weekly poll question: Do you support St. Louis selling bonds to fund park improvements? The poll is in the right sidebar, results will be posted Wednesday December 14th.

– Steve Patterson