Poll: Who Will Be Elected St. Louis Mayor In 2013?

Now that we are past the midterm elections it is time to think of St. Louis Spring 2011 elections. But first I’m thinking about the race for mayor in 2013.

The first & second mayors of St. Louis are the only two that have served more than three terms, but those first two don’t really count:

“Under the original city charter, the mayor was elected to a one-year term. The mayor served a two-year term after the adoption of a new city charter in 1859.  The mayor’s office was extended to its present four-year term after passage of the Charter and Scheme in 1876 which separated the City of St. Louis from St. Louis County. The mayor is not term limited.” (Wikipedia)

Francis Slay is our 45th mayor and at the end of his current term he will be only the fourth mayor to have served three (3) four-year terms. Slay may decide to seek an unprecedented fourth term in office but I’m guessing he won’t. Our last 3-term mayor, Vincent C. Schoemehl (1981-1993), did not seek a fourth term.

So I thought since we are just over two years away from the next mayoral election that it would be interesting to see who you think would be the person elected in 2013. Not who you necessarily want, but who you think will be elected to the office.

Will Slay become the first four-year four term mayor?  Perhaps a current holder of another city-wide office? A current alderman? Bill Haas?  Don’t like my answers, make up your own. The poll is in the upper right for for a week, final results will be posted Wednesday November 24, 2010.

– Steve Patterson

Voters Could Always Decide on Earnings Taxes

I urge every voter in Missouri to vote NO on Proposition A on Tuesday.  I’ll explain why but first I want to examine the arguments in favor.

The slogan for passage is “let the voters decide.” Sounds logical enough, why shouldn’t we get to decide? From the pro-A website:

If Prop A passes in November, will the local earnings taxes automatically be eliminated in St. Louis and Kansas City?

Prop A does not automatically repeal those existing earnings taxes. It allows local voters to make that decision in local elections. If Missouri voters pass Prop A this November, the politicians will be required to allow local votes of the people on the existing earnings tax in St. Louis and Kansas City every five years, starting in 2011. These local votes will let voters decide for themselves if they want to continue their local earnings tax or gradually phase it out at the rate of one-tenth of one percent per year for 10 years.

Okay here is where I have  a problem with their wording.  “It allows local voters to make that decision in local elections” makes it sound like we must pass Prop A in order to have a local election on continuing to have an earnings tax or eliminate it and get the 1/3 of our annual revenue through other taxes. This is just not true!

Anyone with a better idea on how to fund St. Louis & Kansas City could use the initiative petition process to propose changes that would reduce/eliminate the earnings tax.

“1. Article V of the City Charter provides a procedure by which registered voters may propose an ordinance or an amendment to the City Charter and have it adopted by the voters, with the same effect as if it had been enacted by the Board of Aldermen and approved by the Mayor. This procedure consists of gathering the signatures of registered voters on an initiative petition.”

But the wealthy backer of Proposition A, Rex Sinquefield, knew if he got petitions on the ballot in St. Louis & Kansas City that spelled out how our sales taxes and property taxes would increase up to 50% to make up for the loss in revenue from the earnings taxes that he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Their next sentence is “If Missouri voters pass Prop A this November, the politicians will be required to allow local votes of the people on the existing earnings tax in St. Louis and Kansas City every five years, starting in 2011” Clearly they are playing to the anti-politician sentiment we’ve been seeing nationally. Sounds like making the politicians do something, making them give us the right to reconsider the earnings tax every five years.  So?

The translation is this gives Rex Sinquefield numerous times to personally fund the campaigns to end the earnings tax in St. Louis & Kansas City.  It also means when either city goes to sell bonds to finance projects the bond rating will be higher causing a higher interest rate, potentially sidelining projects that might be able to be funded today.

Governments provide services and people pay taxes to fund those services.  There are many ways to fund governments.  St. Louis and Kansas City are both on the state line and have workers paying the tax that don’t live in the city.  Some live elsewhere in Missouri while others live in Illinois and Kanas, respectively.  Both cities provide services within each region that benefit those workers as well as their respective regions.

I have no love affair with the earnings tax and would gladly look at alternative funding concepts.  But until such alternates actually exist we don’t need to be trashing our bond rating and risking future projects. One-third of the St. Louis budget is a lot to try to make up elsewhere.

More info can be found at SayNoToA.org.

– Steve Patterson

Majority of Readers Support Proposition B

In the poll last week a majority of those that took the poll support the passage of Prop B while nearly 22% indicated additional regulation on puppy mills was a bad idea.

Q: Thoughts on Proposition B, on the Missouri ballot, also known as the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act:

1. A good idea, puppy mills are inhumane and tougher regulation is needed 118 [67.43%]
2. A bad idea, just more government regulation 38 [21.71%]
3. More regulation is needed, but this measure is excessive 13 [7.43%]
4. Other answer… 4 [2.29%]
5. Unsure/no opinion 2 [1.14%]

The four other answers were:

1. Don’t trust HSUS, MO has laws already
2. gimme all the puppies you can, they make good eats
3. Puppy mills are inhumane, but this is model legislation that will have no affect
4. Laws already exist. They need to be enforced.

I’m with the majority on this one, I’ll be voting yes on Prop B on Tuesday.

– Steve Patterson

Sample Ballot Attached To Voter Card

Registered voters in the City of St. Louis should have received their voter cards in the mail by now for Tuesday’s election.  It should be noted the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners are not required by state law to mail a sample ballot to each registered voter, they did so because they believe it helps voters prepare.

If you haven’t opened your, please do so you can become familiar with:

• the various state & local races
• judges to be retained
• three Missouri constitutional amendments
• Two propositions (A & B)
• one amendment to St. Louis’ Charter
• a non-binding “preferential proposition” on local control of the St. Louis Police
• Six candidates for the St. Louis Board of Education for two seats.

Many items, most getting little attention.  You can also review the sample ballot online.

I’ll be reviewing voter guides, like League of Women Voters & Show Me Disability Votes, to decide all of the above items I will be voting on.

– Steve Patterson

Poll on Missouri Proposition B (Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act)

Next week voters in Missouri will decide if they want to pass Proposition B:

“Shall Missouri law be amended to:

• require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each dog under their care with sufficient food, clean water, housing and space; necessary veterinary care; regular exercise and adequate rest between breeding cycles;
• prohibit any breeder from having more than 50 breeding dogs for the purpose of selling their puppies as pets; and
• create a misdemeanor crime of “puppy mill cruelty” for any violations?

It is estimated state governmental entities will incur costs of $654,768 (on-going costs of $521,356 and one-time costs of $133,412). Some local governmental entities may experience costs related to enforcement activities and savings related to reduced animal care activities.
Fair Ballot Language:
A “yes” vote will amend Missouri law to require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each dog under their care with sufficient food, clean water, housing and space; necessary veterinary care; regular exercise and adequate rest between breeding cycles. The amendment further prohibits any breeder from having more than 50 breeding dogs for the purpose of selling their puppies as pets. The amendment also creates a misdemeanor crime of “puppy mill cruelty” for any violations.

A “no” vote will not change the current Missouri law regarding dog breeders.

If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.”

The poll this week seeks to get a sense of how readers feel about this issue.

From the pro side:

“Missouri is home to an estimated 3,000 puppy mills, breeding hundreds of thousands of puppies, far more than any other state in the country. Dogs at puppy mills typically receive little to no medical care, live in squalid conditions with no exercise, socialization or human interaction, and are confined inside cramped wire cages for life. Dogs at puppy mills must endure constant breeding cycles. Dogs from puppy mills are sold in pet stores, online and directly to consumers with little to no regard for the dog’s health, genetic history or future welfare.” (source)

From the con side:

“As families in Missouri struggle to make ends meet, radical animal rights activists are using emotional ballot language to push economy crippling legislation. If Prop B were to pass:

• BLUE RIBBON KENNELS WILL BE FORCED TO CLOSE DUE TO EXCESSIVE REGULATION AND PENALTIES
• JOBS WILL BE LOST AT PET STORES, KENNELS, AND FOOD PRODUCERS WHO EMPLOY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MISSOURIANS STATEWIDE
• HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TAX DOLLARS A YEAR WILL BE WASTED ENFORCING NEEDLESS REGULATIONS ON MISSOURI’S RESPECTED, LICENSED DOG-BREEDERS, WHILE THE UNLICENSED PROBLEM-BREEDERS REMAIN UNCHECKED

While unemployment rates continue to rise, Proposition B will cause more small businesses to go under and put many Missourians out of their jobs.” (Source)

Further reading:

• Ballotpedia
• Supporters (Missourians for the Protection of Dogs)
• Opposition (Alliance for Truth)
• ‘Puppy mill’ proposition divides state (Columbia Daily Tribune)

The poll is in the upper right corner of the blog.  The final results will be presented before the vote on Tuesday November 2, 2010.

– Steve Patterson