FYI on Committeepersons in St. Louis

In keeping with some recent posts on various ward committees endorsing candidates I wanted to bring you the how and why of these committee postions. Basically, the state of Missouri requires each party to maintain committees.

Chapter 115 of the Missouri Revised Statutes governs the “Election Authorities and Conduct of Election.” A number of sections mandate political parties to maintain committees at various levels. In the city the ward-level committtees can be open or closed to member vote on endorsements. In fact, just finding out who comprises each ward committee in the city’s Democratic party is a chore. Before I get into that, here is some selected text from the statutes:

Purpose of committee.
115.605. Each party committee shall be selected as provided in this subchapter for the purpose of representing and acting for the party in the interim between party conventions.

County committee members, when elected (St. Louis City and County).
115.609. In each city not situated in a county and in each county which has over nine hundred thousand inhabitants, all members of the county committee shall be elected at the primary election immediately preceding each gubernatorial election and shall hold office until their successors are elected and qualified.

County committee members, filing fees.
115.611. 1. Except as provided in subsection 4 of section 115.613, any registered voter of the county may have such voter’s name printed on the primary ballot of such voter’s party as a candidate for county committeeman or committeewoman by filing a declaration of candidacy in the office of the county election authority and by paying any filing fee required by subsection 2 of this section.

2. Before filing such candidate’s declaration of candidacy, candidates for county committeeman or county committeewoman shall pay to the treasurer of such candidate’s party’s county committee, or submit to the county election authority to be forwarded to the treasurer of such candidate’s party’s committee, a certain sum of money, as follows:

(1) One hundred dollars if such candidate is a candidate for county committeeman or committeewoman in any county which has or hereafter has over nine hundred thousand inhabitants or in any city not situated in a county;

3. Any person who cannot pay the fee to file as a candidate for county committeeman or committeewoman may have the fee waived by filing a declaration of inability to pay and a petition with the official with whom such candidate files such candidate’s declaration of candidacy. The provisions of section 115.357 shall apply to all such declarations and petitions.

4. No person’s name shall be printed on any official primary ballot as a candidate for county committeeman or committeewoman unless the person has filed a declaration of candidacy with the proper election authority not later than 5:00 p.m. on the last Tuesday in March immediately preceding the primary election.

To summarize in plain English:

• Elections for committeeman & committeewoman in our 28 wards are held in the August primary in same year as Governor (& President). Next election is August 2008.
• Filing deadline is 5pm March 25, 2008 — just over a year away.
• $100 filing fee to be paid to party for which you are running (Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian). Can be filed at the St. Louis Board of Elections.
• Candidate must reside in and be registered to vote in the ward for a year prior to election (see 115.607)

So why do I bring this up now, so far away from the election? Well, I want plenty of time for people to consider getting involved. I personally dislike that our local elections are partisan but until we change the city’s charter we are stuck with that. In the meantime I want to challenge the establishment that has a hold on the committee-level positions within the Democratic party. I’d also like to see the other parties get more organized and actually field some local candidates in the 2009 municipal election. Note to Greens: elect an alderman before you think you’ll elect a Mayor.

Running for committeeman & committeewoman is literally the most basic level we have in St. Louis. Thought about running for alderman but family and work committements too much for you? This is the perfect way to get involved. And while such an election won’t be a cake walk most of these candidates are never challenged. The proof? I looked up the election results for all 28 wards for both 2000 & 2004. I’ve summarized the democratic elections, see Commitee Elections (pdf). I looked up the republican, green and libertarian for the city but they are a joke. Pretty much if you want to be a committee person for any of those three parties simply pay your fee and the odds are very good you’ll be the committee person.

I also requested a copy of the current democratic central committee (see citydems.org). I took the 5-page Excel spreadsheet that was sent to me and reduced it down to a 2-page PDF file, see Roster of Committee persons. This will show you who is currently holding each position within the democratic central committee and how to reach them. This is also helpful if you wish to be involved in your ward with respect to the upcoming elections. Sorry, at this point I don’t know which wards are open vs. which are closed although I did make a few notes about the ones I knew.

So contact your committee people and get involved. If you don’t like what it is all about, consider running next year to replace them.

Follow-up to the 6th Ward Democrats Meeting

As previously posted, Patrick Cacchione received the endorsement last night from the 6th Ward Democrats. With (115) votes to Kacie Starr Triplett’s (51) and Christian Saller’s (5) it was not even close.  Update 1/19/07 10am — 1/19 – 10am — I’m told Seller’s total might have been 20 rather than 5. Some people I talked to were expecting an even bigger turn out but it is clear it is probably easier to get people to sign up than it is to get them to sit through a political meeting.

Still, this was an impressive show to have that many people and I can say that a good 95% of them stayed through the entire meeting rather than voting and leaving early. These are the kind of numbers I’d like to see from all the wards — just goes to show what a good contested race will do for participation levels.

Here are some basic observations that I have:

• Everone was very civil to each other although anyone not eligible to vote was asked to leave once the candidates finished speaking. Mary Entrup, aka Mrs. Lews Reed, ran off a list of people that needed to leave such as campaign workers, press and bloggers. It felt nice to be included.
• Cacchione’s wife, Pam, made it a point to come over and introduce herself to me before the meeting. We spoke again afterwards briefly. At one point Cacchione said in his opening comments that she was the better candidate but could not convince her to run. I think he might be right, still he was a very good speaker.
• I think like most of these events, the people arriving at the meeting already had they minds made up. Still, I talked to a couple of people that changed their minds after listing to all three candidates.
• One friend that I talked with was supporting Cacchione because he earned the job. Indeed, Cacchione used this phrase in his comments. I’m not going to tell anyone that can’t hold that belief but I personally don’t think that we should elect representatives simply based on how long they’ve been loyal to those that went before them. Still, when it comes to an organization such as the 6th Ward Democrats Cacchione clearly was the person who had given the most service to the organization. So perhaps it is a reason for them to endorse someone that has been so loyal but that is not a reason to elect him into office for four years.
• All three candidates did a great job actually addressing the questions posed to them. They gave clear and direct answers unlike some of the political side-stepping I saw with Reed & Shrewsbury in the race for President of the Board of Aldermen.
• It seemed all three, on issues, were pretty much in step with each other. We didn’t get any polar opposite positions. The distinctions came down to experience with all three saying they have the experience that counts.
• The issue of the BJC lease came up but it was phrased a bit weird, having to do with building private buildings on public land. Triplett was pretty opposed to the idea, Saller was his usual seeing both sides (a very good trait by the way) and Cacchione gave a less than satisfactory answer for me. He spoke about how it should be based on the views of those immediately around the park, generally a good thing to involve those. However, park land is enjoyed by more than those who simply live adjacent to a park. Our parks belong to all of us and I don’t know that any single group should be allowed to have too much sway over something held by the city for all of us to enjoy.

The issue of eminent domain came up relative to a proposed project in the adjacent 7th Ward but immediately abutting the 6th Ward. Apparently the area across Lafayette from City Hospital has a proposed Walgreen’s and possibly a big box grocery store. Jim Roos of the Missouri Eminent Domain Abuse Coalition, and a resident of the 6th or 7th ward (I’m not certain), was among the audience. In the video you’ll hear all three candidates making reference to him. The candidates spoke in the order they appear on the ballot: Triplett, Cacchione and Saller:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h9tP3IXK-M[/youtube]

Cacchione gave a really passionate response. He seemed to draw a clear line in the sand regarding taking people’s homes away. Such a stand would have made him clearly opposed to Loughborough Commons where residents’ homes were taken away from them with the threat of eminent domain. Cacchione also seemed to make it clear he’d rally against the project even though it is not in his ward — going against aldermanic courtesy and long-time alderman Phyllis Young. My question is would he be so against the project if it did not abut the ward where he is seeking office? That is, if the situation were to come up in another part of the city several wards removed would he still feel strongly against eminent domain. To be fair, I wonder this about many of our elected officials — do they suffer the same thoughts on proximity that so many voters do? Our of sight out of mind.

Triplet and Saller both gave good answers as well. Triplet talked about eminent domain as a tool of last resort while Saller pointed out the old Foodland store on Jefferson & Lafayette is already in condemnation (aka eminent domain) so the city can redevelop the site. However, I don’t know that any adjacent properties outside the existing commercial site are threatened.

The thing I want everyone to remember is the ward endorsement does not necessarily reflect the final vote on election day. In other words, don’t count out either Triplet or Saller from this race simply because the committeeman received the endorsement of his own organization. If you missed this event don’t worry, all three candidates will appear at a debate sponsored by the Downtown Residents Association and the League of Women Voters to be held at the main library on February 5th. The event will start at 6pm with the debate getting underway at 7pm. Everyone needs to make sure you are registered to vote, the deadline is February 7th. If you are not registered, be sure to do so right away (learn how) or attend the above event on February 5th to get registered that night.

I count among my friends people supporting all three candidates. They all have their respective reasons, some of which I agree and others I do not. What is exciting for me is to see so many people engaged in this race and actually having real discussions about real issues. Hopefully the ward and city will come out stronger and remain engaged following this election on March 6th. I also hope all three work on fleshing out what may end up being some suburban sprawl at Lafayette & Truman Parkway.

Board Bills Related to BJC Deal Posted, Then Pulled

Today Three Board Bills relating to the controversial proposal to grant a long-term lease to BJC Healthcare for a section of Forest Park were posted on the Board of Aldermen’s site. However, seven hours later these three were replaced with three non-related bills.

The above image is from my RSS reader, showing three bills posted between 10:24am and 10:32am this morning (the lower three). The numbers in question are 371, 372 and 373. Later in the day the same numbers were used again. Clicking on the links for the three earlier bills takes you to a blank board bill page — the three bills had been pulled.

At first glance you might not think the lower one, BB371, is related to Forest Park as it has to do with rezoning. But, if you look up city block 2022 it is the parcel in question. Was the decision made by Ald. Roddy to pull the bills from consideration this week?
Opponents of the plan have gathered the required signatures to require a city-wide vote in order to lease or sell park land. It is possible we may see some not-so-good old fashioned machine politics at work this week to shove this through the pipeline before we as citizens get a chance to vote on the ballot measure.

Based on my understanding of the rules, the board cannot introduce and pass the measure all in the same day. However, it could be introduced Friday for its “first reading” and then come out of committee in a coming week and get its second and third readings all at once (requires suspending the rules which is done although usually not for something so contentious.

Jake Wagman of the Post-Dispatch had more to say on this subject today on Political Fix. For more information on the grassroots citizens group fighting the proposal visit ProtectForestPark.org.

UPDATE 1/18/07 – 7am

I received an early morning return phone from President Shrewsbury with answers to questions I had reqarding this situation. Here is the story. The bills were submitted to the clerk yesterday but apparently someone wanted to make some changes so they were pulled from the agenda. Mr. Shrewsbury indicated the deadline for the printed agenda is 10am today so we will see in the next few hours if they are resubmitted.

Mr. Shrewsbury indicated two will be sent to the Parks committee, chaired by the bills’ sponsor Ald. Roddy. The third bill, relating to zoning, will be sent to the HUDZ (Housing, Urban Development & Zoning) committee chaired by Ald. Wessels. Apparently the two bills going to Parks do not require a public hearing, but the zoning bill will.

So despite a successful cititzen group getting the question of the sale or lease of parks on the ballot for all of us to vote on, Ald. Roddy is going to attempt to shove this through prior to that vote. While the zoning change may come in the next session they are trying to get the two bills related to the lease structure approved ahead of a citizen vote on the issue. As has been the case all along with the BJC deal, the process stinks. Something is wrong in the way the entire issue has been handled from day one. It is not getting any better.

I’ve not seen a report from the aldermen the mayor selected to be on a committee reviewing the lease terms. I’ve not been invited to a public forum to talk through and educate the public on the exact terms of the deal.

Please contact your alderman immediately! I would also ask that you contact President Shrewsbury as well as 6th Ward Alderman and candidate for the President’s seat, Lewis Reed. Let both of them know how you feel about them voting on this issue prior to a citizen driven ballot initiative. Time is of the essence folks, if you are concerned as I am about how deals get done in this city you will speak up now.

8am — let BJC know what you think too (contact form);

A Look at St. Louis’ MLK Drive, Part 5 of 5

This post is part five of a five part series. Part five looks at MLK Drive from Kingshighway to just past the city limits.

• Part One — Introduction.
• Part Two — MLK from Tucker to Jefferson Ave.
• Part Three — MLK from Jefferson Ave. to Grand Ave.
• Part Four — MLK from Grand Ave to Kingshighway.

This section of MLK Drive takes on a different flavor from what we’ve seen to the east. Although partially lined with commercial most is smaller and slightly newer than what we saw before. Many churches are concentrated in this section. As we approach the city limits, just past Goodfellow, we see the remains of a once very happening commercial district at the end of the old streetcar line. I will continue out past the city limits to the current MetroLink light rail stop where I’d like to see a new MLK streetcar line terminate.

Finally, a park along MLK. This is Sherman park which is located at the NW corner of Kingshighway and MLK, diagonally across from the Roberts’ suburban complex which contains the formerly urban Sears store.

These buildings are representative of this section of MLK. Gaps now exist where buildings have been razed, we are after all still in Terry Kennedy’s 18th Ward where most areas are not protected by Preservation Review. Demolition permits can be handed out as routinely as valet permits downtown.

Here we see where a building had recently been razed.

On a positive note we can see here where a new foundation was recently placed for some new construction. And thankfully it is not behind parking as we are seeing all too often. I’ve seen anything as to what the new building will look like but I’m not holding out any hopes of something really good.

Former gas stations like this one on the SE corner of MLK and Union litter our city. Some are vacant while others, like this one, hosts a variety of businesses.

Looks like someone started to do something a number of years back, creating a gated parking lot. Today the fencing has fallen down and this block is pretty much abandoned. This section and west is all in the 22nd Ward of Jeffrey Boyd.

On Sundays the area has plenty of vistors if all the cars are any indication. A number of churches in this stretch help fill numerous parking lots with cars. From the looks of the cars, I’d say most of these people don’t live in the immediate area. I’m not convinced the area is better off with these churches as their buildings and parking lots are pretty dead 6 days a week.

Another of my favorite buildings along MLK, this one just east of Goodfellow. I want the upstairs apartment on the far corner as soon as a streetcar line is build. Once renovated this could be a wonderful asset to the area. This building is very similar to one located on Delmar near Hamilton.

Here at the SW corner of MLK and Goodfellow we begin to return to greater density as we approach the end of the old #32 Wellston streetcar line.

This fine specimen is a former JC Penny department store. It has been acquired by an individual working with a local CDC (Community Developement Corporation) although I am not sure of their intentions. Once renovated and with a streetcar line installed I want to live upstairs in a building across the street — I would love to have this building as my view! [Updated 1/15/07 – 8:45am –added that JC Pennty building is owned by an indiviual associated with the CDC, not the CDC itself.]

The gray granite marker shows the exact point of the city limits, as does the old cafe in adjacent Wellston.

Across the street is the old Wellston Loop buildings where a couple of streetcar lines met up and passengers could connect up with bus service out to the county. This fine structure is owned by the City of St. Louis.   same CDC that owns the JC Penny building. The lot visible to the right of this structure had a really nice 6-story or so building until a few years ago when it was razed. This was a very dense and active area at one time.

In better times the shopping district simply crossed the city limits without a care. This gem is located in the neighboring municipality of Wellston.

A mile west of the city limits on St. Charles Rock Road (MLK changes to St. Charles once past Lucas-Hunt) is a station for our light rail system, MetroLink. The vast parking lot is ideal for a transit oriented development as well as a new loop for a modern streetcar.

One of my concerns for MLK Drive is that federal funds have been set aside for new sidewalks and streetlights from Grand out to the city limits. We saw how well our money was spent between Jefferson & Grand, will we simply get more of the same bad planning? Either our Planning & Urban Design Agency headed by Rollin Stanley is completely incompetent or not included in the decision making process.

Click here to see all 97 images from this section of MLK Drive.

Dr. Martin Luther King, one of the great leaders of the 20th Century, deserves so much more from a street named in his honor. Peace.

A Look at St. Louis’ MLK Drive, Part 4 of 5

This post is part four of a five part series. Part four looks at MLK Drive from Grand Ave. to Kingshighway.

• Part One — Introduction.
• Part Two — MLK from Tucker to Jefferson Ave.
• Part Three — MLK from Jefferson Ave. to Grand Ave.

Continuing on our journey west along MLK we resume from Grand Ave. You’ll recall in the prior post we saw the site of the new suburban Walgreen’s. Well, that is only the most recent sprawl-based development in this area.

A new suburban strip center is just completed on the NW corner of MLK (left) and Grand (right). The suburban features are numerous. First we have a single story building, second it is set back as far as possible from the street making it more of a challenge for pedestrians, it lacks a proper ADA required accessible route from the public sidewalk to the building entrances (tisk tisk) and finally it has plenty-o-parking right out front so that everyone can completely ignore the ample on-street parking.

Seen here from the west, the building is completely uninspired and does not relate at all to the sidewalk. I was happy to see the line of street trees along MLK. That is my car parked on MLK, four traffic lanes plus two parking lanes with parking lot focused development is about as suburban as you can get. If I were to crop out the old building in the background you might think we were out in a new suburb. Once the Walgreen’s goes up across Grand, the theme will continue. The above project is located in the 5th Ward of April Ford-Griffin.

Across MLK to the south we see the back of a building at the 5+ year old MLK Plaza. Once again, the entire intersection that was once quite urban has become this low-rise low density sprawl centric area. This is contrasted with the excellent pedestrian-oriented Hope VI housing being built just across Grand. Those residents will find their walk to the store unfulfilling at best and dangerous due to traffic at worst. This project, like those east of Grand, are in the 19th Ward formerlly represented by Mike McMillan.
All this and we are still at our starting point along Grand!

Just a block to the west another triangular shaped lot is being cleared. As I recall it was a mess before with perhaps a junk lot so I welcome the clean up. Survey crews were out working on a Sunday. I’m not sure what is planned for the site but I’m guessing more surburban-style development. You’d think when starting from scratch we’d get better development but then again that would require some true leadership at city hall. This is back in the 5th Ward.

The large lot above is on the SE corner of MLK and Sarah. Saint Louis University’s John Cook School of Business is working [assisting the non-profit  Habitat for Neighborhoood Business] on the construction of a new building at this site for the purposes of creating incubation space for startup businesses, a worthy goal no doubt. Unfortunately, I’m hearing the building may be suburban in form with parking in front. The architecture firm is said to be that of Glantz & Associates which primarily seems to do very surburban residential work. I may well be trying to put a kabash on this one until it can be redesigned, especially given the urban forms on the same block shown below.  [UPDATE 1/28/07 – I’ve met with a couple of board members of Habitat for Neighborhood Business to discuss the project, both indicate they are seeking an urban prototype with parking at the side or rear.]

These buildings (mostly the ones on the right), along the south side of MLK just west of Whittier are among the most interesting we have left in the city. The massing, varied hights and detailing are spectacular. The old cast iron storefronts are still in tact. The neon sign for the cleaners is a reminder of the many such signs that lined this street. Get me a streetcar running down this street and I will gladly live in a condo above one of these storefronts!

The above buildings are located in the 4th Ward (Ald. O.L. Shelton) in the Vandeventer Neighborhood. At one time, MLK (then Easton Ave) was the focal point of the neighborhood. Today is serves not as a uniter but as a dividing line between many neighborhoods. The north side of the street is The Ville.

A once beautiful home sits in ruins after years of decay and a recent fire. The vacant lot to the right is the site of a planned farmer’s market for the area. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) are nationally celebrating their 150th anniversary this year. Chapters all over the country are doing projects to give back to their respective communities. The St. Louis chapter of the AIA have, after working with residents in the Ville last year, decided to help them get the farmer’s market they seek.

The project is being designed this semester through a studio at Washington University. African-American architect Karl Grice will be the architect of record on the project which is expected to cost nearly $500K. I have some reservations about the site that was selected — namely if that is the best location — and if such a costly structure should be built before giving the market a trial run for a season at a nearby school, park or church. But, that will be something I can debate in a separate post.

Another recent tragedy along MLK is this newly opened Family Dollar store. The low end building is pushed back from the street behind lots of parking. As we saw with the strip center at MLK & Grand, no pedestrian access is provided — those walking must cut through the landscaping or walk in via the automobile drive. Later in this post I’ll show you an older Family Dollar store just down the street that is built up to the street with its parking on the side of the building rather than the front. This lovely “investment” was made possible by Ald. O.L.
Shelton.

Another view of the Family Dollar store. Would a break in the shrubs and striping through the parking lot to the front door have been too much to ask?

At this corner stood a wonderful looking building that during the AIA’s charrette last April was considered to be a fine model for new construction by combining a corner storefront with attached townhouses. Below is what the buildings looked like in April 2006.

See my prior post for more on the demolition of this once fine structure. We have 18th Ward Ald. Kennedy to thank for not including this or much of his ward in a Preservation Review District so that the city’s Preservation Board does not have the right to review demolition permits. This was an unnecessary loss.

I promised you a more urban form Family Dollar, this is located a block east of Kingshighway on the north side of MLK. It is an older structure that has been remodeled a number of times. It is not much to look at but at least it is an urban form and pedestrians can easily enter from the sidewalk.

Above is a new retail building at the corner of Kingshighway & MLK, built within the last 10 years or so by the Roberts Brothers. I was working on Union just north of Natural Bridge at the time so I passed by here daily either in my car or on my bike (yes, I was really good about bike commuting for a couple of years). The Blockbuster video that opened in the building has since closed.

The former Sears store which serves as the headquarters for the Roberts’ empire is visible in the far right of the above image (see below). The Sears provided a good model being built up to the street with on-street parking. Had they continued this pattern for this building they might have had something more sustainable.

The former Sears is now named the Victor Roberts Building.

An excessively wide driveway off Kingshighway leads to the parking for the former Sears building as well as the Roberts’ suburban strip center building located to the east. As you might expect, no pedestrian sidewalks are provided — you are expected to be in a car.

The Roberts’ suburban strip center is seen on our left behind a massive amount of parking. The street, Aubert Ave, is devoid of street trees and is excessively wide. To the right is the back side of the former Sears. Down the street and to the right is an Aldi store. At the end of the block is Page, behind us is MLK. And though you might be walking along Aubert to get to one of the few remaining stores in this strip center, you’ll have to cross the bright red mulch planting area or walk in via the auto driveway, pedestrian sidewalks are not provided.

Here, at the corner of Page & Euclid, we get treated to the backside of the Roberts’ suburban strip center. Lovely huh? Page & Euclid was once a prominent corner but no more. Beautifully detailed homes still line the eastern side of Euclid. This whole Roberts mess is located in Terry Kennedy’s 18th Ward (I’m not sure of whose ward it was when the newer suburban stuff was constructed).

I took a total of 111 pictures in this section of MLK, they can all be viewed on Flickr. Click here for part five of this series.