They usually meet on Fridays, but are meeting today because of Memorial Day weekend.
Today’s agenda includes one new bill — on a topic I posted about back in November:
B.B.#47 – Murphy – An ordinance prohibiting persons and entities selling or offering for sale consumer goods or services at retail in the City from refusing to accept cash as a form of payment to purchase goods and services unless otherwise provided in this ordinance.
The meeting begins at 10am, past meetings and a live broadcast can be watched online here. See list of all board bills for the 2019-2020 session — the new bills listed above may not be online right away.
May 22, 2019Featured, Politics/PolicyComments Off on Opinion: Access To Birth Control, Abortion, Must Remain Legal
Missouri Capital, Jefferson City, MO, April 2011
In an ideal world there would be zero abortions, but reality is often less than ideal. Women get raped, sometimes by a relative. They can also find themselves pregnant at inopportune times.
Abortion bans, unsurprisingly, have always been about racism, controlling women.
The state [Alabama] first made abortion a crime a bit more than 150 years ago, and others passed similar measures through the middle of that century. Prior to that wave of legislation, common law had allowed abortion until quickening, when the woman first perceived fetal movement — usually around the middle of a pregnancy. Only at the point of quickening was life recognized as having begun. A small group of elite physicians working to professionalize medicine initiated a campaign to criminalize the practice of “bringing on the menses.” They aimed to eliminate their competition by casting midwives and “irregular” doctors as criminals.
To gain legislative support, these doctors raised questions about exactly who was having babies, who was aborting and who should populate the nation. They knew well-to-do white women were having fewer children, and that the families of immigrants, Catholics and, after the Civil War, freedpeople, were larger. To put it plainly: Lawmakers hoped to force middle-class white women to have more babies by removing the option of abortion, thus preventing the country from being “taken over” by “foreigners” and people of color. (Time)
Even when laws banned abortion, women with means & connection could still terminate their unwanted pregnancy. From a woman who’s now 74:
When I was 23, I had an illegal abortion arranged by the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion. I was young, in no position to raise a child, and had gotten pregnant by a man I barely knew. The Clergymen’s Committee was a group of ministers and rabbis who arranged for physicians to provide safe, albeit illegal abortions in different cities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Though I lived in New York, mine was scheduled in a city about an hour’s flight away.
My parents helped pay for the procedure and my friends knew about it, but I chose to go to this appointment alone. What I was doing was illegal and I didn’t want to implicate friends or family. I flew to Pittsburgh and caught a bus to the center of town, near the hotel room where I met the doctor. He was an older gentleman, a respected doctor at one of the local hospitals, and though he was pleasant as he explained what he would be doing, I noticed that his instruments were wrapped in a soiled cloth. (HuffPost)
Some want abortions to go back underground, into back allies again.
Laws that restrict access to abortion are not an effective way to end or greatly reduce the number of abortions because people will continue to have abortions regardless of the law. We actually know how to reduce the number of abortions. Most of those ways involve being honest about how and when people have sex and giving people the information they need to have sex responsibly.
Yet most who favor these highly restrictive laws do not seem terribly interested in pursuing policies that would do any of these things. Every state that has passed a restrictive law around abortion in recent weeks requires that sex education “stress” abstinence. Neither Alabama nor Missouri mandates sex education, though when it is taught, both states require that it emphasize the importance of “sex only within marriage.” Georgia, which does mandate sex education, does not require that information about contraception be included.
This simple fact suggests to me, when I am in a less generous mood, that they are not concerned about preventing abortions. They are instead interested in enforcing their own reactionary views with regard to women and sex. (VOX)
If we really want to reduce the number of abortions then we need to all work to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. This means increasing realistic sex education classes, increasing access to contraceptives (including Plan B), and allowing all women, regardless of races/means, to control their own bodies.
Most of you, like most of the country, agree. Non-Scientific results from the recent Sunday Poll:
B.B.#40 – Green/Ingrassia/Rice/Guenther/Navarro/Narayan – An ordinance submitting to the qualified voters of the City, a proposal to amend the Charter of the City by adding a new Article, Article XXVII which shall pertain to Campaign Finance, and a new Section thereunder to prohibit candidate committees for individuals who are candidates for an elective public office of the City from accepting campaign contributions from individuals or entities that are competing or submitting an application for any City contract during the period beginning ninety (90) days prior to any solicitation or request for proposals are issued by the City of St. Louis and ending ninety (90) days after the corresponding contract has been awarded; and containing
an emergency clause.
B.B.#41 – Green/Ingrassia/Rice/Guenther/Navarro/Narayan – An ordinance submitting to the qualified voters, a proposal to amend the Charter by adding a new Article, Article XXVII which shall pertain to Campaign Finance, and a new Section thereunder mandating that no contribution to a candidate for an elective public office of the City shall be made or accepted, directly or indirectly, in a fictitious name, in the name of another person, or by or through another person in such a manner as to, or with the intent to, conceal the identity of the actual source of the contribution, with a rebuttable presumption that a contribution to a candidate for an elective public office of the City is made or accepted with the intent to circumvent the limitations on contributions imposed by any City ordinance or the Charter of the City, or other applicable state or federal law, when a contribution is received from a committee or organization that is primarily funded by a single person, individual or other committee or organization that has already reached its contribution limit under any City ordinance or the Charter, or other applicable state or federal law, and a committee or organization shall be deemed to be primarily funded by a single person, individual, or other committee when the committee or organization receives more than fifty percent of its annual funding from that single person, individual, or other committee; and providing for an election to be held for voting on the proposed amendment thereat and for the publication, certification, deposit, recording of the ordinance; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#42 – Green/Ingrassia/Rice/Guenther/Navarro/Narayan – An ordinance submitting to the qualified voters, a proposal to amend the Charter of the City by adding a new Article, Article XXVII which shall pertain to Campaign Finance, and a new Section thereunder to prohibit individuals holding an elective public office of the City and individuals who are candidates for an elective public office of the City from directly or indirectly accepting a gift of any tangible or intangible item, service, or thing of value from any lobbyist or lobbyist principal valued in excess of five-dollars per occurrence, excluding campaign contributions made in accordance with this ordinance and all applicable Federal, Missouri State, and City campaign finance laws and regulations; and providing for an election to be held for voting on the proposed amendment thereat and for the publication, certification, deposit, recording of the ordinance; and containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#43 – Pres. Reed/Vollmer – An Ordinance pertaining to the Transit Sales Tax imposed pursuant to Section 94.660, RSMo., as adopted and approved by the voters on August 2, 1994, pursuant to Ordinance 63168 creating the “City Public Transit Sales Tax Trust Fund” directing the Treasurer of the City to deposit funds received pursuant to said sales tax into the “City Public Transit Sales Tax Trust Fund – Account ONE” appropriating $11,580,000 from the said sales tax for the period herein stated to the Bi-State Development Agency for certain purposes; providing for the payment of such funds during the period July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020; further providing that in no event shall the Comptroller draw warrants on the Treasurer for an amount greater than the amounts of the proceeds deposited in the “City Public Transit Sales Tax Trust Fund” during the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020; and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#44 – Pres. Reed/Vollmer – An Ordinance pertaining to the Transit Sales Tax imposed pursuant to Section 94.660, RSMo., as adopted and approved by the voters on November 4, 1997, pursuant to Ordinance 64111 creating the “City Public Transit Sales Tax Trust Fund” directing the Treasurer of the City to deposit funds received pursuant to said sales tax into the “City Public Transit Sales Tax Trust Fund – Account TWO” appropriating $11,580,000 from the said sales tax for the period herein stated to the Bi-State Development Agency for certain purposes; providing for the payment of such funds during the period July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020; further providing that in no event shall the Comptroller draw warrants on the Treasurer for an amount greater than the amounts of the proceeds deposited in the “City Public Transit Sales Tax Trust Fund” during the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020; and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#45 – Pres. Reed/Vollmer – An ordinance appropriating the sum of $21,940,000, as described and defined in Section 94.600 through 94.655, RSMo. 2000 as amended for the period herein stated, which sum is hereby appropriated out of the “Transportation Trust Fund” to the Bi-State Development Agency for transportation purposes; and further providing that the appropriation is conditional upon the Bi-State Development Agency supplying the Board of Estimate and Apportionment an annual evaluation report; further providing that in no event shall the Comptroller draw warrants on the Treasurer for an amount greater than the amount of proceeds deposited in the “Transportation Trust Fund” during the period from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020; further providing that the appropriation is conditional upon Bi-State requiring the payment of prevailing wages and benefits to employees of outside service contractors; and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#46 – Middlebrook – An ordinance amending Ordinance 69782 approved June 25, 2014 by modifying the terms of real estate tax abatement and amending Section C of the attached Redevelopment Plan by extending the time of completion to June 25 2021.
The meeting begins at 10am, past meetings and a live broadcast can be watched online here. See list of all board bills for the 2019-2020 session — the new bills listed above may not be online right away.
B.B.#35 – Roddy – An ordinance authorizing the execution of an intergovernmental cooperation project agreement among the City, the City Foundry Transportation Development District, and the City Foundry Community Improvement District prescribing the form and details of said agreement; making certain findings with respect thereto; authorizing certain other actions of city officials; and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#36 – Navarro – An ordinance authorizing the Mayor and Comptroller to execute, upon receipt of and in consideration of the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) and other good and valuable consideration, a Quit Claim Deed to remise, release and forever quit-claim unto 6005 WESTMINSTER LLC certain city-owned property located in City Block 5423, which property is known by the address of 6001-5 Westminster Place.
AGENDA NO. 3 MAY 10, 2019 3
11. First Reading of Board Bills – (cont.)
B.B.#37 – Bosley – An ordinance providing that in the event that any City of St. Louis port district is expanded or additional port districts created in the City pursuant to Section 68.015 of the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri the area or any portion thereof that lies within the boundaries set forth in Section One of this ordinance shall be excluded and left out of the designated area of such expanded or newly created port district.
B.B.#38 – Middlebrook – An Ordinance amending Ordinance No. 69650 relating to a Phase 2 Redevelopment Agreement between The City of St. Louis, Missouri and Carrie TIF, Inc. and containing a severability clause.
B.B.#39 – Ingrassia/Davis – An ordinance amending Ordinance# 62220 approved February 6, 1991 by modifying the terms of real estate tax abatement and amending the attached Redevelopment Plan by adding Phase IV to be completed by May 1, 2029.
The meeting begins at 10am, past meetings and a live broadcast can be watched online here. See list of all board bills for the 2019-2020 session — the new bills listed above may not be online right away.
Despite what some of you may think, neither major political party is immune from corruption. Elected officials from both can be drawn into corruption based on the amount of money involved. Common is a pay to play, also known as quid pro quo:
In the early 16th century, a quid pro quo was something obtained from an apothecary. That’s because when quid pro quo (New Latin for “something for something”) was first used in English, it referred to the process of substituting one medicine for another—whether intentionally (and sometimes fraudulently) or accidentally. The meaning of the phrase was quickly extended, however, and within several decades it was being used for more general equivalent exchanges. These days, it often occurs in legal contexts. (Merriam-Webster)
From Steve Stenger’s campaign website
Former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger pleaded guilty Friday to three counts of public corruption for steering county contracts to campaign donors and faces prison time when he is sentenced in August. Based on the offense level calculated in his guilty plea under federal guidelines, Stenger could get around three to four years in prison. Judge Catherine Perry emphasized she’s not bound by those guidelines, and set Stenger’s sentencing for Aug. 9. He will also be required to pay restitution. Although the exact amount isn’t clear it could be several hundred thousand dollars. The maximum sentence is 20 years and a $250,000 fine on each count.
Perry accepted Stenger’s guilty plea on charges of bribery, mail fraud and theft of honest services. The 44-page indictment made public on Monday accused Stenger of steering county contracts to his campaign donors and political supporters. (St. Louis Public Radio)
This is behavior an accountant & attorney should know better than to engage in. From Stenger’s re-election campaign website:
Steve Stenger grew up in Affton, the youngest of four children. His father was a union telephone lineman with Southwestern Bell. A 1990 graduate of Bishop DuBourg High School, he briefly toured as a singer with two local bands, The Stand and The Painted Faces. He graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, became a certified public accountant, and attended law school at Saint Louis University.
After law school, Steve went to work as an attorney and CPA at the firm of Ernst & Young. He later started the law firm Klar, Izsak and Stenger. In 2014, voters elected Steve to serve as the eighth St. Louis County Executive. He previously represented the sixth district on the St. Louis County Council for two terms.
As County Executive, Steve has focused his first term on improving public safety and bringing new economic investment to all parts of St. Louis County. Steve and his wife, Ali, have a 4-year-old daughter, Madeline, and a 2-year-old son, Lincoln. (SteveStenger.com)
In St. Louis, city & county, the biggest challenge is often from your own party in the primary. The general election is just a formality. In the city every elected official is a Democrat. In St. Louis County three of seven council seats are held by Republicans. Cross the Missouri River into St. Charles County and every elected official is a Republican.
Corruption can take different forms:
There are several types of political corruption that occur in local government. Some are more common than others, and some are more prevalent to local governments than to larger segments of government. Local governments may be more susceptible to corruption because interactions between private individuals and officials happen at greater levels of intimacy and with more frequency at more decentralized levels. Forms of corruption pertaining to money like bribery, extortion, embezzlement, and graft are found in local government systems. Other forms of political corruption are nepotism and patronagesystems. One historical example was the Black Horse Cavalry a group of New York state legislators accused of blackmailing corporations.
Bribery is the offering of something which is most often money but can also be goods or services in order to gain an unfair advantage. Common advantages can be to sway a person’s opinion, action, or decision, reduce amounts fees collected, speed up a government grants, or change outcomes of legal processes.
Extortion is threatening or inflicting harm to a person, their reputation, or their property in order to unjustly obtain money, actions, services, or other goods from that person. Blackmail is a form of extortion.
Embezzlement is the illegal taking or appropriation of money or property that has been entrusted to a person but is actually owned by another. In political terms this is called graft which is when a political office holder unlawfully uses public funds for personal purposes.
Nepotism is the practice or inclination to favor a group or person who is a relative when giving promotions, jobs, raises, and other benefits to employees. This is often based on the concept of familism which is believing that a person must always respect and favor family in all situations including those pertaining to politics and business. This leads some political officials to give privileges and positions of authority to relatives based on relationships and regardless of their actual abilities.
Patronage systems consist of the granting favors, contracts, or appointments to positions by a local public office holder or candidate for a political office in return for political support. Many times patronage is used to gain support and votes in elections or in passing legislation. Patronage systems disregard the formal rules of a local government and use personal instead of formalized channels to gain an advantage. (Wikipedia)
Here’s the results of the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll:
Q: Agree or disagree: We have corruption in local governments because voters keep electing Democrats.
Strongly agree: 5 [18.52%]
Agree: 2 [7.41%]
Somewhat agree: 4 [14.81%]
Neither agree or disagree: 1 [3.7%]
Somewhat disagree: 1 [3.7%]
Disagree: 3 [11.11%]
Strongly disagree: 11 [40.74%]
Unsure/No Answer: 0 [0%]
Again, politicians from both parties have engaged in the above forms of corruption at some time or other. Our region has a blue center ringed by red. From my perspective our city Democrats are too conservative.
I’m a firm believer that local politics should be non-partisan. Only 8 of the 30 most populous cities still have partisan elections (National League of Cities). Of course, this doesn’t root out corruption — it just removes the petty party finger-pointing that solves nothing.
AARP Livibility Index
The Livability Index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. for the services and amenities that impact your life the most
Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
Geo St. Louis
a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
