In the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll more than 60% of the readers agreed that hosting the debate was worthwhile — the poll ended as the debate started.
Looking North along Big Bend Blvd new to the debate venue, September 27th. New sidewalk, plantings, etc were just being finished
Here are the results:
Q: Agree or disagree: The high cost of hosting a presidential debate is worth it in the end.
Strongly agree 6 [17.65%]
Agree 10 [29.41%]
Somewhat agree 5 [14.71%]
Neither agree or disagree 2 [5.88%]
Somewhat disagree 3 [8.82%]
Disagree 4 [11.76%]
Strongly disagree 1 [2.94%]
Unsure/No Answer 3 [8.82%]
This was Washington University’s 5th time hosting a national debate. The exposure was certainly good for the private university, lots of viewers from all over the world.
Debate banner along Big Bend Blvd September 27th
How about the St. Louis region? The regional benefit is…debatable. We certainly didn’t look bad, nothing happened to embarrass us as a region. Well, other than the fact that just 2+ years after Ferguson there was zero mention of Black Lives Matter.
St. Louis is less than 15 miles from Ferguson, Mo., site of demonstrations in 2014 over the police shooting of a black teenager that sparked a national debate over law enforcement’s treatment of African Americans in communities across the country.
It’s an issue that’s still very much a part of the national dialogue two years later.
So, naturally, that topic was front and center in Sunday night’s debate, which was held in St. Louis?
Not exactly, noted Antonio French, a city alderman now running for mayor who became well known two years ago with his tweets documenting the Ferguson protests. (USA Today)
I’m still in the middle on the question of worth it. Although, had the debate not taken place here we can be assured that neither candidate would’ve visited Missouri — a reliably red state. Maybe that would have been best. I saw friends post on Facebook that they were embarrassed this took place here.
The second presidential debate veered into ugly territory Sunday night in St. Louis, as the two nominees swapped insults and interruptions.
Republican Donald Trump at one point said that his rival Hillary Clinton had “hate in her heart,” and showed it by saying that half of his supporters were in the “basket of deplorables.”
Clinton in turn accused Trump of living in an “alternate reality” and of peddling what she called the “racist lie” that President Obama was not born in the United States.
That exchange came as an especially bitter, boundary-breaking debate neared its conclusion. (Washington Post)
BOARD BILL NO. 152 INTRODUCED BY PRESIDENT LEWIS E. REED An ordinance requiring online posting of notices and agendas of all public meetings of the City of St. Louis and requiring the Information Technology Services Agency to create an electronic subscription service that e-mails alerts of new notices of meetings.
Quite a few bills will get a 2nd reading and perfection by consent — see the agenda for the list. The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.
B.B.#110 – Roddy – An ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission to change the zoning of property from “C” Multiple- Family Dwelling District and “H” Area Commercial District to “J” Industrial District, City Blocks #2178 (1315-39 S. Grand & 3632 Rutger), #2181.06 (3656 Hickory) and #2180 (1101 & 1121 S. Grand and 1126 Motard); containing an emergency clause.
B.B.#119 – Moore – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for 4308-4324 Dr. Martin Luther King.
B.B.#125 – Ingrassia/Davis – An ordinance amending Ordinance #60100 by modifying the terms of the termination of the Mill Creek Valley Redevelopment Plan.
B.B.#137 – Ingrassia – An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the 2217 Locust.
B.B.#132 – Conway – An Ordinance, recommended by the Board of Public Service, establishing a public works and improvement project for the Tower Grove Park Neighborhood Access Enhancements; and containing a public work emergency clause.
B.B.#147 – Conway – An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 4600 block of Cleveland as “Barbara Beck Boulevard.”
B.B.#148 – Conway – An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 4900 block of Botanical as “George and Sandy Grbac Lane.”
As always, if you see a bill you like or dislike — tell your alderman.
Vintage photo of the former offices of the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. From my collection
Absentee voting for the November 8th general election began in Missouri last Tuesday, but since I’m still researching items on the lower part of the ballot I haven’t voted absentee yet. I decided to start at the bottom and work my way up, so this post is my initial research on ballot issues. Most are statewide, but even the first applies to St. Charles County, St. Louis County, and the City of St. Louis:
Proposition S — senior services
Voters in 3 counties will vote on identical measures.
A November ballot measure seeks to create senior citizen service funds in St. Charles County, St. Louis County and St. Louis that together would raise about $18 million a year in property taxes to help people stay in their homes longer.
More than 50, mainly small, Missouri counties already have created similar programs to help provide transportation, food, health care and other services. If the new measures pass, they would be the largest of their kind in the state.
Proposition S would levy a 5-cent property tax on every $100 of assessed value, which boils down to $9.50 a year on a home worth $100,000. Local boards would decide which needs are a priority for residents who are at least 60 years old. (Post-Dispatch)
I’ll probably vote yes on this. It is often better for seniors to be able to stay in their homes as they age — it’s also cheaper on taxpayers. This is a good investment, assuming the local boards are well-managed. This is on the ballot because of Seniors Count St. Louis.
Regular readers know I’m a non-smoker who supports prohibition of smoking in public. I’ve also pointed out how low Missouri’s cigarette taxes are compared to neighboring states. So, you might think I’d be happy to see two ballot issues that raise taxes on cigarettes/tobacco. Wrong.
The campaigns behind both of the competing tobacco tax increase measures on the ballot were largely funded by tobacco companies. Large tobacco companies, in general, backed Amendment 3, the 60 Cent Cigarette Tax Increase Initiative, while some smaller companies and wholesalers supported Proposition A, the smaller tax increase.
Reynold’s American Inc. gave over $2 million to Raise Your Hand for Kids, which is supporting Amendment 3, the 60 Cent Cigarette Tax Increase Initiative. The drafters of Amendment 3 included a 67-cent-per-pack fee on wholesale tobacco sellers, raising the total state tax for smaller companies to $1.27 per pack. This added tax for small companies was designed to close an alleged loophole that allowed small companies to evade making payments to 46 states mandated by a multi-state court settlement to help offset Medicaid costs. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster had been pressuring the Missouri General Assembly to end this loophole and demand lost payments from small companies totalling $50 million annually.
Smaller companies such as Cheyenne International, LPC Inc., and Xcaliber International donated toward the Proposition A, the 23 Cent Cigarette Tax Increase Initiative, largely to oppose the Amendment 3. Chuck Hatfield, lawyer for Cheyenne, said that the Amendment 3 was “about Big Tobacco wanting to tax their competitors. That’s what this has always been about.” (BallotPedia)
Given this information, I’ll be voting no on both.
Constitutional Amendment 6 — Voter ID
Voter ID laws in other states have been controversial and ruled unconstitutional, but that didn’t stop the Republican-controlled legislature from overriding the veto to place this on the ballot. Their intent is very clear — discouraging/preventing African-Americams from voting. Period. What about the 78th House Dist race? A voter ID wouldn’t have made a difference, the St. Louis Board of Elections had created a secondary process for absentee ballots that was abused.
In January a Missouri State Senator argued in favor of such a law:
Kraus said Missouri needs a voter I.D. law because there have been more than 16 cases of “some type of voter fraud” in Missouri. That number isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t support Kraus’ assertion that photo identification would solve the problem — or that there is a problem of people impersonating voters. Kraus’ statement is partially accurate but takes things out of context. We rate his claim Half True. (PolitiFact Missouri)
I’ll be voting no.
Constitutional Amendment 4 — banning new sales/use tax on services
Could Missouri tax haircuts, veterinary services, pedicures and yoga classes? Missouri voters will have their say this November at their polling place with Amendment 4.
The “Taxpayer Protection Amendment” was certified for the ballot this month. If approved by voters it would ban a sales tax on services.
The amendment would prevent the state from taxing such services as car repairs, tattoos and lawn care.
Currently, consumers don’t pay taxes on those services. Inconvenienced travelers pay a sales tax on a new tire but not on the service of replacing a flat.
But despite Missouri’s current lack of a sales tax on services, Amendment 4’s supporters – primarily the Missouri Association of Realtors, which circulated the initiative petition – see trouble on the horizon. (Missouri Times)
Taxing service transactions could be a headache for those providers, but this might also help budgets in areas heavy on service but low on retail. Hmm…
Retired financier Rex Sinquefield is a potential adversary, especially because he’s advocated for replacing Missouri’s income tax with an expanded sales tax. An e-mail to one of Sinquefield advisors wasn’t returned about whether he’d actively oppose Amendment 4. (St. Louis Public Radio)
This might force sales taxes to go up even more — an unintended consequence. I’m not sure yet how I’ll vote on this issue.
Constitutional Amendment 2 — campaign limits
Big money flowing into politics is something I generally favor trying to limit/stop:
The measure would cap donations to candidates at $2,600 per election and to political parties at $25,000. It also would impose other campaign finance restrictions aimed at preventing political committees from obscuring the source of their money.
In November 1994, 74 percent of Missouri voters approved a ballot measure limiting contributions to state candidates. The Republican-led General Assembly repealed contribution limits in 2008, which at the time stood at $1,350 for statewide candidates, $675 for Senate candidates and $325 for House candidates. (Kansas City Star)
Even though the person behind this is anti-abortion, I’ll likely vote yes.
Constitutional Amendment 1 — renew tax for soil/water conservation
This measure has been renewed in the past:
Amendment 1, upon voter approval, would renew the existing sales and use tax of 0.1 percent for 10 years. The revenue from the tax goes toward conservation efforts, and the measure was designed to “continue to generate approximately $90 million annually for soil and water conservation and operation of the state park system.”
Constitutional Amendment 1 was automatically referred to the 2016 ballot. This measure originated with a 1984 constitutional amendment. Due to the wording of this original amendment and subsequent iterations, the measure must be reapproved by voters. It is automatically referred to the ballot every 10 years. Previous versions of this amendment were approved in 1988, 1996, and 2006. If Amendment 1 is not approved in 2016, it will not be referred to future ballots. (BallotPedia)
BOARD BILL NO. 143 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN ANTONIO FRENCH An ordinance mandating that the Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry shall cause the construction of four lighted basketball courts in Forest Park by July 1, 2017.
BOARD BILL NO. 144 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN ANTONIO FRENCH An ordinance pertaining to public parking at City Hall, mandating that the first hour of parking on the City Hall lot be provided free of charge during normal business hours, by amending Section 17.62.150 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis and Section 17.62.150 of Section One of Ordinance 62101; and containing an emergency clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 145 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN FLOWERS An ordinance authorizing and directing the Director of the Department of Human Services, on behalf of the City of St. Louis, to accept a Grant Award from the Missouri Department of Corrections in the amount of $250,000.00 and to expend those funds for Re-entry Services for Former State Offenders, as set forth in the Memorandum of Understanding attached as Exhibit A; appropriating said funds and authorizing the Director of the Department of Human Services, upon approval of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, to expend such funds as permitted by the Memorandum of Understanding – Grant Award; and containing an Emergency Clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 146 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN FLOWERS An ordinance recommended and approved by the Director of Human Services and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, authorizing and directing the Mayor and the Comptroller of the City of St. Louis (the “City”), with the recommendation of the Director of the Department of Human Services, via the Homeless Services Division (HSD), on behalf of the City of St. Louis, to accept, enter into, and execute on behalf of the City, Grant Agreement Awards offered by the the United States of America (the “Grant Agreements”, acting through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) the Grant Agreements to provide for the reimbursement or payment to the City for the United States of America’s share of eligible costs incurred for City approved eligible programs furthering the work of the Continuum of Care under the Grant Agreements; and specifically authorizing and directing the acceptance of the 2015 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Planning Project Grant Application in the amount of $336,892.00, and future Continuum of Care Grant awards, and directing the Director of Human Services to expend those Planning Grant Funding funds to accomplish and further the work of the Continuum of Care (CoC) as indicated in the Continuum of Care Program regulation (Federal Register Vol. 77 No. 147 dated Tuesday, July 31, 2012) pertaining to CoC (24 CFR part 578.7(a)(9) and 24 CFR part 578.9 (a)(3)(ii) and (b) ) and the 2015 Grant Agreement Award (MO0205L7E011500), the application for which as attached as Exhibit A; appropriating said funds and authorizing the Director of the Department of Human Services, upon approval of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, to expend such funds as permitted by the Continuum of Care Program regulation (Federal Register Vol. 77 No. 147 dated Tuesday, July 31, 2012) pertaining to CoC (24 CFR part 578.7(a)(9) and 24 CFR part 578.9 (a)(3)(ii) and (b) ) and the Grant Agreement Awards (MO0205L7E011500); and containing an Emergency Clause.
BOARD BILL NO. 147 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN STEPHEN CONWAY An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 4600 block of Cleveland Avenue as “Barbara Beck Boulevard.”
BOARD BILL NO. 148 INTRODUCED BY ALDERMAN STEPHEN CONWAY An ordinance authorizing and directing the Street Commissioner to take all necessary actions to honorarily designate the 4900 block of Botanical Avenue as “George and Sandy Grbac Lane.”
BOARD BILL #149 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN TAMMIKA HUBBARD An Ordinance recommended by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment authorizing and directing the issuance and delivery of not to exceed $2,800,000 plus issuance costs principal amount of Tax Increment Revenue Notes (Northside Regeneration–Greenleaf Project) Series 20__-A/B, of the City of St. Louis, Missouri; prescribing the form and details of such notes and the covenants and agreements made by the City to facilitate and protect the payment thereof; prescribing other matters relating thereto, and containing a severability clause.
BOARD BILL # 150 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN TAMMIKA HUBBARD AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE PETITION TO ESTABLISH THE TUCKER & CASS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT; ESTABLISHING THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT AS A POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI; CONFIRMING THE PRIOR DETERMINATION THAT THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT IS A BLIGHTED AREA; FINDING A PUBLIC PURPOSE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT; APPROVING APPOINTMENT OF THE INITIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS; APPROVING A DISTRICT PROJECT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AND THE TUCKER & CASS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT; AUTHORIZING CERTAIN OTHER ACTIONS; AND CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.
BOARD BILL # 151 INTRODUCED BY ALDERWOMAN MEGAN GREEN An Ordinance revising and amending the Public Nuisances Code of the City of St. Louis to protect victims of domestic violence or stalking by amending Sections One, Two, and Five of Ordinance 69730, approved April 18, 2014 and codified at Chapter 15.42 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis; and containing a severability clause and an emergency clause. [Note: This bill is co-sponsored by Tyus, Ingrassia, Boyd, Krewson]
The meeting begins at 10am, it can be watched online here.
A majority of people in the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll do not agree with municipalities changing their ordinances to keep out some establishments. Here were the results:
Q: Agree or disagree: Municipalities are right to change ordinances to keep out establishments where female breasts are covered only by body paint.
Strongly agree 7 [18.92%]
Agree 3 [8.11%]
Somewhat agree 2 [5.41%]
Neither agree or disagree 1 [2.7%]
Somewhat disagree 6 [16.22%]
Disagree 6 [16.22%]
Strongly disagree 11 [29.73%]
Unsure/No Answer 1 [2.7%]
Nearly two-thirds disagreed with the above statement.
This is a tough issue for smaller municipalities in a region. No nothing and be perceived as not a good place for families. Take quick action, as many have this year, and be perceived as moral puritans. There are parallels to the 19th century temperance movement, witch led to prohibition:
The country’s first serious anti-alcohol movement grew out of a fervor for reform that swept the nation in the 1830s and 1840s. Many abolitionists fighting to rid the country of slavery came to see drink as an equally great evil to be eradicated – if America were ever to be fully cleansed of sin. The temperance movement, rooted in America’s Protestant churches, first urged moderation, then encouraged drinkers to help each other to resist temptation, and ultimately demanded that local, state, and national governments prohibit alcohol outright. (PBS) http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/roots-of-prohibition/
On the other hand, the objectification of females by heterosexual males can have serious consequences, including rape and sex trafficking:
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center defines human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against their will.
Since 2007, more than 1,500 calls have been made from Missouri to the National Human Trafficking hotline, the same site reported.
St. Louis and Kansas City are hotspots for human trafficking. Missouri is responding through legislation, law enforcement and grassroots organizations that work to combat and raise awareness about trafficking.
“The FBI has stated that St. Louis is one of the top 20 trafficking destinations in the country. Because of our highway system, highway 70 and 44, we have a lot of possibilities for that. So we do know it’s a problem,” said Republican Rep. Elijah Haahr, chair of the Human Trafficking Task Force. “People attribute it to being an East Coast, West Coast problem. It’s a Midwestern problem, both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. (KMOX)
I’m not sure where the line should be drawn. I have no problems seeing the female nipple, our notions around nudity, decency, and morality are weird. But, as a gay man, I’m not affected the way straight men are.
Still, laws forcing women to cover their nipples where men don’t have to seems unjust — simply because some straight men are unable to control themselves.
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.
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a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
