Lunchtime Meet & Greet Downtown Friday 2/11/2005

Margie Newman and Alan Brunettin of the Gallery Urbis Orbis are hosting a brown bag meet & greet for me this coming Friday (2/11/2005) at noon. They write:

I am very pleased to have support from all over the city for my candidacy. While representing my neighbors in the 25th ward I intend to work toward creating a more vibrant and exciting city.

If you can make it be sure to stop at one of the many great places downtown to grab your lunch. Breve next door has great sandwiches and the deli at City Grocers is awesome as is 10th Street Italian. Margie & Alan will be providing sodas and water.

Gallery Urbis Orbis is located at 419 North 10th Street.

See you Friday!

– Steve

Lunchtime Meet & Greet Downtown Friday 2/11/2005

Margie Newman and Alan Brunettin of the Gallery Urbis Orbis are hosting a brown bag meet & greet for me this coming Friday (2/11/2005) at noon. They write:

I am very pleased to have support from all over the city for my candidacy. While representing my neighbors in the 25th ward I intend to work toward creating a more vibrant and exciting city.

If you can make it be sure to stop at one of the many great places downtown to grab your lunch. Breve next door has great sandwiches and the deli at City Grocers is awesome as is 10th Street Italian. Margie & Alan will be providing sodas and water.

Gallery Urbis Orbis is located at 419 North 10th Street.

See you Friday!

– Steve

The Significance of Corner Storefronts

Corner storefronts are the centerpiece of urban neighborhoods. At one time, before big box retailers, they were the places where you walked to get your daily needs. Over the years these once vital storefronts ceased to be vital – as people fled to the suburbs and so did the local businesses. During these dark years many of these storefronts received tragic makeovers.

Such is the case shown on the right.

Dark and heavy this storefront is hardly inviting. This building, located on South Macklind, was originally a corner market serving the neighborhood. My own corner storefront also served as a meat market (ironic since I’m a vegetarian). In fact, most storefronts served as some sort of food market as modern refrigeration didn’t exist in people’s homes at the time. The massive supermarket, therefore, wasn’t feasible.

But once the market closed this storefront, like mine, got a terrible enclosure attempting to modernize the appearance. Instead of being open and welcoming it is closed, ugly and totally inappropriate for the building. What were they thinking?

Move forward to 2005 and the storefront is rebuilt anew. The former market will now serve as the office of Daniel Link Chiropractic.

I’m proud to say I was the REALTOR® for the buyer on this building and I played a part in the renovation plans. Yes, I know, a shameless plug.

Many storefronts all over the city have or are being converted to residential use. While this is a better use than being vacant I’d like to see the day when these storefronts again serve the local community by providing daily needs and services. Not everything has to be purchased from a big box.

These storefronts can again become a significant part of our daily lives.

– Steve

“Old Ward System Has Lost Clout in City Politics”

The above was the headline in the Post-Dispatch on a story about the decline in importance of the old ward system. The author, Jo Mannies, quoted 11th Ward Alderman Matt Villa:

“If you are naive enough to count on ward endorsements to carry the day, you’re completely out of touch with reality.”

I could not agree more. The 25th Ward organization only has 26 voting members – possibly less at this point because we barely made quorum at the January meeting. The ward system is an old relic.

19th Ward Alderman Mike McMillan is quoted regarding the rise of the internet and how it makes the ward organizations less important:

The story continues:

Such is the reason for this website – to communicate as much information to as many people as possible. This contrasts sharply with the old fashioned method of getting fed bits and pieces of information at sparsely attended neighborhood meetings.

– Steve

Progressive Democrats of Saint Louis

Today I was a guest speaker at the meeting of the Progressive Democrats of Saint Louis which is a part of the Progressive Caucus of Missouri. Both are part of the Progressive Democrats of America.

Topics discussed during the meeting where upcoming events sponsored by the Missourians for Single Payer (Healthcare). They are having a “We Won’t Be Fooled Again” weekend April 1-3. April 1st will include Street Theatre Actions, April 2nd is Citizen/Congressional Hearings on “Solutions to the National Health Care Crisis” and on April 3rd Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich will speak at the Ethical Society at 11am. For more information contact the Missourians for Single Payer.

The very scary thought of privatizing our Social Security was also discussed. A representative from the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition (Pro-Vote) updated us on some action items. For more information check out the Pro-Vote website.

The group was very receptive to my candidacy with individuals offering both financial and volunteer support. All were glad to hear of a progressive person seeking office in the City of St. Louis.

For me it was great to be among Democrats of all ages that are more interested in genuine progressive change than maintaining the status quo. Very refreshing indeed.

– Steve