Tonight: My Last Night In My 40s Happy Hour @ 360 St Louis, 4pm-7pm

Tomorrow I turn 50 years old, but tonight I invite all of you to stop by 360’s happy hour as I celebrate my last night in my 40s.

If you’ve never been to 360 before, this is a good chance to see it and the views. Their current Monday-Thursdsay happy hours specials end on March 31st, as the weather warms up.

• $4 drafts
• $5 select Wines
• $7 specialty cocktails
• $5 Burgers (Monday)

The full menu is also available, everyone will be responsible for their own items — order as little or as much as you care to pay for.

Even if we’ve met before it’s likely I may not immediately recall your name or the context in how we know each other. But once I hear your name, or the context, I may quickly remember. My stroke 9+ years ago did a number on my  memory…age doesn’t help.

My 40s started off very bad but are ending better than I ever could have anticipated a decade ago. Looking forward to my 50s…

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Should St. Louis Bread Co Locations Be Renamed Panera?

For the first 4+ years of the 2000s I worked in Kirkwood. lunch was often at the original location of St. Louis Bread Co. From July 2014:

Saint Louis Bread Co., a national chain with more than 100 bakery-cafes in the St. Louis area alone, opened its first location in Kirkwood in 1987. Panera, as the company is commonly known outside the city, isn’t going anywhere, but that original restaurant is. After almost 30 years, the Kirkwood’s Bread Company is moving in to nicer digs.

The Bread Co. is currently at 10312 Manchester Road, where it has been for the last 27 years. In August it’ll move across the street to 10221 Manchester Road to accommodate a drive-through, among other things. (Riverfront Times)

What do you think? Vote in the poll below:

The poll will close at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

Vote Yes on Prop S, Betts in 5th, Pattan in 19th

I’ve got my absentee ballot for the March 7th primary next to me, thankfully it’s fairly short. The sample ballot, however, is long — it includes every party and all 28 wards.

As is my tradition, I’ll review in reverse ballot order:

Proposition S

Shall the City of St. Louis, Missouri, be authorized to impose an annual fee of $5,000 for each permit (new or renewal) for a Short-Term Loan Establishment or $2,500 for a permit issued with less than 6 months remaining in the calendar year?

YES – FOR THE PROPOSITION

NO – AGAINST THE PROPOSITION

The phrase “Short-Term Loan Establishment” means payday loan business. Read about a great local non-profit alternative here. When voting, please vote yes on Prop S!

Board of Aldermen

I’ve not kept close tabs on all the aldermanic races — 14 odd-numbered wards plus a special election to fill the vacant 16th ward slot. It’s encouraging to see 11 are contested races, only 4 are not. I do have an opinion on two races — the 5th ward, where I live, and the 19th ward, that I can see from our windows & balcony.

5th Ward

The 5th sward is fed up with the Hubbard’s, last year we saw Rodney Hubbard replaced as Democratic committeeman and his wife, Penny Hubbard, replaced as state rep — both in special elections after courts found irregularities in voting in the August 2016 primary. Five people are challenging their daughter Tammika Hubbard, the incumbent. I’m backing the woman who unsuccessfully tried to unseat Penny Hubbard as committeewoman — Megan Betts. I was proud to endorse her in 2016 and I remain convinced she is concerned about the entire ward and city. See Betts’ Facebook page and.or Twitter feed.

19th Ward

In the 19th ward I endorse Lindsay Pattan over incumbent Marlene Davis.  I was impressed with Pattan before I even met her, the professionalism of her meeting invite was promising. In person I could see why she’s a successful business person. Davis, on the other hand, is…not Lindsay Pattan.

If you’re a 19th ward voter please vote foe Lindsay Pattan. To learn more see her website, Facebook page, Instagram, and/or Twitter feed.

Comptroller

Long time incumbent Darlene Green is being challenged by Alexandra Johnson. see her website, Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram.

Mayor

I don’t have an endorsement in this race, but here are the Democratic candidates in reverse ballot order:

• Jimmie Matthews
• Willian (Bill) Haas
• Lyda Krewson
• Tishaura O. Jones
• Jeffrey L. Boyd
• Lewis Reed
• Antonio French

Voters please research the candidates in the races on your ballot. If there’s a ward election on your ballot don’t vote for the incumbent just because they’re the incumbent. Conversely, don’t vote for their challenger just because they aren’t the incumbent.

— Steve Patterson

Marti Frumhoff 1957-2007

Today would have been Marti Frumhoff’s 60th birthday, but she died less than 3 months after her 50th birthday. Marti worked tirelessly to make St. Louis a better place to live. She still made time to  mentor me in the real estate business.

Marti was the big sister I never had — she was 10 years + 5 days older than me.  A decade ago we celebrated our birthdays together — her 50th & my 40th. She was 50 when she had a heart attack at home…alone. I was 40 when I had a stroke at home…alone.

I think about her often, especially in February.  When I heard about the vandalism at a historic Jewish cemetery earlier this week I had to check. Frumhoff is interred at a different historic Jewish cemetery less than a mile away. I can’t understand why anyone would would knock over grave markers.

Monday I’ll celebrate the last day of my 40s, I wish Marti was still here so we could celebrate her 60th.

— Steve Patterson

Opinion: St. Louis Needs Ranked Choice Voting

In St. Louis, with the occasional exception, elects the Democratic nominee in the April general election — the real race happens a month earlier in the March Democratic primary. Incumbents pride themselves on getting reelected every 4 years by having no challenger in the primary or general election.

When an incumbent decides not to run again everyone jumps into the race. The mayoral race in two weeks is a perfect example: 7 candidates are seeking to be the Democratic nominee…who will win the general held a month later.

Seven!

The winner in the primary will be whomever receives the most votes — but it’s highly unlikely to be more than 50%. Some of you may not vote for your first choice because you might think s/he isn’t likely to win.  Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank their top choice first without fear of spoiling the results or throwing away their vote.

The following two videos explain:

More than half of those vote voted un the non-scientific Sunday Poll agree:

Q: Agree or disagree: St. Louis needs ranked-choice voting for races with 3 or more candidates

• Strongly agree 9 [31.03%]
• Agree 5 [17.24%]
• Somewhat agree 3 [10.34%]
• Neither agree or disagree 2 [6.9%]
• Somewhat disagree 2 [6.9%]
• Disagree 0 [0%]
• Strongly disagree 7 [24.14%]
• Unsure/No Answer 1 [3.45%]

I don’t expect St. Louis to change how we vote…or much else for that matter.

— Steve Patterson