Opinion: Region Needs A Major Restructuring
The recent non-scientific Sunday Poll was about a statewide vote to change the Missouri constitution to let the City of St. Louis back into St. Louis County. If you didn’t figure it out, it was an April Fool’s Day joke. The issue, however, is no joke.
Given the St. Louis metropolitan area is falling behind other regions in growth I don’t think doing nothing is a sound strategy.The entire region needs to act quickly or we’ll continue dropping in rankings of metropolitan areas. We’re good at lip service and doing little things that don’t change the big picture — just give us the illusion we’re progressing.
It’s time to end the fragmentation that exists on both sides of the river. Redraw political boundaries so the region can compete. We’ve got to attract immigrates and others to the region — not just get people to leave St. Louis City & County for St. Charles County.
Politicians must give up their little fiefdoms, which is why the needed change probably won’t happen.
Here are the results from the AFD poll:
Q: Agree or disagree: Missouri voters will approve Constitutional Amendment A on August 7th, placing St. Louis back inside St. Louis County
- Strongly agree 4 [12.5%]
- Agree 3 [9.38%]
- Somewhat agree 8 [25%]
- Neither agree or disagree 3 [9.38%]
- Somewhat disagree 1 [3.13%]
- Disagree 3 [9.38%]
- Strongly disagree 6 [18.75%]
- Unsure/No Answer 4 [12.5%]
Please…someone prove me wrong.
— Steve Patterson