Four Candidates In Democratic Primary to be President of the Board of Aldermen

Today’s post is for those who’ve not made a decision about who to vote for in the 4-way race for the Democratic nomination to be president of the Board of Aldermen. The partisan primary will be March 5th, the winner will very likely easily defeat the Green Party nominee the general election on April 2nd.

If St. Louis government were a game of chess, the president of the Board of Aldermen would be the queen. It is a unique position: Empowered in both the city’s legislative and executive branches, the board president can wield power both in offense and defense. It’s equally capable of holding its own in a fight or just holding ground against an advancing opponent. (Riverfront Times)

To assist with your pre-voting research, here are the four candidates in the Democratic primary, listed here in reverse ballot order, with relevant links:

Jimmie Matthews:

• Ballotpedia

Lewis Reed:

• Ballotpedia
• Website

Megan Ellyia Green

• Ballotpedia
• Website

Jamilah Nasheed

• Ballotpedia
• Website

I personally enjoy seeing competitive challengers, not a fan of incumbents easily winning another 4 year term just because challengers are too timid to take on the power of incumbency.

I’d always heard the phrase “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” When I was younger I didn’t connect that to elections, but it’s very true.  I know the top 3 candidates, as well as people working on their campaigns.  Social media plays a role these days.

I’ve already voted absentee, but I voted based on my favorability of the candidates and their policy positions. I’m not going to say who I voted for, I will say it wasn’t Matthews. Hopefully each of you have made up your mind, or will use some criteria to make a selection before Tuesday March 5th.

In the 2015 race the voter turnout was less than 10%. Given the competitive citywide race the turnout should be in double digits, but it was less than 15% in 2007 — the last year of a competitive primary for President of the Board of Aldermen.  Your vote can make a big difference this year — VOTE!

— Steve Patterson

No Surprise, Readers’ Top Transportation Choice is a Private Car

When I decided on the topic of the recent non-scientific poll, I’d planned to write more along with the results. However, the cold I had last weekend in Chicago continues.

Q: My primary mode of transportation is… (pick up to 3):

1. Private vehicle, paid off (no loan/lease): 12 [25%]
2. Private vehicle, outstanding loan: 11 [22.92%]
3. Pedestrian, able-bodied: 9 [18.75%]
4. Bicycling, my own bike: 5 [10.42%]
5. Public transportation, bus/rail (use weekly/monthly pass): 4 [8.33%]
6. TIE: 2 [4.17%]
   1. Car sharing: Lyft, Uber, etc
   2. Public transportation, bus/rail (pay cash)
7. TIE: 1 [2.08%]
   1. Pedestrian, uses a mobility device (cane, walker, scooter, wheelchair, etc)
   2. Motor scooter
8. Car sharing: Taxicab
9. TIE — zero responses
   1. Bicycling, a bike share bike
   2. E-Scooter, owned
   3. E-Scooter, sharing like Bird Scooters
   4. Motorcycle
   5. Private vehicle, borrowed
   6. Private vehicle, leased

My three choices were pedestrian (with mobility device), public transit (cash), and a private car with a loan balance. I only drive once or maybe twice a week, usually for weekend shopping trips. Most days when I leave home I’m a pedestrian in my power wheelchair, but I combine with transit when I need to go further.

I like that the top poll answer was cars that were paid off, that would’ve been one of my answers a year ago. OK, time for bed.

— Steve Patterson

Thinking about the former Ackerman Toyota site on South Kingshighway

For decades Ackerman Toyota was located on South Kingshighway Blvd, between Tholozan Ave on the North, and Beck Ave on the South. In 2015 they announced they’d build a new dealership on the NE corner of Hampton & I-44, the site of the former MSD headquarters.

Ackerman Toyota, the southern outpost of the decades-old string of St. Louis car dealerships on South Kingshighway, is hitting the road.

After nearly 27 years at 3636 South Kingshighway, the dealership plans to move to 2000 Hampton Avenue. The three-acre site owned by the city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority is the former headquarters of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District at Hampton and Interstate 44.

Jerry Ackerman, the dealership’s owner, said Thursday he hopes to begin construction by December and open his new location as early as June. (Post Dispatch, August 2015)

Today’s post isn’t about their new location, this is about the location they recently vacated.

Their old address was listed as 3636 S. Kingshighway — the address for the building on the South, at Beck Ave. It dates to 1940, per city records online. The other building on Kingshighway, at Tholozan Ave. is from 1929. Both have been remodeled so many times neither has any historic value.  A 3rd building, an anonymous service structure,  facing Tholozan, was built in 1948.

The former car dealership contains over 145k square feet, roughly 3.3 acres. It is made up of 6 different parcels. These could be combined, or developed separately. The most likely scenario is one developer will buy all six parcels and, after consolidating them into one, develop the total site.

The bottom right section is 2 of the 6 parcels, it was still a field as late as 1971. It got paved for parking sometime between 1971 and 1991, based on historic aerials of the site. In the 2015 article, linked above, Jerry Ackerman is quoted as indicating they were seeing a franchise from another manufacturer for a dealership at this location. Given that they’ve boarded the buildings my assumption is that didn’t pan out.

Good.

This site needs to cease being about the sales & service of cars. It needs to be a mix of uses, including some residential. Two and three story buildings are very common on this stretch of Kingshighway, so a dense/urban site plan would be appropriate.

It’ll be interesting to watch to see what, if anything, becomes of this site.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: What Is Your Primary Mode of Transportation?

Back from another trip to the annual Chicago Auto Show. To get there I took the bus to the Amtrak station, my husband met me there — leaving our car in long-term, parking. In Chicago we used the bus to reach the auto show.  Lots of miles covered in non-auto modes to see autos.

This got me thinking about getting around in St. Louis. How do readers of this blog get around? For many the top choice will be private automobile, no doubt. Is it paid off, leased, or still have a loan?

What’ll be interesting to me is to see how other modes fare. Hopefully this poll will get lots of responses, so please encourage others to weigh in.

Today’s poll includes a detailed list of options to select from. Respondents can pick up to 3 answers.

This poll will close at 8pm tonight.

— Steve Patterson

Candidates in March 5, 2019 Primary

The March 5th partisan primary is coming up in less than a month, so I wanted you to begin thinking about voting. Typically when we go to the polls the worker will ask which ballot you want (non-partisan, Green, Republican, Democratic, etc). Next month only those in the 6th Ward will be asked. Why?  One Green candidate is running for President of the Board of Aldermen, one Republican is running for 6th Ward Alderman (MICHAEL J. HEBRON, SR.).  Because the Green Party received less than 2% of the vote in the last gubernatorial election Jerome Bauer will automatically appear on the April 2nd general election ballot.

There are no ballot questions and only even-numbered wards are electing aldermen, so those of us in odd-numbered wards will only have to vote for the President of the Board of Aldermen.

The following in all caps is taken from the sample ballot.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATES

FOR PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN: curious to see who wins this rave. Prediction: will NOT be Jimmie Matthews

• JAMILAH NASHEED
• MEGAN ELLYIA GREEN
• LEWIS REED
• JIMMIE MATTHEWS

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 2

• LISA MIDDLEBROOK
• THOMAS BRADLEY

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 4

• SAMUEL L. MOORE
• ROBERT DILLARD
• LEROY CARTER
• EDWARD MCFOWLAND

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 6: Incumbents generally don’t get 3 primary challengers, the only ward that will face a challenger in April

• CHRISTINE INGRASSIA
• CEDRIC REDMON
• DEBRA CARNAHAN
• HENRY GRAY

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 8

• ANNIE LEE RICE
• EMMETT L. COLEMAN

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 10

• JOSEPH [JOE] VOLLMER
• PAT HICKEY

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 12

• LARRY ARNOWITZ
• DERRICK NEUNER
• CASSANDRA [CASSIE] DECLUE

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 14

• CAROL J. HOWARD
• TONY PECINOVSKY

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 16: unchallenged incumbent

• THOMAS ROBERT OLDENBURG

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 18: Longtime 18th Ward Ald. Terry Kennedy isn’t running for reelection, so you’ve got a 5-way race to fill the seat. Kennedy was first sworn into office on April 18, 1989.

• JESSE TODD
• JEFFERY HILL, JR.
• DARRYL GRAY
• JUDITH ARNOLD
• ELMER OTEY

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 20

• CARA SPENCER
• SATIA [SUNNI] HUTTON

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 22

• TONYA FINLEY-MCCAW
• JEFFREY L. BOYD

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 24: two-term Ald. Scott Ogilvie isn’t running for a 3rd term, so five candidates are running. Ogilvie easily defeated Tom Bauer in the 2011 general election.

• LORIE CAVIN
• BRET NARAYAN
• TERI POWERS
• DANNY SAMPLE
• TOM BAUER

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 26: Longtime Ald. Frank Williamson resigned to take a job in the Treasurer’s office, he has been in office since April 15, 2003. Candidate Jake Banton is a licensed architect!

• LEATA C. PRICE-LAND
• SHAMEEM CLARK HUBBARD
• JAKE BANTON

FOR ALDERMAN WARD 28

• HEATHER B. NAVARRO: unchallenged incumbent

Please be sure to vote!

— Steve Patterson