How to Defeat Lacy Clay

Let's be honest and face the truth, shall we. Lacy Clay cannot be beat using standard methods. With the new setup for the 1st district, everything leans heavily in his favor. That is, if you think inside the box. For the most part, when people think of trying to dispose Lacy as our representative, they think of an Independent or Republican going one on one in an election. Much like with his father, the results are always the same, Lacy walks away with a generous win.

If we want to change the way the 1st district is represented we must recognize a couple of things:

1. Unless Lacy does or says something illegal or incredibly stupid, no Republican or Independent is going to beat him in an election.



2. St. Louis City and parts of North County lean too heavy in favor of Democrats over a Republican.



3. Lacy has a great support structure in that a majority of the townships and the city are run and controlled by Democrats who want and to a lesser extent need to be liked by Lacy Clay if they want Federal money.

If we want to beat Lacy, we have to do so strategically and recognize that it will take more than 2 years to do so.

The first thing you have to do is cut off his supply line. This can be done in two fashions:

1. Boycott people that fund Lacy's campaign coffers. Granted a lot of his money comes from unions, but there is a decent share that comes from local corporations that want to stay in good standing with him. Begin boycotting these companies and let them know that you will not do business with a company that supports a politician like Lacy Clay



2. Remove local politicians that support Lacy Clay and do much of his campaigning for him. This is probably the biggest and hardest part of this overall plan. It is something that will take more than a couple of election cycles, but can do serious damage to his support structure.

It all starts with school boards and city councils. If you are a moderate or conservative and want to see real change, you have to start with your local area and spread out. School board and city counsel representatives are more accessible to the populace. Because of this, they can get the message out in a much more casual and personal fashion than a Congressional candidate. And, they can do it quicker. So, the first thing that has to be done is to get more Republicans or even more anti tax and spend candidates elected into positions of local authority. As these people are in office and bringing about change, they will be able to spring board up as well as inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

Let me reiterate. This is the longest step in taking back control over our local government and eventually the 1st district. It is not something that can be done in 2 or even 4 years. It could take 8 or more years depending upon elections.

The second thing you have to do is keep Lacy honest. This means that we need to hold his feet to the fire every time he does and says something. God knows the media does it to just about every Republican and non line toting Democrat out there. If you know that Lacy is going to be giving a speech, go there and take notes or take video of them. Get it to me or another blogger like Gateway Pundit or Sharp Elbows to name a few. A lot of times candidates will say things that they do not want others to hear when there are no television cameras or reporters there. It is at times like these that you can hear a politician or candidate express their true opinions and that is when you can nail them.

The third thing is probably the hardest to swallow but can help weaken or even remove Lacy Clay and the dynasty he is creating. The third thing is to back a more moderate Democrat(s) while Republicans are found and put into those lower structures. I know it will pain some of you to hear this, but sometimes you can weaken a base more by splitting it. We see it all of the time on MSNBC and such when they try and split Republicans over disagreements on policy. They do everything they can to keep a big happy family for the Democrats because they know splintering the party works and leads to in-fighting and disorganization. So, the best thing to do is to swallow the hard pill support a moderate Democrat who can remove Lacy Clay. If you were to look at the last election primaries and take all of the votes for other candidates, Lacy got nearly 60% of all the votes. Now, imagine if everyone unified together and helped to support a moderate, Blue Dog Democrat. Lacy could be defeated in the primaries. From talking to friends and neighbors who are heavily involved in the local unions, they all express a dislike for Lacy, but support him because he is a Democrat and that is what they are supposed to do. If the unions had another option that they thought could win, many of the people I have talked to think their unions would hold off support until a clear winner is determined or one of their own runs.

Now, I know there are a lot of variables to this. I know that none of this is easy. I know it sounds better to try and throw good candidates up against Lacy but I must say, I hate seeing people like Martin and Robyn put their blood, sweat and tears into taking on this man and be swatted away like a fly. We must remain vigilant and look at this like a war. In war you have to cut off supply lines, have strategic bases, ground level leadership and sometimes make your enemies enemies your friends. If we do this, we can beat Lacy.

What do you think?

My Interview with Andrew Podleski - Candidate for Florissant Mayor

As I said on my last post, I am not coming out in favor of any one candidate. I do not think it is my place. With that said, I feel it is very important that all of the people voting for the Florissant mayor should know something about the candidates. That is why I have chosen to get involved with this mayoral race. I said it before and I will say it again, as Florissant goes, so goes North County.

As you already know, I reached out, via email, to the candidates for Florissant mayor requesting an interview. Three of them responded and said they were open to it. After reaching out to my readers, I drew up 15 questions to ask. All three candidates were sent the same questions. Below, you will find the response from Andrew Podleski exactly as he responded to me, unedited and just as he sent them to me. I hope you read what he has to say and think about it as you decide and choose which candidate will best represent you.


1. What makes you qualified to be Mayor of one of the largest suburbs in the St. Louis area?

I believe I have the necessary professional experience and education to effectively manage our City. My work history has given me opportunities to perform in many roles and our City needs someone who has a varied background, who understands and knows how to organize staff to accomplish the work that needs to be done. I believe I have these skills which will be a great advantage as Mayor. Having been a team leader and
team member allows me to understand both roles necessary to accomplish team tasks.


2. What advantage/skill set makes you more qualified than the other candidates?

A wide range of experiences, and an ability to resolve complex issues or problems is what sets me apart. I have worked in the Military, U.S Government service and in Private Industry in both large and small companies. I have a strong belief in my abilities but recognize a team needs members with varied skill-sets and strengths.


3. What is your stance on the strong Mayor system that Florissant has and why do you feel this way?

The “strong Mayor” system can work well given that the Mayor has good professional skills, experience and personnel management abilities. Using the alternative system with a Mayor and City manager and other staffing to support the City manager is usually more costly because you have multiple salaries to pay versus the one.

Our Charter form of government defines our current Mayor wearing both hats, not only as the head of our City government (i.e. signs legislation into law) but also the role of the chief City Administrator and is charged with running the City on a daily basis. Other cities have a part-time Mayor and a fulltime City Administrator (and in some cases an Assistant Administrator).

I believe the Citizens who framed the Charter wanted to combine these positions so there would be accountability to Citizens through the ballot box. A City Administrator is selected by the City Council, who hires and fires them and is beyond direct accountability to the voters.

Being Mayor is an enormous responsibility. But the Citizens through our Charter have the final say on the direction of the City by controlling the ballot box. I will never forget they are the ultimate boss through the power of their vote.


4. Younger families are flocking to St. Peters and O’Fallon. As Mayor, what are you going to do to attract and retain young families to Florissant.

One thing I believe we need to address is the common perception of many in the metropolitan area that our City and North County is in decline. Our City has housing stock of a wide variety and age range. A great many of our homes were built when materials and craftsmanship in home building was far superior to what you see in many homes today. These well-built homes in established neighborhoods are affordable and excellent values. Plus they have excellent commuter and travel access. The dedicated men and women of our Police Department keep our community safe and our parks system is enviable for a City of our size.

In my comprehensive plan to market Florissant, our housing office will aggressively sell these points to employers like Boeing, ExpressScripts, UMSL and other new facilities in North County (North Park). These companies will be hiring young professionals who will be looking to gain a credit history and equity in a home. It is my desire to help them make that home choice in Florissant. To pursue a plan for enticing younger residents, we will need to highlight the many services and variety of neighborhoods we have to offer. I plan to develop a professionally prepared, cohesive and aggressive marketing package to entice them. There are many possibilities and I will always be open to suggestions from our employees, current
Citizens and potential new Citizens.


5. Considering these tough economic times, do you see any cuts to the City’s Senior and youth programs?

I feel we have many great programs for our Citizens and we must try to maintain or improve them. While I do believe we need to look at every service our City offers to be sure it is run efficiently and provides value, I think any proposals to change current services needs to be viewed in the light of which programs serve the most people in Florissant. I will also look to the Senior Department and Parks Department as well as the Parks Board and Senior Committee to offer suggestions for enhancements and efficiencies in our programs.


6. The two school districts in Florissant do not have a great reputation. This is major reason people cite for not moving into Florissant. While the City does not control the schools, what are your thoughts on how the City can help change this perception?

Last week, I attended a candidate forum for the Ferguson-Florissant School Board. It became clear one topic which needs to be addressed is the engagement of the Cities (not just Florissant, but all the surrounding communities) with the School Boards and their Superintendents. I want to have regular meetings with them to discuss possible involvement by Florissant in their efforts to improve the schools. For instance Florissant may be able to provide access to our Civic Centers for after-school programs.

Dialogue is needed here. They may have ideas how we can help them, and I believe they will be receptive to ideas I will bring to them as we share a common desire to make our Community the best it can be.


7. What do you like about the City of Florissant?

As I indicated in my earlier answer about attracting and retaining younger families, there are many things I like. Our rich history is impressive and varied with interesting twists and turns in its development. Driving around the City, I see quiet neighborhoods that are obviously well maintained by their residents.

Florissant is conveniently located near several interstate highways and because of our many large arterial streets you can travel to just about anywhere you choose in the metropolitan area either by highway or by main arterial streets. We have an incredible variety of park space both large and small. I remember in my youth when these parks were always in use. I hope to see them again very busy with the new Citizens we aim to attract in the future. The best part of any neighborhood or City is the people. We have good people who are the backbone of any community. We need to keep these good neighbors here while we try to recruit new ones to join their ranks.

The large and diverse collection of businesses that includes many large well-known companies but also many small and unique enterprises makes shopping and dining easy and interesting. Small entrepreneurial operations like the City Diner or long-time successful family busineeses such as Handyman Hardware, in addition to the big outlets, provide us with an excellent retail market place and great entertainment opportunities.


8. There are a lot of vacant businesses in Florissant. What are you going to do to fill those vacant buildings and attract vibrant businesses to the city?

Empty storefronts are a problem here as in many communities during these tough economic times. I will work with the Economic Development Director create a new plan for recruiting more businesses for Florissant.

Besides the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce, there are regional groups that can be tapped for information and help to attract specific shops and/or restaurants. One of these is the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce that has ties throughout the Metropolitan area. I will ask for Citizens to help by suggesting what they want to see in the way of new or expanded businesses.

Look at Florissant Meadows. We now have a sushi/seafood buffet(Hokkaido) that is drawing large crowds. This traffic creates synergy that can only help other businesses in this shopping center and the surrounding businesses of the Lindbergh corridor. I have already been in contact with several commercial Real Estate professionals who have given me an insight into how to bring new business into Florissant.

We need to let businesses know that we really want them here to serve our community. The first step is to develop a welcoming attitude for them, by becoming more business friendly. I want to establish a system in Public Works to help prospective businesses get through the City requirements of bringing their companies to Florissant. We will have a one-stop coordinator who will assist in outlining the steps to satisfy the requirements of Planning/Zoning and business licensing so the businessperson can negotiate them with reduced frustration.


9. Some residents complain that there are too many check cashing, payday loan, rent to own and used card lots in Florissant. They feel that this brings in a seedier element and detracts from the City. What are your thoughts on this?

As a Councilman, I have voted for moratoriums on car lots within our borders. While we cannot prevent businesses from coming to Florissant if they are an approved use in any particular zoning district, we can certainly try to recruit other more desirable businesses to fill these empty spaces. It will take a well thought out plan and a Mayor who will stick with this plan to make it successful.


10. It has been said that our current Mayor can be contentious if you do not agree with him. How do you plan on working with the City Council?

While there always will be areas of disagreement in government, I believe as Mayor I need to set the tone on civility. My role is to lead the discussion not overwhelm the discourse with strong opinions and a personal agenda.

A successful leader listens to all sides of the discussion before making a decision.
I want to actively involve and engage the Council on City matters. For example, creating the budget earlier and including them in the process. But as the Chief Executive of the City, I will make the decisions that need to be made. I will explain my position very clearly, and it will not be just because I do not like the opposing viewpoint. As a Councilman, some have called me a naysayer because I asked pointed questions about Bills coming before that body. I view my position on the Council as the representative of the people, who cannot ask those questions I ask those questions to help Citizens understand the processes and duties of the Council. Open dialogue is never bad, however, it must be civil and respect the other person’s viewpoint.


11. Politically speaking, who do you model yourself after?

I greatly admire Missouri’s own Harry Truman. When he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he immediately thrust himself into his work so he would be as prepared as possible. I will strive to be involved in all aspects of the City operations, but I will also try to ensure City employees are the best they can be and can move with autonomy when needed.

In the book A Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, she describes how Abraham Lincoln convinced his rivals for the Presidency to join his cabinet. He was not afraid to have these strong-minded men as advisors. In fact he wanted them for that very reason. They would offer him frank advice and they would not be yes men. I hope I can also achieve success in that area by utilizing our City employees in the positions where they can perform their best.


12. Is there anything you want to accomplish in your first year?

To strive to develop a budget that is balanced without re-directing money from the Capital Improvement Fund, the Parks Improvement Fund and the Sewer Lateral Fund. The Citizens of Florissant voted for those funds to be used for very specific purposes and that should be respected. I want the budget to have input from the Council at an earlier stage.

The budget must be presented in a way that is clear to all of our residents and it will be posted on our Florissant website. This will be a difficult task, but I believe with hard work it can be done.


13. What do you think people should know about you?

Most of my life I have been a very private person and one who believes I should do my very best in whatever I pursued. I ran for Mayor in 2007 and I am running now because I feel I can make a positive difference in the City I long called home. I have accomplished much in my life, but I always remember it was not just my efforts that helped me to succeed. To manage the City effectively, I will need the assistance of every department employee and staff member, but I will be the first to give them the credit for their efforts. It is important to be approachable; Citizens and employees will be able to contact me with opinions and questions without feeling apprehensive.


14. The trash/recycling contact will expire during the next Mayor’s term. Do you want to continue with a City wide contract or have it go back to being resident’s choice?

I was somewhat skeptical about this working in Florissant, but I knew it worked in other Cities. I have been pleased with the results so far. I think we need to continue this program. Can it be improved? Yes. In negotiating a new contract with Meridian or whoever will compete for this work, there are things we can do. I would like to see curbside leaf pickup in the Fall. I will investigate the possibility of the “tag-a-bag” program for Seniors. All options are open, except going back to six or seven different haulers. Besides the huge increase in recycling in Florissant, the reduction of truck traffic on our streets reduces wear and tear on them and extends their useful life which is a great thing. Any solution implemented, would have never met all needs and expectations. Overall, I think the single hauler solution we developed was a reasonable answer.


15. WalMart in Florissant, where do you stand and what are your thoughts?

Some of WalMart's business practices in dealing with manufacturers and employees run counter to the ideals of a great many citizens, including myself. The entrance of WalMart into a community often brings a highly negative impact for smaller businesses. It has been documented how their presence can devastate smaller competitors by undercutting prices in what I see as unfair practices.

Last year, WalMart presented a proposal to build in Florissant, but only with the help of Tax Increment Financing. It is their prerogative to ask for TIF money, but we do not have to give it to them. The Council turned down the proposal.
They now have a new proposal that asks for some special considerations which requires the support of the City. I will not support any proposal which involves taxpayer money for WalMart. I believe one of the largest corporations in the world can afford to build on their own money not ours.

However, if they satisfy all of the Planning and Zoning requirements on property in our City approved under our codes for this use and build a store using their money to build it without special considerations from the City, it would be difficult to prevent them from opening in Florissant.




So, there you have it. Andrew Podleski ladies and gentlemen.

If you would like to hear from one of the other candidates, or you are a candidate and wish to have your voice heard, please email me and I will be more than happy to interview you too.

My Interview with Robert Garrett - Candidate for Florissant Mayor

First let me say this, I am not coming out in favor of any one candidate. I do not think it is my place. With that said, I feel it is very important that all of the people voting for the Florissant mayor should know something about the candidates. That is why I have chosen to get involved with this mayoral race. I said it before and I will say it again, as Florissant goes, so goes North County.

I reached out, via email, to the candidates for Florissant mayor requesting an interview. Three of them responded and said they were open to it. After reaching out to my readers, I drew up 15 questions to ask. All three candidates were sent the same questions. Below, you will find the response from Robert Garrett exactly as he responded to me, unedited and just as he sent them to me. I hope you read what he has to say and think about it as you decide and choose which candidate will best represent you.



1. What makes you qualified to be mayor of one of the larges suburbs in the St. Louis area?

I’m an attorney with deep roots in the Florissant community, some understanding of small business and the problems facing small business owners as well as the important role of business in Florissant, and extensive experience in, and understanding of the workings of, Florissant city government.

In such regard, I’m currently a self-employed patent attorney and mediator. That means that not only can I practice as an attorney throughout the state of Missouri, but that I am also licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and can do so throughout the country. In addition, I am qualified as a mediator for both civil and domestic matters under Missouri Court Rules.

I’ve been married to my wife, Toni, who is a math professor at the Meramec campus of the community college district, for over 41 years, and we have 3 adult kids, Anthony, Joe, and Susan Therese, spread from coast to coast. We have lived in our current house here, in the middle of Old Town, on the same block where I grew up, for over 33 years. We bought that house from my grandfather’s estate.

I’m a Florissant native, and at least 3 of my ancestors have served as Florissant Mayor: my great grandfathers Sidney Garrett and August Albers, and my great great grandfather Charles Castello.

I attended Sacred Heart School, including classes held in the old school building, and, with the aid of some scholarships, eventually obtained Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering from Washington U.

I’m an Air Force veteran and was commissioned and began my active duty service as a Reserve Officer before being awarded a commission as Regular Air Force Officer. While on active duty I served as an engineer in satellite checkout and launch at Vandenburg AFB. My duties included activities with a variety of systems and also required me to work with and to exercise oversight of contractor engineers and union technicians who were working on the satellite vehicles.

Following my active duty time, I attended, and graduated from law school at St. Louis U., using the GI Bill, while remaining in the inactive reserve as a Captain.

Subsequently, for over 31 years, until April 1, 2009, I operated and, for many years, managed the patent law firm of Haverstock, Garrett & Roberts LLP, a small to medium size patent law firm in downtown St. Louis, and, in so doing, became familiar with problems facing small businesses and their owners, including management of personnel.

During the time that I was with that patent law firm, I also served on the Florissant Planning and Zoning Commission, and was later elected to and served 6 terms on the Florissant City Council from 1984 to 2002. During my City Council tenure, I served 1 council term as council Vice-President and two council terms as President of the City Council. During part of that time, Jim Eagan was Mayor and during the latter few years Bob Lowery was Mayor.

During that same time period, I served on various committees and commissions of St. Louis County and the St. Louis County Municipal League, including the St. Louis Co. Capital Improvements Committee, the Boundary Change Committee, and the Special Laws & Boundary Changes Committee.

I subsequently also served on the St. Louis County Interstate 270/ Highway 367 Corridor Advisory Commission, and I more recently served as Chairman of an Old Town Partners committee that was addressing business development and the possibility of establishing a new improvement district that would encompass at least the Old Town business district. That particular committee included not only Old Town Partner members, but also several business owners from the Old Town area and several City officials.

While I served on Council, I was a strong advocate for infrastructure maintenance and improvement, and was the driving force behind establishment of a long-term plan for the improvement of streets in the Old Town grid. That plan has been initiated, but will take many, many years to complete.

I was also a supporter, along with various other council members, and in opposition to Mayor Eagan’s desires, of numerous creek paving and improvement programs that have proved a boon to the City and to residents along those creeks.

Although I was sometimes at odds with Mayor Eagan, I also worked with him on various matters, including the purchase by the City of what is now the Florissant Government Building at St. Francois and Florissant Road. I was the one who initially proposed that purchase, and was invited by Mayor Eagan to appear with him for the closing of that purchase.

Over the years I have been a staunch supporter of our City’s police department, and I believe that it is imperative that we maintain a strong and effective force into the future.

I have worked to try to respect the history of Florissant and its historic treasures while also allowing residents and the City to be able to undertake property maintenance and updates without undue regulation and interference by the City. In such regard, I worked for many months in meetings with Rosemary Davison, then Council member Geri Debo, and City Attorney John Hessel, and sometimes others, to develop an improved ordinance regarding historic structures throughout the City and the Historic District. Many compromises were necessary in order to develop a workable ordinance that would address not only historic preservation, but also desires of residents of historic structures and of the Historic District to be free of unnecessary regulation. Had we not worked out and adopted a new ordinance when we did, repairs, and even the scheduling of repairs, would have been significantly delayed and impacted following the hail and ice storms we experienced some years ago because of the previous requirements regarding approval processes.

I have been a strong advocate of business development within the City, not only because of the more immediate favorable tax consequences for the City, but also because of the jobs that are made available to City residents and because of the general improvement that such businesses afford all of us in our daily lives. In such regard, I, along with four other Council members and Mayor Lowery, pushed for the redevelopment of the old, outdated shopping center that had been located at Cross Keys, which has now been replaced with the Shoppes at Cross Keys development and includes, among other stores, Barnes & Noble, Schnucks, Pier One, OfficeMax and Home Depot. At the time, that action was very controversial, and I faced a great deal of criticism from various other Council members and a significant portion of the Florissant populace. In the days before the final vote for that project, I met at Sansone offices to discuss and work out with the principals of that corporation some of the final amendments and concessions to be included in the bill, and to address with them the significant possibility that the project might not be approved, and the consequences of non-approval. I ask you to consider what that area would look like today had that development not been pursued. Fortunately, the project was very narrowly approved. In hindsight, I would hope that everyone could agree that that was a good decision!

2. What advantage/skill set makes you more qualified than the other candidates?

No other candidate has the background, qualifications, and wealth of experience that I do. See the answer to Question 1.

Significantly, no other candidate has the legal training and experience that I do.

In addition, no other candidate is a trained mediator.

Additionally, while I was a Councilman, I believe that I became known for my attention to detail, my desire to “get things right”, and my ability to work with the Mayor and other council members even when we did not agree, and without the exhibition of ongoing rancor and personal animosities.

I believe that those abilities, especially when coupled with my business experience and my long service on the City Council, including as both Council Vice-President and Council President, make me more qualified and better able to address the challenges as Mayor of Florissant.

3. What is your stance on the strong mayor system that Florissant has and why do you feel this way?

Florissant has had a strong mayor system since the adoption of the current charter almost 40 years ago, and that system has served the City well over that time period.

I am an advocate of the “don’t fix what ain’t broke” school of thought. It doesn’t appear to me that the strong mayor system for Florissant is broken.

Florissant’s mayor serves not only as the chief executive of the City, but also as the chief operating officer. In council/manager systems, a city manager or administrator, typically chosen by the city council, acts as the chief operating officer.

Some argue that a city manager would be more qualified to run the day-to-day matters of city government because the city manager would be specifically trained for such a role. However, the history of city managers in numerous other communities shows that that is not necessarily the case. While some city managers do have specific college training and some previous city administration experience, others, when first hired by a municipality, have little or no previous administration training or experience. In some instances, the city manager is a previous police chief or other city official or politician who was able to secure the support of a majority of the council to be hired.

Some also argue that adoption of a council/manager system would get away from the more obnoxious “politics” associated with city government. That is clearly not the case. A city manager is a political appointee of the council, or more accurately, of a majority of the council. In far too many instances, a change in the make-up of the council may result in the firing of one city manager and the hiring of a new city manager. In some instances, especially where the council is fractious and closely split, the election of any new council member may result in a change in the council majority. In recent years, in several municipalities locally, on the East Side, in St. Louis County, and in St. Charles County, we have seen cities experience revolving door firings and hirings of city managers.

Some also argue that it would be cheaper to have a council manager than a full-time mayor because the mayor would be paid less. While I would expect a mayor in a council/city manager system to be paid less than the mayor of a strong mayor system, that does not mean that there will be an overall savings, however. If the City wishes to attract and be able to employ a well qualified city manager, the pay for that position would need to be commensurate with the pay for city manager positions in cities of comparable size and with comparable responsibilities. In many cases, that pay would need to be set as high or higher than the current pay for Florissant’s mayor. As of several years ago, the pay for O’Fallon, Missouri’s city manager was set at about $168,000, and an assistant city manger was paid an additional approximately $122,000. I don’t know the pay of other city managers and assistant city managers throughout the area, but a survey conducted by University City several years ago reflected that, at that time, there were at least 13-14 city managers in St. Louis County who were then being paid over $114,000. I think that the pay of the city manager of Hazelwood, which is considerably smaller than Florissant and which also employs an assistant city manager, is among those city managers who were then making over the $114,000, and I believe substantially more. Since Florissant is the largest community in St. Louis County, and is generally comparable in size to O’Fallon, Missouri, at least as of the time of the city manager pay referenced above, it would seem that it might well be MORE expensive for Florissant to move to a council/manager system.

If Florissant could not attract and elect qualified individuals who could act as both chief executive and chief operating officers, it might make greater sense to move towards a council/manager system instead of a strong mayor system, but that does not currently seem to be the case.

4. Younger families are flocking to St. Peters and O’Fallon. As mayor, what are you going to do to attract and retain young families to Florissant.

While St. Peters and O’Fallon have indeed grown rapidly over the past decade, as Florissant did in the 1960s, I don’t know that all, or even most, of that growth can be accurately attributed to younger families “flocking” to those communities. On the other hand, I do not doubt that such growth is, in part, due to some substantial influx of younger families into such communities.

Over the same period, while Florissant, as a more mature community, has not seen such substantial growth, it has remained a very stable community, and the latest 2010 census shows a slight increase in Florissant population over the 2000 census.

Part of the problem that Florissant faces is a perception problem—a perception that Florissant is stagnating or in a decline, a perception that North County is not a desirable place to live. This is attributable in no small part to repeated media statements that tend to paint the entire North County area as a less desirable part of the region and to ongoing, often incorrect, media reports that identify various problems, or crimes, or criminals with “Florissant” when, in fact, those problems and crimes are NOT associated with the City of Florissant.

Because a large swath of North County, from Hazelwood to the Mississippi River and generally from I-270 north to the Missouri River, is serviced by the Florissant Post Office, many people, including many journalists and members of the media who should know better, attribute almost anything “bad” that occurs within such area as being associated with the city of Florissant, rather than as something that is associated with an area, largely unincorporated, that is outside of city limits and, in many cases, many miles outside of the city limits. That type of “reporting” is grossly misleading and highly unfair to the city of Florissant.

Additionally, the media frequently ignore or don’t address “good” things that happen within such area, and especially within Florissant city limits, with the same fervor, and seem to prefer to issue praises for portions of West County and areas west in St. Charles County.

We have to take issue with those media outlets and personnel when they engage in such misleading “reporting”, such as when they state that a “Florissant apartment complex” has been closed down because of building and maintenance problems when, in fact, that complex is not within the city limits of Florissant and Florissant has no jurisdiction or control over the complex, or when they state that there has been a shooting, believed to be gang related, in a Florissant neighborhood when, in fact, the shooting occurred miles from the city of Florissant in an unincorporated area patrolled by the St. Louis County Police Department and not by the Florissant Police Department.

Florissant is still a vibrant community with many amenities. We offer an extensive park and recreation system and are one of only a handful of local communities that have NO property tax. Many generations of Florissant residents, of which I am one, remain in and return to Florissant and continue to call Florissant home.

I believe that we must emphasize the advantages and amenities available to young families, including the lack of a property tax, the ready access to interstate highways for rapid travel to the city of St. Louis as well as to St. Louis County and St. Charles County, the proximity of the Florissant Valley campus of the community college district, the many shopping areas within just a few minutes drive, our extensive parks and recreation system, our award winning police department, an our family life centered approach.

I would take issue with those who wrongly “report” about problems with Florissant, and would encourage everyone else to do the same, and would attempt to continue the tradition of providing the services and amenities that have made Florissant the great community that it is.

5. Considering these tough economic times, do you see any cuts to the city’s senior and youth programs?

Not at this moment.

However, it will be necessary to continually scrutinize our budget to make sure that we remain financially viable and self sustaining. Consequently, we will have to continually evaluate all our programs to ensure that they remain cost-effective, that they are truly addressing what they should be, and that they are being efficiently provided. If not, over time, changes of some type may become necessary.

6. The two school districts in Florissant do not have a great reputation. This is major reason people site for not moving into Florissant. While the city does not control the schools, what are your thoughts on how the city can help change this perception?

It was not that long ago that some of the Ferguson-Florissant schools were cited nationally for their excellence in education.

Within the last few years, the Hazelwood school districts superintendent was selected to become the head of Missouri’s department of education.

Despite such positives, test scores in those school districts are down in recent years and possible accreditation problems have surfaced.

Large, if not the greater, parts of both school districts lie outside of the Florissant city limits.

Part of the problem appears to me to be non-motivated students and a lack of involvement by parents in pushing their children to succeed and excel.

Another part of the problem is undoubtedly school funding, and the hit that such funding has taken in this down economy.

Because the City of Florissant forms only a portion of both of such districts, any actions that can be taken by Florissant are limited. Even if every Florissant child were a straight A student and every Florissant property had an average or higher property valuation, those effects can be diluted by the rest of the districts.

Consequently, we must work with the surrounding communities and unincorporated areas to try to maintain high property values and the availability of good jobs within the entire region, and we must try to reverse the perception that North County is an undesirable region. See also my response to Question 4 in such regard.

We must also try to instill within the families a belief in the value of education and the need for heavy parental involvement in the education of their children.

In addition, to the extent feasible and financially possible, I want Florissant to actively push the DARE program within our local schools in order to combat gangs and crime within the schools and to promote good citizenship and a respect for laws and the police.

7. What do you like about the city of Florissant?

Many, many things.

Let me list just a few of those things:

Florissant’s sense of community
Its family centered values
Its rich historic tradition, including
Old St. Ferdinand Shrine,
Taille de Noyer,
Casa Alvares,
and many other historic buildings and locations
Its extensive religious heritage, including
the many churches and denominations throughout the City
Its convenient location
Its continuing designation as one of the safest cities of its size in the country
Its many parks and recreation facilities
Its superior senior citizen programs and facilities
Popular business locations such as
Fritz’,
Doozles,
Old Town Donuts, and
Hendel's Market Café, to mention only a few


8. There are a lot of vacant businesses in Florissant. What are you going to do to fill those vacant buildings and attract vibrant businesses to the city?

As I have previously noted, over the years I have been a strong advocate of business development within the City, not only because of the more immediate favorable tax consequences for the City, but also because of the jobs that are made available to City residents and because of the general improvement that such businesses afford all of us in our daily lives.

Unlike certain other candidates seeking the office of mayor, I was an early and ardent supporter of the highly successful Cross Keys redevelopment, and worked hard to get that approved, despite criticism for my position and despite the political downside associated with strongly advocating for what was then a highly controversial project during an election year for me. Despite the political hit that I knew I would take, I pushed for such redevelopment because I truly believed that that was the correct thing to do for the betterment of Florissant. Unfortunately for me, I lost that following election. Despite that, I believe that I made the right decision when I pushed for such redevelopment, and I believe that my position has been vindicated over time.

Mayor Lowery and the administration have worked diligently for years now to try to attract additional developments and businesses, and are to be commended for their actions in such regard, which have contributed to Florissant’s stability as many surrounding communities and areas in St. Louis County have, unlike Florissant, experienced population declines in the last decade. We have to continue such activities, especially in the current economic climate, and continue to try to improve and update the City’s business base and business properties.

With regard to some of those businesses that have opened developments in Florissant in more recent years, Mayor Lowery has advised that various of those businesses report that their Florissant facilities are among the highest performing sites of those chains throughout the country. Such reports enhance the attractiveness of Florissant as a city in which other businesses will want to expand or to set up shop.

I would continue the efforts of the administration over the past few years to attract new businesses and developments to the City and the North County area.

I believe that other activities in the past few years bode well for the future, despite the more recent economic downturn throughout the country. The North Park business park near the airport holds promise for attracting businesses to the North County area. Ferguson has established an improvement district along its downtown area that has revitalized its business area. Florissant and Hazelwood have participated in beautification and improvement projects along Lindbergh Boulevard (N. Highway 67). All of these activities are helping to overcome negative perceptions about Florissant and the North County area (see responses to Questions 4 and 6), and Florissant needs to encourage such activities.

I want the City to be seen as a partner with businesses and as a location that will work with businesses to help those businesses realize success, and not as a municipality that inhibits businesses or seeks to have them jump through hoops simply for the exercise.

That does not, however, mean that I think that the City should automatically approve everything, or relax standards, or blithely ignore circumstances or situations that may properly require critical analysis (see, for example, responses to Questions 9 and 15 relative to payday loan and related businesses and to Wal-Mart).

I would continue to aggressively pursue new business development and the jobs they would bring.

9. Some residents complain that there are too many check cashing, payday loan, rent to own and used card lots in Florissant. They feel that this brings in a seedier element and detracts from the city. What are your thoughts on this?

I agree with their complaints regarding many of those businesses.

When I was on the City Council, we tried to prohibit or greatly restrict some of those businesses. However, courts have directed that under Missouri, or in some cases federal, law or constitutions, cities like Florissant cannot prohibit or impose many of the restrictions that I might personally consider desirable.

Under the circumstances, Florissant is bound by such laws and court rulings and must comply with those, even when they are at odds with prohibitions or restriction that I believe would be more beneficial to the City.

10. It has been said that our current mayor can be contentious if you do not agree with him. How do you plan on working with the city council?

People will always disagree.

We all disagree at times with our spouses, children, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. Usually, we manage to limit our disagreements to particular issues and do not let those disagreements become ongoing sources of contention.

I do not expect to always agree with everyone on the City Council or in City government. I appreciate that sometimes I may even find myself in disagreement with a majority of the City Council.

From my very first Council meeting, I had significant disagreements with various other Council members. However, our disagreements over a particular matter were, more often than not, left on the floor of the council meeting. That did not prevent me and council members such as Dave Reynolds, Charlie DeMoulin, and Ken Bond, among others, from subsequently discussing our disagreements, sometimes in colorful terms and with colorful invectives, as we later met with one another and socialized--and such discussions allowed us all to gain valuable insights as to the positions and reasoning of one another, and to sometimes understand why that “ridiculous” position or proposal by that other son of a gun Council member was not really that “ridiculous”, and to also sometimes result in follow-up legislation that was better able to address all of our concerns.

On various occasions I disagreed with Mayor Eagan, with Mayor Lowery, and probably with every council member with whom I ever served. That did not mean that I thereafter acted with ill will toward those individuals on all other matters. I believe that I became known for, among other things, my ability to work with them even when we did not agree, and without the exhibition of ongoing rancor and personal animosities. I believe that my record shows that I was able to put a disagreement about a particular issue behind me and to move forward with other matters in the best interests of the City.

Over the years, I gained respect for everyone involved, even those with whom I disagreed the most, because I came to understand that, like me, they wanted the best for the City, even if their views were, in my belief, sometimes misguided.

11. Politically speaking, who do you model yourself after?

I don’t really believe that I model myself after any politician that I can think of.

Especially in more recent history, I’m not sure that the populace would consider any politician particularly worthy of emulation.

I try to represent constituents, to look out for their interests, to provide straightforward info without a lot of BS, and to take responsibility for my actions.

To the extent that such actions may be reminiscent of Harry Truman, perhaps it could be said that, at least in some respects, I model myself after him.

12. Is there anything you want to accomplish in your first year?

I want to break the pattern of personal animus and ongoing rancor that has increasingly become a part of City politics in recent years.

I want to secure passage of fiscally responsible budget that maintains our core services, such as outstanding police services.

I want to BEGIN the re-population of vacant and foreclosed houses throughout the City and to maintain property values.

To the extent financially feasible, I want to CONTINUE street and infrastructure maintenance and improvement and other successful and popular City programs, including Senior Citizen services.

I want to continue the pursuit of, and hopefully ATTRACT, additional businesses with good paying jobs for City residents.

13. What do you think people should know about you?

That I’m well qualified and will look out for their interests.

In such regard, I would hope

that they would check out my qualifications and positions as reflected by the Qualifications & Positions presentation available on the Facebook page “Robert M. Garrett (for Mayor of Florissant)”, a copy of which presentation I have provided with these responses,

that they would watch the video of the Candidate’s Forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce, as available for viewing at http://tv.florissantmo.com/Cablecast/Public/main.aspx?ChannelID=1, and

that they would carefully review my responses to these questions.

14. The trash/recycling contact will expire during the next mayor’s term. Do you want to continue with a city wide contract\ or have it go back to being resident’s choice?

At this point in time I am open to either possibility, dependent upon the desires of Florissant residents.

I have heard various complaints from people who believe that the service that they receive is not as good as the service that they were getting when they could select their own trash service.

On the other hand, many residents seem to believe that the “price is right” for the current city-wide program, especially when one considers the recycling collection and the senior citizen discount.

My present impression is that most residents favor the present city-wide program with a single hauler, and I would anticipate that, unless there is an outcry against so doing, the City will solicit bids for a new contract.

Ultimately, the bid responses, including the prices quoted, may have some bearing upon how the City will want to proceed.

15. Walmart in Florissant, where do you stand and what are your thoughts?

While I am not enthralled with the idea of a Wal-Mart development within the City, Florissant would be obligated to treat Wal-Mart the same as any other business that might want to build a new development within the City, such as a new Schnucks, a new Sears, a new Walgreens, or a new neighborhood hardware store.

So long as Wal-Mart complies with all zoning and other ordinances of the City, Florissant would probably have no legal basis to prevent Wal-Mart from opening a store.

That being said, I believe that, in many instances, Wal-Mart has proven to be detrimental to many local businesses throughout the country, which is regrettable, and has a questionable record relative to treatment of its employees.

Although development of a new Wal-Mart store within Florissant might seemingly result in some favorable tax consequences for the City, that could be offset if the result is a loss of other City businesses.

Furthermore, if the new store is simply the “re-location” of a store from a nearby community, such “re‑location” could actually be detrimental to the region as a whole and could result in regional, including within Florissant, devaluation of property values, thereby undercutting any perceived advantages associated with the new development.

Furthermore, absent other exigent circumstances, I currently see no reason why Florissant would want to consider any TIF or community improvement taxing district for a Wal-Mart development.







So, there you have it. Robert Garrett ladies and gentlemen. Robert also asked that I include a letter that he has drafted on his qualifications and positions. I have agreed to include this document to allow everyone the chance to be fully informed. You can find that document HERE.

If any of the other candidates, in the course of responding to my questions, asks the same of me, I will do so in kind.

Florissant Mayoral Debates - Some Thoughts

As a North County resident, I felt it was important to attend the Florissant mayoral debates last night. My father has long said that Florissant is the anchor of North County and I tend to believe him. With Florissant's population base and size, Florissant is the largest city in St. Louis county. Considering all of this, I decided to attend this event to see what the candidates had to say and what direction they wanted to take for the future of Florissant. Afterwards, I hung out on the sidelines and listened to what people were saying to each other and to the candidates. Below is some of my observations.

Tom Schneider:

Of all the candidates, this is the man that best represents the status quo. He did nothing but talk about all of the things he has done in the past and all of his accomplishments. He looked to the past and really exemplified sticking with the current course.

After the meeting, most of the talk I heard was that people were not overly impressed with him. He did nothing but read and re-read a laundry list of his past accomplishments from his 34 years of work for the Florissant government. Best comment I heard on Tom was "Is he going to answer the questions or just tell us all he has done for the city?"

With that said, many of the seniors seemed to like Schneider. He is a known name and will continue to offer what they have grown accustomed to.

Andrew Podleski :

Podleski has a lot of good answers, but comes off as rather arrogant. He seems pro business and wants to work with business to bring more people into the area. Based upon what he said, he wants to promote the affordability of North County and Florissant to big businesses that are in the North County area so that their employees will live and work here. This would then help stimulate small business growth as their is a more vibrant population.

After the meeting a lot of people were high on Podleski. Since he ran against Lowry last election, his name is out there and it is recognizable outside of his ward. He has a strong service background and seems to be more of a fiscal minded. Many of those same people, though, said they got a negative vibe from him. One person said that they thought he was smug.

Susan Geerling :

Geerling could be the dark horse for this entire race. She came off as very friendly,sincere and approachable. Here big themes of the night were fiscal responsibility and open communication between the government and the people. Many times she talked of making people aware of what is going on and happening
so residents can be informed. She made an early splash by talking about reducing the mayor's salary and perks (a hot topic after the St. Louis Post Dispatch investigative article on Lowery).

After the meeting, a lot of people were very high on Geerling. They liked what she had to say and felt she could be bring about a new direction for the community. Interestingly enough, the people that liked her the most seemed to be women and those under the age of 55. The older community did not seem to be as on board with her. The knock against her is her experience as she does not have a college degree and seeing as Florissant has a strong mayor system, the mayor is in charge of city administration. Some people saw it as a positive and other saw this as a negative, but there were comments on how she is not an established name, she worked 8 years in city council and has volunteered, but is not someone super entrenched in Florissant politics.

Robert Garrett:

Of all the candidates, Garrett is probably the biggest fiscal conservative of the bunch. Bringing in business and balancing the budget were his biggest points of the night and they were points he continued to repeat. While Schneider touted being a small business owner, Garrett and Behlmann came of as the only two that really seemed to know and could talk to business and business creation. Garrett also sees the problem facing Florissant as being associated with the issues and violence in North City and areas like Berkley and Normandy. This was a strong statement that I noticed a lot of head nodding too.

After the meeting, a lot of people did not seem to know what to think about Garrett. He has been out of Florissant politics for awhile, but is now re-entering the field. He does not have yard signs and does not have any information out there that anyone could really find. Many people liked what they heard, but want to know more.

Mark Behlmann:

Second only to Schneider, Behlmann was probably the best known name at the debate. Behlmann brought a mix of the status quo and business know how that appealed to many people. He came off as a fiscal hawk when talking about budgets, mayoral perks and pay but came off as a status quo person when talking of city programs.

After the meeting, reviews were mixed on Behlmann. People know the name in the Florissant area and they know of Mark Behlmann due to his work on the Hazelwood School Board. That seemed to be both a good and bad thing for him. He did upset some people as after the debate, a couple of senior citizens approached Behlman and while I could not hear the conversation, there were some read faces and very upset people.

Michael Spreng:

Spreng was the most unprepared candidate. He brought nothing new to the debate and really seemed to rest on his laurels as a state rep. He did not appear to be engaged in the discussion nor did he appear alert. He seemed to flip flop between keeping the status quo and fiscal conservatism depending upon the issue, but did not have much substance.

No one, and I mean no one, talked positively about Spreng. Based upon the audience, he is, for all purposes,a non issue. One of the best comments I overheard on Spreng was," I am not going to vote for another guy that looks like he could drop dead a couple of days after winning."

So, what are my thoughts. Well, Florissant has done some good things with programs like the Cross Keys development and improvements in the roads and parks. That said, there are a lot of things that need to be improved as there are too many used car lots and vacant businesses in the area. People are not staying in Florissant and instead they are moving to St. Peters and Wentzville areas. The next mayor has to be able to attract more youth as more younger couples and families will bring more money and small business to the area. If I had to be pressed, I would say that Behlmann, Garrett and Geerling probably came away with the highest marks. Having lived in Florissant, though, I know the seniors will really sway this election which can really help Schneider.

It is my understanding that there will be another debate soon. When I know more, I will
post it here.

So, were you there, if so, comment with your thoughts.

UPDATE

I received requests for websites and email addresses. These have been added below

Name - Website - Email Address
Tom Schneider - http://schneider4mayor.net/ - schneider4mayor@gmail.com
Andrew Podleski - http://andrewpodleski.com/ - Andrew.Podleski@gmail.com
Susan Geerling - http://geerlingformayor.com/ - GeerlingForMayor@gmail.com
Robert Garrett - No webpage but you can find him on Facebook - garrettformayor@att.net
Mark Behlmann - http://hstrial-markbehlmann.homestead.com/ - markbehlmann11@aol.com
Michael Spreng - No website or Facebook page - No updated email address

Television You NEED To Watch

My friends. I told you that I probably would not post unless I saw something that I thought needed to be shared. Last week, I saw such a thing.

As someone who does his research before going out with a story, I watched three hours of truly remarkable television that i want to share. Glenn Beck did an amazing three hours on George Soros AKA "Spooky Dude" and his influence, power and attempt to change the United States.

I suggest each of you watch this. Dedicate some time to it and reflect. Then as Glenn says, go out and do the research. I can tell you from a personal standpoint, there have been countless times as I investigate different things, whether it be Lacy Clay or various other things that I look into, groups like the Tides Foundation continue to come up.

This is well worth your time to watch. Please do.

Post Election Thoughts

Tuesday night's election brought both joy and sorrow. I am very happy with the tsunami of Republicans that have won. With the support of Tea Party patriots, we have seen several candidates win and send packing many Congressman and Senators that needed to be sent home. I especially was happy with the wins by Rand Paul, Marco Rubio ,Pat Toomey and several other House gains. I was also very happy with the pickups in the Senate and the Governor races. More on the governor races in a bit.

I was also saddened by several things, probably most specifically the loss of Robyn Hamlin and Bill Corrigan. My wife and I are both big supporters of these two politicians. North County and St. Louis County saw fit to support the status quo instead of riding the wave of change. I expect that the union vote really helped Dooley and Clay. While Ed Martin is contesting his race with Russ Carnahan, I am also saddened with the voting issues that we saw in the third district. The issues that occurred statewide and the convenience of the additional votes appearing out of the city are truly suspect. It will be interesting to see what occurs once the vote is counted and completed.

As I write this after a long night I am listening to a replay of Obama's conference this afternoon. He takes little blame for what happened last night and he sputters a feeble attempt at an olive branch to the GOP. He refuses to admit that his administration's overreach is the reason for last nights large GOP gains. If this is what we are to expect over the next few years, it will make for a very interesting two years.

The elections are now, for the most part, over. Let's all take a breath and survey the surroundings. Let's truly look at what's ahead. There are a lot of things to consider now, including:

• Nancy Pelosi and the older house reps - There are indicators that many of the older House Dems will not look at retiring since the Dems lost so handily. Many of them do not want to go back to being the minority. These departures will lead to openings in the House. How will these openings change the dynamic.
  
• The census - The census will greatly effect the makeup of the house. As I discussed in THIS post and THIS one, the census will change the lay of the land. Missouri will probably lose a house seat as will a couple of other states.
  
• The governors races - Governors can help set the political tone of each state. The GOP wins in these races will dramatically help Republican causes. These governors will also help set the new lines for House districts as part of the upcoming redistricting.


• The legislative agenda - What will the House and Senate have as their legislative agenda. With Reid probably retaining leadership in the Senate and Boehner probably taking over the House, there are going to be two different and possibly competing agendas.

The next two years cannot be carte blanche no. Boehner cannot try and legislate from the House. Instead, the Republicans need to push for plans that lower taxes and create smaller government. I think everyone will agree that limited compromise is totally acceptable, but the Republicans cannot be obstructionists, otherwise they will get ousted in two years. If Senate Democrats and the President insist on not compromising or pushing a far left agenda, while the GOP lead House offers compromise and moderation, 2010 will be a warm up act for 2012.

Much like Boehner, Rubio and Paul all said last night, this was not an endorsement of the GOP, this was a call to action and a mandate against the president, Pelosi and Reid. I think Jamie Allman says it best, we are not married to you guys, we are just dating. We will see what happens from here on out. You better not disappoint us.

The two pet projects I would like to see addressed are some gerrymandering restrictions and Congressional and Senate term limits. I will be posting more on that in the future, but DSM over at Reboot Congress has written volumes on term limits and I suggest you take a look.

For Robyn Hamling and my fellow Robyn Hamlin supporters I say this, you put up a very valiant fight. It was a fight that many people have tried to wage. All of you spent countless man hours working the phones, going door to door and educating the public. Robyn had all of the right answers for a public group that just did not care. For some, this Congressional race was just about race. For others, it was about supporting the union machine that Lacy regularly supports. Just take a look at Lacy's FEC filings and you can see the amount of money the unions poured into his campaign. He helps them out by pushing through government spending for Boeing, the Federal Government and other big union shops. This loss was probably a combination of the right candidate at the wrong time. I do take some solace that Lacy got less than 75% of the votes. This district has been gerrymandered to the point where winning would be tough for just about anyone without a D behind their name. Robyn and her team worked hard and were able to accomplish a lot. I hope that this can be the stepping stone for bigger things in 2012. Even though we did not get a win, we can continue to work with the St. Louis Tea Party and other local candidates and representatives to make North County and North City a better place. For all you have done, though, I say thank you and good job.

Tomorrow's Election - Thoughts and Recommendations

To everyone that reads this blog, I first say thank you. I started it with the simple goal of venting my frustration. In doing so it has turned into a type of catharsis, a source of new friends and a way to pass on the knowledge that I have acquired through my years and my obsessive tendencies to research an issue, person, etc.

After tomorrow, I may post once or twice and then I am going to take a break. My wife and I have been busy helping raise awareness and campaigning for several candidates. Rather than go to a victory party, we are going to spend the evening, quietly, at home, watching the results. I will say a prayer for the winners and losers, go to bed, and go to work the next day. With that said, I feel the need for a sanity break and have chosen to take one after the election. Yes, I will probably post some post election thoughts, but afterwards I will be out of the loop for awhile.

Before I go any further, I want to take a moment and give a special hat tip to Darren over at Reboot Congress. He was one of the first people in the blogging community to welcome me as well as give advice. He does some great work that should be noticed by all. I love his recent YouTube video, which I have embedded below.





Now, on to my suggestions for the upcoming election. I am sticking to the first district and not including state representatives on this one.

• US Senate - I am holding my nose on this one and picking Roy Blunt. This is more of a vote against Robyn Carnahan than it is support of Roy.


• US Congressional Race - This is a no brainer. I am voting for Robyn Hamlin (@Hamlin4Congress )


• MO State Auditor - Tom Schweich has my vote. Susan Montee is a drunk and a fool and needs to be fired and Tom has the experience needed to do this job.


• St. Louis County Executive - Bill Corrigan has my vote. Charlie Doolie is as crooked as a country road. We need Bill Corrigan in there for St. Louis County.


• Amendment 1 - I am voting and recommending a YES vote. Any governmental assessor, city or county, should be elected and not appointed


• Amendment 2 - As much as I would like to vote yes, I am voting NO on this one. Look, we all want lower taxes, but to amend the state constitution to give tax breaks to one group of individuals over another is wrong. Everyone should have lower taxes.


• Amendment 3 - I am voting and recommending a YES vote. Leaving the possibility of any additional taxes to the sale of real estate is like leaving your front door open when you leave the house and expecting yourself not to get robbed. Just because there is not one in place, does not mean there should not be a rule prohibiting it. A tax like this can kill home sales and the real estate market.


• Prop A - I am voting and recommending a YES vote. Let the voters decide whether or not there should be a tax increase on the municipal level. If St. Louis and Kansas City choose to continue having one, let them vote on it.


• Prop B - I am voting and recommending a NO vote. Everyone hates puppy mills but there are already laws on the books to prevent them, they are just not being enforced. A law like this, as loosely written as it is could definitely hurt any and all ranching in the state of Missouri.

If all polling is correct, tomorrow could be a very good day for the GOP and the Tea Party. With that said, those that win should know that I and other bloggers will still hold them accountable, no matter what party affiliation, to representing their constituents and acting in good faith on our behalf. If they do not, they will be fired just as many already have.

Finally, make sure you get out the vote. Over 200 years ago, many brave men and women fought and died for the privilege of voting that we have today. The simple act of voting makes your voice heard and quite frankly gives you the right to complain about those that do not act in your interest. #GOTV - GET OUT THE VOTE.

Clay vs. Hamlin - The Choice Is Clear

So Lacy Clay is out stumping to retain his seat in Congress. He is trying to say that he is being misrepresented and...

My Republican opponent wants to reverse course, cancel the Recovery Act, put insurance companies back in charge of your health care, give Wall Street speculators a free handle to steal even more of your retirement dollars, and then explode the deficit by giving tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.

Her Tea Party friends and the Republican leadership are part of an extremist partnership who want to use intolerance, ignorance and outright lies to cripple President Barack Obama, and turn America back to a much darker time. I’m confident that the voters of the First Congressional District will totally reject that.

More of this dribble can be found here. I suggest you read it and take notice to his lack of agenda or plans. He talks of job creation and building a stronger community, but he does not talk about what he plans to do about it.

As I have talked about in several posts, Lacy Clay has not done anything to truly improve the first district. In fact he refuses to hold open townhall meetings and as noted by myself and others including a letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, is nearly impossible to get a hold of.

As a refresher, take a look at these posts:

NEW TAXPAYER FINANCED JOBS IN ST. LOUIS
WHAT HAPPENED TO TRANSPARENCY LACY
CLAY WILLING TO GO THE DISTANCE - FOR RENT TO OWN INDUSTRY
CLAY BACKS BANKS WITH NO BUSINESS PLAN
LACY CLAY AND PAYDAY LOANS - Two articles HERE and HERE
LACY CLAY AND THE RENT TO OWN INDUSTRY

On top of this, Lacy has yet to even speak his opinion on what his plan is for the expiring Bush Tax Cuts (other than blame Republicans) and he has not yet commented on the claim that he is one of 70 members of the Democratic Socialists of America (Discussed HERE). Add to that, Lacy Clay was given a failing grade by the Center for Security Policy.

All Lacy has proven he can do is attempt to expand government to create jobs and promote himself. I give the guy credit, he comes off as a like able guy in interviews and he knows how to present himself. That said, he has had the job for 10 years and has not proven himself as a true leader for the first district or Missouri.

His opponent, Robyn Hamlin, is a small business owner who has had to deal with the concepts of job creation, health care benefits and balancing a budget. She has not done these as some ivory tower intellectual in Washington, who has never held a job outside of politics. No, she has done so in the real world, dealing with real world issues.

Is Robyn perfect. No, but I think she would agree that she is not. Does she have a better sense of what we need to do to create jobs, balance our federal budget and keep our nation safe? I think so and I am not the only one.

NumbersUSA has ranked Robyn as a "True Reformer"
Robyn is endorsed by

• Liberty Candidates
• Missouri Eagle Forum
• Americans for Legal Immigration

Robyn also signed the Tea Party Treaty

Just listen to and read her interviews, and you can see that she is the candidate that we need. You can find some HERE, HERE and HERE

If Robyn is elected, I plan, and expect each of you, to hold her feet to the fire, just as we would Lacy Clay or any other candidate.

If you are happy with things in the first district and our country, then Lacy is your guy. If you want to see a non politician go into Washington and help to clean up the corruption and politics as usual, then vote for Robyn.

Let's send Robyn to Washington as part of the Republican congressional takeover and party like it's November 1994

Get Out and Volunteer While You Still Can

This is a quick post.

I received an email from a friend asking me where I have been. In all bluntness, I am out working the ground. My wife volunteered to work on a couple of campaigns and I am helping her. Even now there are still many people who have not made up their minds. It is our job to inform them of their options and make sure they are informed voters.

As I have said all along, it is now up to each of YOU to make sure you are working with a candidate. Are you in the second district and want to make sure that DC is not being controlled by Reid and Pelosi, then get up off your couch/office chair and volunteer.

This weekend, Robyn Hamlin, ED Martin, Bill Corrigan and the St. Louis Tea Party can all use your help.

If you want to help but don't know how check out these sites

Robyn Hamlin - http://www.hamlinforcongress.com/
Ed Martin - http://edmartinforcongress.com/
Bill Corrigan - http://www.corriganforexec.com/
St. Louis Tea Party - http://www.stlouisteaparty.com/

Also, do you live on or near a busy intersection or street. You can help out by allowing one or several of these campaigns to put out yard signs. Believe it or not, the name recognition helps.

Right now, the Dems are on the ropes and are scared. All of their gerrymandering of districts over the years is not helping them with this election. Carnahan and Clay have both voted for very unpopular bills including health care control, TARP, and the auto bailout. These bills were all passed and have done little to nothing to improve our overall economic condition.

I am signing off for now to go work the campaigns. You should do the same.

It's Time For Us To Go John Galt

My friends, whenever I go away for work I always bring a book with me. You never know if you are going to be stuck in a terminal, a hotel room, waiting room, etc. You cannot always guarantee Internet coverage on your phone or an interesting movie in your hotel room. With this past week, even though it had not been that long, I decided to pull out my well worn copy of Atlas Shrugged. It being one of my favorites, I thought I would re-read it as time allowed. Considering what was supposed to be a 1 week trip turned out to be much longer, I was glad I did.

I bring this up because as I read about this and the more I think about it, the more I think it is time for each of us to go John Galt. No, I am not saying that we need to disappear in the cloak of night and come together in some secret society. No. Instead what I feel we should each do is start to disassociate ourselves from our communities. Instead, we should make do with what we can without using that which any government has to offer. Are you or your spouse a stay at home parent, then home school and make the educational choices for your children instead of having the government make them for you. Teach them the way that you think they should be taught. Give them the education they deserve instead of the education that the school system has elected to give them. This is just one of many ways you can unplug yourself from the shackles of the government. If you can, restrict your usage of any government buildings and properties. Do not purchase from companies that support non-defense government agencies. The more you remove yourself from the government, the free-er you become.

I know this sounds seperationist, but it is not. You see, the more that you become reliant on the government, the more you become enslaved by it. That is the beauty of a book like "Atlas Shrugged". Those doers of society, those of us who work hard, pay our taxes and do what we can to improve ourselves are constantly penalized by a government that is trying to create some sort of equality that is not possible or plausible. By removing yourself and as many dependencies as you have from the government, you are taking away their power and influence.

The government, and I mean all forms of government from Federal to state and local, has made each of us dependent upon them. This was done in order to make the government and each of those government employees necessary. Unlike working in the private sector where streamlining and cost efficiency is paramount to survival, the government works with what they believe is a limitless check book. They can justify their spending because of each one of us and the way we use them. By removing ourselves from them, their need becomes less and more prevalent.

The US Constitution is a set of rules and limitations on the government, not a set of rights for its citizens. This is a powerful thing. The way the government has gotten around this is by making each of us more and more addicted to what it has to offer. As of now, there is no way that I know of to be a part of a community that completely disassociates ourselves from the government, but we can slowly remove ourselves. So, as we go into the upcoming elections, vote for smaller government, vote for less government intervention and work to remove yourself as much as you can from the use of any government program.

Go Galt.

Post Script
I wrote this article late in the evening on 9/30. I decided not to post it so I could have a close friend read this article and give me any feedback. This is something I normally do when I write an article at night. This way another set of eyes can look at it and make sure I do not ramble or I made my points. After reading this article, he called me laughing,
"So you listened to Glenn Beck?"
"No", I told him, "I could not find a station it is on down there"
"Are you sure", he said.
"Yeah."
"Well then you two must be mind melding. Check out the link I just sent you."
Opening it, I read the link and started to laugh.
"Well", I said, "Maybe Glenn just got done re-reading Atlas Shrugged too."
I am glad to know that I am not the only one thinking this way.

Space Exploration - The REAL Stimulus Plan

Space

A little over 41 years ago, man first walked on the moon. For the first time in probably centuries, a human being was walking on terrain that had never been touched by a human being. And during that time, the whole world was united in watching as a man gently floated down to the surface of the moon, implanting his footprint into the dusty surface.

As we all should know, the lunar race was sparked by a call to action from John F. Kennedy. He called for man to break the bonds of Earth and move into the stars. Unfortunately he was not able to live to see that, but his call to action was answered. That call to action also brought forth economic prosperity and technological advances that are still in use today or spawned greater advances in technology. I could write a whole post on that, but Computerworld did a great article on this which I will occasionally reference. It can be found HERE.

The beauty of the 60’s space program was that it was similar to the early days of America. It is almost fitting that popular culture moved from Westerns to Science Fiction/Space. I say this because; space exploration is the wild west of now. Much like the early explorers of the Americas, whether it be the Spanish and French explorers, discovering the new lands or those on the East Coast looking for land and prosperity and exploring the “wild west”, the journey into space is the journey into the unknown.

With the journey into the unknown, there is a price. This price is an investment in the future and an investment into discovering the unknown. Much like the Spaniards of old, they invested gold into exploration of the western hemisphere. The reward, they believed, would be faster trade routes. What instead they found were lands full of riches. These riches included new foods, animals, minerals and land. Seeing the investment pay off, the kingdoms increased their investment and expanded their expeditions. These early kingdoms, Spain, France, England, etc., saw the value of investing in these ventures as they provided benefit for now and the future.

Fast forward several hundred years and we see that our government is not looking towards the future. Since mothballing the Apollo program, NASA has been asked assigned to manage flights for the delivery of satellites and to limit the true exploration to the use of satellites. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is smart to use satellite technology to act as our “scouts”, but we are not following that scouting up with additional exploration. The investment in space exploration and colonization is essential for our long term growth.

First, let’s talk turkey. Space exploration is expensive. It is really expensive. It is really, really, really expensive. That said it is completely worth it. According to Scott Hubbard of Stanford University where he is a professor in the aeronautics and astronautics department, $7 or $8 in goods and services are produced for every $1 that the government invests in NASA. Scott should know, he used to work for NASA for 20 years. Right now, NASA is set to receive just 0.52% of the overall national budget or 18.7 billion dollars. Imagine what could happen to our economy if the US Government were to initiate a true space exploration program or an aggressive lunar or mars mission. The money needed would be great, but the rewards could be tremendous.

NASA does it right when they work with various companies. They provided some “seed” money to get the various companies to solve various needs. In doing so, these companies are allowed to keep the patent on whatever they create. In 1998 a study was done on the impact of this process. Of the 15 companies that agree to participate it was found that NASA gave $64 million, these companies invested and addition $200 million and the return on that investment is conservatively estimated at $1.5 billion. This does not even include the social benefits that come from these discoveries. That means that about $23.4 dollars per dollar was generated off of NASA’s initial investment. More information on this can be found HERE

In regards to MO 1st district, McDonnell Douglas played a big part in the early space program. All of the Mercury and Gemini space capsules were actually built by McDonnell Douglas here in St. Louis. Specifically, they were engineered and built at the MD facilities just north of Lambert Airport. While I could not find any studies done to give specific impact, I would have to believe there was some. Personally I know of many former McDonnell engineers and technicians who do or used to live in the North County St. Louis area. Anecdotally, those people lived there because it was close to work.

Just think of what advances and economic stimulus the country would have if the government were to truly re-invest in space technology. All presidents have spoken with words, but few have chosen true action. An aggressive space agency would help bring major innovation to technology, bio-science, aerodynamics, and propulsion technologies, just to name a few. By letting these companies keep the patents, we could see consumer ready variations of these products in the market in just a few years. An investment in an aggressive space program, similar to what NASA received in 1966, 5.5% of total budget, would give the US space program $198 billion dollars which is less than the total committed to TARP.

This type of funding would help employ jobs at all levels and should yield substantial increases and technology.

Moving beyond the economic impact, think of the social impact that this type of program would bring. With the jobs, would come greater prosperity for many people. Using the current NASA model, many companies would be able to offer additional services. Daniel Lockney, the editor of Spinoff, NASA's annual publication that reports on the use of the agency's technologies in the private sector, said the advancements during the Apollo missions were staggering.

"There were remarkable discoveries in civil, electrical, aeronautical and engineering science, as well as rocketry and the development of core technologies that really pushed technology into the industry it is today. It was perhaps one of the greatest engineering and scientific feats of all time. It was huge. The engineering required to leave Earth and move to another heavenly body required the development of new technologies that before hadn't even been thought of. It has yet to be rivaled."

Imagine what would be created for a manned mission to Mars, or a true lunar base. We would need to create all of these things along with green, renewable energy and more importantly sustainable nutritional technology to sustain such missions.

Instead of looking to future, our government and politicians have grown short sighted. Rather than looking at investments, they are too worried about the here and the now, the special interest groups and the party politics. During the 60’s we were united on a cause of reaching where no human had gone before. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped on the moon, all of mankind watched. It was a spectacle to behold. It was to be the first step of many. It was a promise to the future.

That promise has turned into a lie. Instead of moving forward, we have become stale. Rather than moving out the way, government has made spaceflight a bureaucracy. Rather than see the potential for jump starting innovation, we have become mired in the politics of it. In regards to blame, it is across the board. Both Republicans and Democrats have cut funding to this agency, routing it instead to their pork barrel projects or social programs.

If the government is not going to move forward, then they need to get out of the way and let private enterprise move forward. The problem is private enterprise can’t. In the United States, there is so much red tape that someone has to go through to test and launch a vehicle; it becomes nearly impossible to do it without government intervention.

While kingdoms sponsored the early exploration to the western hemisphere, it was the small groups, individuals and private industry that helped pave the way to western America. These explorers and pioneers went west to discover and lay claim to the untapped land and resources that were out there. These people/parties did so by financing projects on their own and just moving forward. It was their work that helped pave the way for the rest of the country. They were able to do so because the government encouraged them and staid out of their way. The same could be done for the space program.

By loosening up the restrictions on space flight, allowing companies access to closed military bases for storage and launch sites or even allowing limited land, discovery or mining rights for interplanetary travel, companies would be willing to invest in space exploration using their own money.

While we may not see the economic increase that a government sponsored program would bring, loosening restrictions as well as incentivizing participation would create opportunities that many companies would be willing to take the risks on.

Now, there will be some that say that this is too risky and dangerous and not worth the costs. Space travel should be limited and left to the government. To that I say this. If we had lived by those standards over all these years, we may just now be discovering the Americas.

Man is a wanderer and explorer by nature. We yearn to see what else is in store for us and what is on the other side of the mountain. Curiosity is part of our makeup. You can see it in babies. They take their first steps and immediately begin going to the places they were told not too. They do this because they want to see and know more. Space is the next frontier. It is an infinite place, filled with wonder and danger, where we can go, “what’s next.”

Those who participate know the danger they are exposed too. Those brave men and women who have died in the name of space, knew the dangers that were inherent with space travel. They knew it and went anyway. We cannot and should not try and overly protect those who are willing to go forward. We should encourage that growth and discovery balanced with safety, whether it be via a government sponsored program or private industry. I long for the day that I can sit on my sofa and watch as a human being takes steps off of some Martian lander and makes the first imprint on Martian soil.

In closing, I ask you to think about this as budgets and politics are discussed. Think about tomorrow and the greatness that could be achieved. Think about the potential that an aggressive space program could give us. And think of the promise of a future among the stars for our children. While you are doing that, watch the following videos and just think of what could be.