Jeff Smith’s resignation letter from the Missouri Senate included a heartfelt apology to his constituents and supporters, with special emphasis given to the many young people actively energized by his unsuccessful 2004 congressional campaign. Given the messy aftermath left in Missouri politics by his resignation, he does indeed have much to apologize for to those who wanted to create a new, more grass-roots and transparent political process.
Smith nearly won the Democratic nomination to replace one of the most powerful congressmen in U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt, relying on little more than smarts, effort, ambition and charisma. However, he leaves his first and only elected office by leaving the choice of his replacement to 36 Democratic Party insiders – the 36 Democratic committeemen and committeewoman who represent wards within Missouri’s 4th Senatorial District. Jeff Smith came to us as the ultimate outsider, but he leaves the leadership of his constituents in the hands of consummate insiders.
Worse, Smith – who was something of a wonk for political process, someone other young legislators looked to for guidance in these matters – left his political shop in bad shape. According to the 2007-2008 Official Manual prepared by Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the state’s top election official, Smith left behind only “vacancies” for officers in his senatorial district committee. That is because he neglected to oversee the election of committee officers after he won the Democratic primary in August 2006. These “vacancies” – the term is a little haunting, given the hollow feeling left by the deceptions of Smith and state Rep. Steve Brown – are critical, because the officers in the 4th Senatorial District committee are needed to lead now in his absence.
The chair of the district’s officers is needed now, according to the bylaws of the Missouri Democratic Party, to call the meeting where the district’s committeemen and committeewomen will choose the Democratic candidate to replace the resigned state senator. “Vacancies” can not call a meeting. Into this vacancy, the chair of the City Democrats – Smith’s former ally Brian Wahby – will try to move this week when the City Democrats meet. Wahby’s attempt to intercede is yet another example of how Smith’s abdication has left his constituents in the hands of hacks – but Wahby does not, in fact, have any official statutory role to play in selecting the Democratic candidate for the special election.
Party bylaws clearly state that if there is no chair of the senatorial district’s committee, then committee meetings are called by “the chair of the congressional district committee of the congressional district in which the senatorial district is principally located.” The bylaws also authorize “25 percent of the members of the committee” – or nine members, in this case – to call for a meeting. There is no provision for the chair of the City committee to call for a senatorial district meeting or participate in such a meeting simply because this senatorial district happens to be situated within the city of St. Louis.
It is too late now to stop Jeff Smith from making any of the oversights or mistakes that have left this vacancy in the state’s 4th Senatorial District and its committee within the Democratic Party. And district voters can do nothing but pressure their Democratic committeemen and committeewomen to influence who will replace Smith in the Legislature. This is a crucial decision, given that there are only 34 state senators in Missouri and only two who represent significant portions of the city of St. Louis. Among other critical issues facing the Legislature, a tentative and productive new collaboration between St. Louis Public Schools and the teachers’ union needs a serious, dedicated ally of public education in the Missouri senate.
In this process, the Democratic Party and its officials do have the power to stop the replacement of Jeff Smith from becoming the Brian Wahby show. Given Wahby’s close ties to Mayor Francis G. Slay and the narrow interests he represents – not all of them in the best interests of the Democratic Party or public education – there is no reason to allow Wahby to bypass the bylaws in an effort to fill this vacuum.