St. Louis County’s long November 6 ballot will give voters four chances to rein in County Executive Steve Stenger: the County Charter amendments contained in Propositions 1, 2, B, and C. All of these amendments are designed to prevent some of the most glaring problems with Stenger’s first four years.
County Proposition 1 is a direct challenge to Stenger’s ability to exchange campaign donations for county contracts. Stenger’s campaign donors received nearly $400 million in public funds after giving his campaign almost $4 million. Proposition 1 would present a big roadblock in Stenger’s way by limiting campaign donations to only $2,600 per person. The proposition isn’t perfect: it will likely result in Stenger diverting more campaign donors to political action committees, making it even hard to trace just how much he is for sale. But it’s a step in the right direction. we strongly endorse County Proposition 1.
County Proposition B would withdraw from Stenger his ability to manipulate the county’s budget during the fiscal year, and ensure that the County Council – which, in its current iteration, is much more responsive to the community – controls the budget throughout the year. Last year, Stenger tried to use his budget authority to starve the County Council of funds, requiring a judge to step in just before the council ran out of money to declare Stenger’s budget manipulations illegal. we strongly endorse County Proposition B.
County Proposition C would ensure that a website make public county financial documents, ensuring that the county’s financial picture be as transparent as possible. Requiring Stenger’s administration to be more transparent with its finances, together with the County Council’s continued scrutiny over Stenger’s every move, will help protect taxpayer funds from misuse. we strongly endorse County Proposition C.
We previously endorsed County Proposition 2, which would curtail Stenger’s plans to sell or lease county park land to developers by requiring a public vote for any transaction.