There are strong and legitimate reasons to decry the poor leadership skills and lack of political savvy by many elected North St. Louis officials. And so I appreciate Philip Johnson’s critique of North City leaders.
I have lived in North City for over 20 years, own a home there and raise children in that precarious environment. I have seen nothing in North City but neighborhood decline and decay with a high rate of murder, rape, robbery, vandalism, unpaved streets, alleys riddled with potholes, littered sidewalks, trashed-up yards, boarded up houses and businesses, broken windows in vacant buildings, gang activities, idle and unemployed youngsters, drug peddlers, speed car racing on residential streets and lack of strong police presence.
A little more than 20 years ago, the downtown Baden neighborhood was a booming and lively community with a bank, post office, national retail chain store, grocery store, hardware store, restaurants, public park, police station nearby and a decent elementary school.
Today, they are no more. They’ve been replaced with liquor stores all around. The only significant symbol of governmental presence in the community is the City of St. Louis fire house on North Broadway. Real property values have vanished. The few businesses that remain, including residential rental businesses, have suffered tremendously.
Residents of this area travel into the county to shop and find services, with a tremendous loss of tax revenue for the city. Banks’ redlining is pervasive. Criminal gangs and drug dealers have overtaken the area. Police respond quickly only when shooting is reported and someone is perhaps dead.
On speaking to some police officers near the scene of a recent shooting just up the street that claimed the life a 24-year-old young man, one stated frankly that they are hampered by lack of manpower. He advised me to talk to the politicians.
In the presence of these maladies, typical for the North Side, I do not see a strong stand taken by elected North City leaders to address these issues. In reviewing legislation during the 2010-2011 and 2012-2013 legislative sessions, I counted nearly 40 board bills that were passed dealing primarily with neighborhood redevelopments. Virtually all of them were written and sponsored for the redevelopment of South City and Central City neighborhoods.
I blame this squarely on the inability of North City elected officials to master the craft of local government politics. Elected local leaders have to stand up and fight to secure a share of the public pie for their community.
Common ground is needed to come up with a bold plan to rehabilitate North St. Louis city. Perhaps one way to move forward is to call for leadership summit of North City elected leaders to map out strategy.
Looking back 20 years ago today, I still say that I am disappointed that well into the 21st Century the rigidly political polarization – the north/south dichotomy, the isolation of many for the few and all that which divides rather than unites us – is still well entrenched in St. Louis politics.
It will be an injustice if we leave political problems of this magnitude for the next generation to solve. I do not think that will be right. The answer has to be now. My hope is that the progressive elements of this city will see what is wrong and come together to find lasting solution and bring the city to parity with other progressive cities in the nation.
