Message to the grassroots and fence sitters: the April 4 election for two contested seats on the board of St. Louis Public Schools is not a referendum on Mayor Francis G. Slay or his administration.
Let’s face it: This election is seen by many in the community in the context of sweeping changes in the public schools that were (and are) strongly backed by Slay, his infrastructure and the business community, among others. Question the mayor – try to vote him out of office, if you want – but his motive in this case is honorable and should be properly understood.
Slay is not perfect, and he is not color-blind. He also is not stupid. Any mayor of St. Louis will recognize the need for more residents and property taxes. It is also evident that the biggest obstacle for families staying in the city is the disorder in the public schools.
Let’s be clear: There are able, inspired students, parents, teachers and administrators in SLPS. They succeed in spite of forbidding odds. There remains a need for systematic change to improve those odds for everyone working in the district.
Whatever the wrong turns in the overhaul of the district that got us here, we are now in a good place to move forward, under the leadership of Superintendent Creg Williams and his Strategic Plan. Williams does not need obstacles at the board level – he needs support. We feel strongly that with the proper support, Williams and his vision will continue to remove obstacles for others in the district, at all levels, and pave the way for a public school system that will make the city a more attractive choice for more families. This will be good for the mayor, yes, but more importantly, it will be good for the students and the community. We are convinced that the proven, steadfast supportive candidates on the April 4 ballot are JIM BUFORD and DARNETTA CLINKSCALES. That is why we firmly endorse them for SLPS SCHOOL BOARD.
The spirited challenge of Shelley Welsch to Joe Adams in the University City mayoral race should have taught Adams and his supporters one thing: If they wish for Adams to have a successor they admire, they had better get to work. Adams will not be mayor of U. City – which has emerged as a jewel, during his tenure in office – forever. But now is not the time for him to leave, and Welsch is not the person to replace him. JOE ADAMS for UNIVERSITY CITY MAYOR.
The recent rash of recall elections involving St. Louis city aldermen has demonstrated the need for updated laws regulating these challenges to elected officials. While there must be a legal way for voters to remove an elected official from office before the next election cycle, the current recall system is too secretive and makes it too easy to burden the system with a recall election.
Some recent recall petition drives in the city of St. Louis have also been marred by incidents of voter fraud.
A proposal that would limit the time of collecting signatures for a recall to six months and would mandate that the Elections Board notify an alderman if the paperwork to recall him has been requested makes good sense.
City voters should vote YES to amend the charter of the city of St. Louis and repeal Section 9 of Article III.
Many black college freshmen are the first in their family to attend college. Many begin successful collegiate careers by earning an associate’s degree. Of St. Louis Community College’s more than 32,500 students per semester, 25 percent are African-American and 20 percent hails from the city of St. Louis. Many are non-traditional students with the average age being 27 years old.
Proposition EJ, for Education and Jobs, on the April 4 ballot, will add a much-needed 12-cent increase in the operating levy. The levy would give the college about $30 million annually for infrastructure and facility improvements and – of great importance to the African-American community – would help fund job-training programs.
Because of the junior college district’s importance to the St. Louis region’s growing economy as a stepping stone to undergraduate degrees and good jobs, voters should vote YES for PROPOSITION EJ.