St. Louis
Mayor Francis G. Slay spiced up a gloomy Thanksgiving weekend with
a post on his campaign website that called for a complete
restructuring of the economic development entities on the
Missouri side of the St.
Louis metropolitan
area.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>Going far beyond a merger of the development agencies administered by city and county governments, Slay called for “ “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>the divestiture of the RCGA’s economic development function from its Chamber of Commerce duties and a single development agency that works for St. Louis.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>The RCGA, of course, is the
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association – a network of local businesses that includes some of the region’s most powerful business executives.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>Clearly, RCGA leaders had not been consulted on Slay’s new brainstorm. The RCGA board president, Ameren CEO Tom Voss, and its board president-elect, Wells Fargo Advisors CEO Danny Ludeman, hastily convened to issue a stinging joint statement.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>In that statement – which does not dignify Slay or his post by direct reference to either – they sternly remind the mayor whose money he is talking about when he talks about a “divestiture” of the RCGA.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>“ “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>Funding for the RCGA overall, and specifically for its economic development function, overwhelmingly comes from the business community,” Voss and Ludeman write.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>They then remind the mayor of a cash-strapped city, that is clearly looking to merge with county services to ease projected budget shortfalls, that their money is sitting on the deal table Slay is toying with.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>“In fact, the regional business community has just voted with its ‘pocket book’ to fund the latest major five-year campaign in the teeth of the worst economy in 70 years, committing the overwhelming portion of the record $22.5 million for the new regional program,” Voss and Ludeman write.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>They also remind the mayor that if there is tinkering to be done with how regional economic development agencies are mapped, he has only one small seat at a big table.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>“While there is always room to improve the structure, the regional program includes policy oversight through a Board of Trustees comprised of economic development investors, as well as public sector investors – including the elected chief executives of the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Madison County,” Voss and Ludeman write – making their only veiled reference to Slay in what can only be viewed as a stern rebuke.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>The RCGA leaders show Slay his limited operating position for making the sorts of decisions he is imagining. They write confidently in the future tense in this, the opening sentence of their joint statement, making it clear to Slay that they have made their decision regardless of his Thanksgiving weekend ruminations.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family:”>“The RCGA is pleased to continue to work with the City and St. Louis County economic development agencies, whether they are separate or merged together, but we will do this in the context of the other bi-state and local partners who make up the economic development community,” Voss and Ludeman write.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>Many business and political observers were puzzled at the tone and timing of Slay’s post, in which he acts so blithely independent of the most powerful corporate executives in the region. One speculative explanation came to mind to many: Slay’s close ties to billionaire financier Rex Sinquefield, an activist for free markets and bare-bones government.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>The American “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>asked the Show-Me Institute, which Sinquefield serves as president, and which serves Sinquefield’s agendas by providing research that supports them, what they thought of Slay’s post. “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“The mayor deserves credit for putting the idea out there,” said David Stokes, policy analyst “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>for the “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>Show-Me Institute “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>. “ “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>I like the idea “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>.”
