Political
EYE was founded on a bedrock principle in politics: What it is, it
ain’t. So much of what is said on the record and reported about
politics is either not true or beside the point, if you know what
really went down.
In St.
Louis, mainstream media reporting on politics very seldom captures
the style in which so much government business is conducted,
especially in the city. This blindness to (or ignorance of) an
entrenched style of political operating is critical to perpetuating
that style of operating. Certainly, if this operational style were
discussed more candidly in the media and understood better by the
public, then the public might demand better politics – or better
politicians.
This
operational style consists of constant, routine divisiveness –
often, though not always, along racial lines. It’s the old “divide
and conqueor” modus operandi. It is in high gear right now in the
city of St. Louis, in large part because a long-anticipated
political process that usually produces bitter divisiveness – ward
redistricting following a U.S. Census – has failed to turn aldermen
against one another as expected.
This
outcome was particularly unsettling for people who practice
politics in the city by divide and conqueor, because the
redistricting process was handled smoothly by an African American
who has shown the capability of raising the sums of money needed to
win significant citywide office: aldermanic president
Lewis
Reed.
So the
operatives in the office of Mayor
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Francis G. Slay
by chief of staff
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Jeff Rainford
forced to produce their own divisiveness at the Board of Aldermen,
more or less from scratch. To do so, they chose a really pathetic
opportunity: a board bill to pave the roads in a North City park
with speed bumps.
“font-family: Verdana;”>Â
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>
“font-family: Verdana;”>The South Side Five “font-family: Verdana;”>Â
At the
board meeting on Friday, July 17, Alderman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Antonio D. French
trying to pass what anyone might have expected to be a minor,
harmless bill: to pave speed bumps in O’Fallon Park, located in his
21st Ward. Under the custom of aldermanic courtesy, such
bills that effect one ward without impacting the others usually
slide by with unanimous approval. But it’s silly season – stupidly
silly, according to eyewitnesses.
Five
aldermen – led by 13th Ward Alderman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Fred Wessels
17th Ward Alderman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Joe Roddy
the bill. All the aldermen who opposed the bill (unlike French) are
white. It stunk of a play called from Room 200, because all five
said almost exactly the same thing (and because Wessels is one of
the mayor’s favorite “whack-a-mole” go-to South Side aldermanic
mouthpieces).
They all
said it would be “opening Pandora’s Box” if French gets to put
speed bumps in “his” park. Wessels, Roddy and posse claimed to fear
their constituents suddenly wanting speed bumps put into “their”
parks.
At first
stunned that he was being forced to defend such a harmless bill,
French patiently explained that Pandora’s Box already has been
opened. Tower Grove Park has speed bumps; Forest Park has speed
bumps near the Zoo.
French
went on to explain that O’Fallon Park has a jogging trail with a
new recreation center on its way. It’s a North City park he is
working hard to revive and make safer, and speed bumps limiting the
speed of drivers is a no-brainer contribution to the
effort.
This
harmless park improvement did pass, but with 10 aldermen voting
against it. To provide some perspective, the $390 million TIF
awarded to the controversial Northside Regeneration passed the
board
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>26-2
“font-family: Verdana;”>
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Flippers at the board “mso-special-character: line-break;” />
This
dust-up over speed bumps in a North City park went down in the
perfection phase of legislation, when debate at the board typically
happens. This past Friday, July 24 customarily should have been a
formality in the bill’s passage, but not this time. The South
Siders came at French’s bill again.
Evidence that the Mayor’s Office was steering
opposition was made plain by the presence of two of Slay’s aides,
former aldermanic henchman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Stephen Gregali
Mary Ellen
Ponder. There’s good governance for you: that much of the
mayor’s staff on hand to monitor a divisive play on a bill that
could do no worse than improve public safety in a city park.
“Two of
the mayor’s aides were there to try and flip votes against this
speed bump ill,” the EYE was told by an eyewitness disgusted by the
petty play. “Mind you, this was the same day the board passed the
$900 million budget – and the mayor’s aides are there working the
room, trying to flip votes on French’s bill.”
In fact,
they did flip some. 12th Ward Alderman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Larry Arnowitz
been with French’s speed bumps, now was against them.
The EYE
was told Arnowitz had succumbed to that classic ploy in this style
of city governance: the threat. In this case, the EYE was told,
Wessels threatened Arnowitz that he would block a bill for a stop
sign Arnowitz wants in his ward if Arnowitz didn’t line up against
French’s speed bumps. That flipped him.
It would
seem that 3rd Ward Alderman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Freeman Bosley Sr.
flipped, too – not to oppose his North City colleague, but to take
a walk. Bosley left the room before the vote on the speed bump
bill, then conveniently returned soon after the vote.
Luckily
for French, 20th Ward Alderman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Craig Schmid
independent who faced opposition from progressives in his ward this
past election cycle – is still around to go his own way, regardless
of what Rainford and Gregali want him to do. French appealed to
Schmid, and the independent South Sider flipped from no to
yes.
As soon as
Schmid flipped to yes, winning passage for the bill, Gregali’s face
turned red and he silently mouthed some things you can’t print in a
family newspaper.
All of
this fuss over a speed bump bill!
It’s
embarassing that this mayor’s office wasted this much time and
effort and still couldn’t stop a speed bump bill. Maybe they can
stop the demolition of a taco stand shaped like a space ship. Watch
for 19th Ward Alderwoman
“mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;”>Marlene Davis
to look the fool on that Del Taco deal. As the EYE has said before,
expect many efforts to make the Board of Aldermen look foolish in
advance of another charter reform effort.
