St. Louis Has Our Own Local Jack Abramoff

Wining & Dining of elected officials is not reserved for the big guys in Washington D.C. Local elected officials, such as members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, are offered dinners and trips by lobbyists for big business. Like Washington, some take and others do not.

The old cliche, ‘money is the root of all evil’, has never been more true. From what I hear some officials have come to expect these extra perks to give them the lifestyle their public salary would not otherwise permit. Sound familiar? We’re not talking about the kind of cash flowing to Congress but enough to raise questions of ethics.

I want to stress a couple of points. This is not only in the City of St. Louis —- this exists throughout the region. The other point is not everyone is on the take, but some are.

No names are mentioned here as I don’t have the documentation to prove anything — yet. But in time it will come out just as it has with Jack Abramoff in Washington. Eventually we are going to have a nice little local scandal of money and favoritism.

– Steve

New Urbanism and the Christian Faith

The other day I was having lunch at the new Prancing Pony Cafe & Bookstore in New Town at St. Charles and one book caught my eye, Sidewalks in the New Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith. I thumbed through a bit of it while waiting for my lunch companions to arrive but what I read was intriguing. I am personally not the religious type but many of my friends and family are. I think I’ll be ordering this book in bulk for birthday and Christmas gifts.

Here is what one person wrote in a review on Amazon.com:

People of all religious persuasions can find wisdom in this plain-spoken portrait of how humanity and culture are enriched by the informal social contacts of city life. Jacobsen, a pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Missoula, Montana, builds a case for why Christians should have special concern for traditionally designed urban areas. At the same time, the book explores themes of community and identity that are relevant to people of all spiritual traditions.
He argues that we have been lulled into “worshipping false gods in the name of American values.” The concepts of individualism, independence and freedom are wrongly associated with life in the suburbs, Jacobsen tells us. Pointing out that identical tract homes and big box retailers are not expressions of individual choice, he says we have allowed corporations to bend our communities to their bottom-lines instead of our communal needs.

The car, so often equated with freedom, does not, in Jacobsen’s view, equal the Biblical sense of liberation, instead it represents a form of escapism. He writes that we have allowed ourselves to be isolated from one another by our cars and our low-density developments. The result is a loss of civility and a dismissal of God’s command to “love the stranger.”

He notes that cities give rise to critical mass, a condition that stimulates and incubates new ideas, significant events and formal art. Sidewalks in the Kingdom is a powerful call for Christians to endorse our cities in the same way they have embraced our natural environment. Should the concept catch hold, Christians everywhere may soon be fleeing the suburbs for a city near you.

If you are a person of faith but are unsure about New Urbanism give this book a read and let me know what you think. I’ve provided a link above to Amazon.com but you can also order the book online through local independent retailer Left Bank Books. Also, the author’s website offers a sample chapter.


I started reading the sample chapter and I wanted to quote one small bit:

It is important to note that we have not been backed into sprawl and standardization as the dominant mode of development because of poverty, national crisis, or other limiting factors. Instead, we have boldly and confidently marched toward these unsatisfying arrangements with no one to blame but ourselves. We have done so, I believe, because we have been worshiping false gods in the name of American values.

I am so ordering a copy for myself!

– Steve

Remembering Moscone & Milk; And a Call To Action

As an Apple Computer fan I’m looking forward to news from next weeks MacWorld Expo at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. But each time I hear “Moscone Center” I think of Harvey Milk.

Twenty seven years ago on November 27, 1978 San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor (like our aldermen) Harvey Milk were assassinated in SF City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White.

Milk had a couple of unsuccessful bids for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors but in 1977 he was finally elected. He became the first openly gay person elected to any such office — ever. At the time it was thought it was better to work within the system by electing a straight but friendly candidate to bring about change. Milk was determined to win and break down doors.

Supervisor Dan White was upset over the anti-discrimination legislation enacted in SF so he resigned his seat. A week later he returned to seek revenge. If you’ve heard of the phrase “twinkie defense” this is where it came from. White was sentenced to less than eight years in prison which sparked the White Night Riot. After serving only a portion of his sentence White committed suicide.

For more information see:
• Time Magazine 100 Heros & Icons
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is the point you ask? Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the day I filed to run for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. I didn’t win on my first try (story). As I fight to make St. Louis a more urban place to live and to break down decades of self-serving ward politics I draw strength from men like Harvey Milk. I’m constantly told things won’t change here — we’re too conservative, we’re too this and too that.

BS!

We can change if we want to.

We can have a legislative body that actually governs the entire city and not just their selective 1/28th of the city while ignoring the remaining 27/28th. If they only want to take responsibility for their 1/28th then pay them 1/28 the salary.

Life is too short. We must make the best of the time we’ve got.

If you live in an even number ward — 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, or 28 — now is the time to get involved for the Spring 2007 election. Bookmark your alderman’s page and check each week to see what new legislation they are sponsoring or co-sponsoring. Ask them how they voted on controversial issues in other wards. Review their campaign finance reports to see who is giving them money and how often. Join your local ward committee (Democrat, Republican, or Green) and challenge any assumptions of propping up the status quo simply for the sake of business as usual or that is the way it is supposed to be. For those of you in odd numbered wards you should get involved as well in pretty much the same fashion. Not sure of your ward? Click here to find out.

Those already elected and those running the Democratic machine have no interest in real change or if they do they’ve been unwilling to prove it by there actions. We will have to take it by force at the grass roots level. If Harvey Milk can get elected in 1977 we can certainly change our board of aldermen thirty years later.

– Steve

Parishioner & Resident Wants St. Aloysius Saved

I wanted to share with you a series of emails I have had with a resident near St. Aloysius. This person asked me keep their identity private.

Here is the first email I received from this resident two days ago:

Thank you for your efforts towards saving the buildings at St. Aloysius.
Our family is for the preservation of the entire block.

I was baptized at St. Al’s, attended and graduated from the school. My sister was married there. My parents were married in the “bowling alley” underneath the Gym, while the church was being built, It served as the church for a few years and if you look closely you can see remnants of the windows and where the alter was situated.

We are now residents of the Hill and belong to St. Ambrose Parish. We have not heard anyone say they would like a housing developement on the spot. It sounds political to us.

Thank you again!

I wrote back asking this person to “speak up” — that the alderman, priest and developer needed to hear from people on this issue. Here was the response:

I would hate to have repercussions.
This is definitely the way I feel…….tell me I am not the only one. I feel it would be painful to see buildings torn down!

I can hear this person’s pain. They feel like they might secretly be the only one that wants to save the building, afraid to speak out. I tried to reassure this person they were not the only one from the neighborhood that felt the same way. Here was the last thing I received:

I do not think that any of the three you mentioned in your first email [alderman, priest & developer] care about how the parisioners feel (We were never asked) I believe that they are own their own mission!

A little more bold than the last email. This time they consented to let me quote what they wrote anonymously. I’ve deleted only a few bits that might have identified who this person is. This is far from the only such email I’ve received on my efforts to save these buildings. I think many felt strongly about saving the buildings but didn’t want to speak up or didn’t know how to go about having an impact. Myself and others have got the ball rolling, we’ll see if they finish the job.

– Steve

Political Changes Moving U-City Forward

I recently discovered a group called U-City Forward that has a simple website listing some principals they seek for their community. It begins:

To regain the excitement and energy of the past, we believe that U City needs to reinvigorate, revitalize, broaden and deepen citizen enthusiasm and involvement in government at every level.

In the two years since they’ve started apparently they’ve replaced a few members of the City Council. I like it, a citizen based group organizing to take control of city government. Now if only I could think of another municipality where such an organization might do some good…

– Steve