What Is A Maverick?

We’re hearing the word Maverick a lot the election cycle. But what is a Maverick anyway?

A dictionary definition of maverick is:

mav·er·ick (mvr-k, mvrk)

n.

1. An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.

2. One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

adj.

Being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence: maverick politicians; a maverick decision.

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[Possibly after Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870), American cattleman who left the calves in his herd unbranded .]

Hmm, OK. We know that Palin likes to shoot unbranded animals.

The car guy in me cannot help but think of the Ford model every time I hear Tina Fey impersonating Palin and saying Mavericky.

Ford gave the Maverick an 8-year run, something I hope American voters do not give Palin.

After 8 years with Maverick, Ford dropped the name — they never used it again. It was supposed to be an economical car but it proved too heavy to live up to that promise. It also has serious rust issues.

When introduced many people fell for the Maverick but sales tapered off after after a strong initial showing. Buyers realized the competition was much more capable of meeting their needs.

Initially it was only available as a 2-door model but sticking to that formula limited the appeal to a broader base and a 4-door version was added later. The first few years the Maverick lacked a glove box.

The Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch (1975-82) was designed to replace the Maverick but they worked together on showroom floor for a few years. However, sales of the Maverick dropped after the Granada was introduced – it really wasn’t what buyers wanted.

The Maverick was built on a modified Ford Falcon platform dating to 1960.  Thus it was the same old thing they had been selling but dressed up in a younger skin.  It was outdated by the time it hit the showroom floors.  The competition was entirely new & fresh making the Maverick look even more dated.

After 8 years Ford put an end to the Maverick.

Thursday Night Is A Work Night

Real estate agents generally work odd hours, never the 9-5 weekday gig of many folks. I’m not complaining, we have flexibility to our schedules others wish they had. But it also means working nights & weekends.

Tonight myself and my co-agent Leigh Maibes are holding an agent-only function at The Lawrence Groups’s South Side Tower (aka South Side National Bank). We may be able to skip the ice for the cocktails on the roof — the vodka may be cold enough just based on the temperature.

Downtown agents will be out tonight for the “Downtown Nights” event -evening tours of places for sale. At another of my listings co-agent Ashley Brands will have open 703 N 13th #401 (Elder Shirts Lofts). That will be open from 5pm-9pm. I’ll be stopping by there on the way home tonight.

No break this weekend either.  Saturday & Sunday I’ll be back at the South Side Tower condos from 1pm-3pm.

Former St. Louis Mayor Vince Schoemehl on Regionalism

A few nights ago I attended a panel where Former St Louis Mayor Vince Schoemehl was speaking on the future of Metro and Prop M.  He got sidetracked a few times and ended up covering regionalism, cities he considered St Louis’ competition while he was mayor (San Francisco & Boston!), how it is “ridiculous to have the Mayors of Clayton & St Louis fighting over the location of a law firm.

Click here to listen to an excerpt of the audio

Schoemehl was mayor from 1981-1993.

Sales Taxes as a Source of Funds for Government Services

Yesterday in response to my post on the upcoming election and the ballot measure for a sales tax to help fun transit operations in the county & city, the following comment was made by regular reader ‘Southsider:’

Yes the City sales tax will go up a like amount resulting in a cumulative tax of roughly 10%.  A figure I find staggering.  I can recall when it was 3 cents on the dollar.  What are the voters thinking I’ll never understand.

All sales taxes should be sunseted and revoted upon every 5 years.

To be clear, the tax in Prop M does sunset – after 20 years not 5.  But the point is a valid one — we can’t fund all local services through sales taxes.  A dedicated transit tax I support but I agree we need to reevaluate our entire tax structure.  We tax ourselves to provide services for ourselves.  How & what we tax is where the difference comes into play.

The primary forms of taxes we pay are income, property & sales.  The city earnings (income) tax is not popular, but what tax is? Other taxes include the gas tax  — a flat rate based on volume not a percentage of price; utility taxes, hotel/ticket taxes.  Related are fees we pay such as a business license fee.

The gas tax isn’t what it used to be, with the federal trust fund running dry.  Efforts to reduce fuel consumption reduces the funds long used for infrastructure.  Often the feds help with capital funds but not those for operations & maintenance.  This is why we often see infrastructure allowed to deteriorate and then a major project to start the process over with new infrastructure.

With Community Improvement Districts, Transportation Development District and such it is easy to suddenly have a local sales tax rate that is “staggering.”  So how do we rework the system to get the funds we need to provide the infrastructure & services we want and demand?

In the case of the tax for Metro it is funding of employee pensions driving some of the projected shortfalls.  We can’t take away people’s pension, this is an obligation we have to them.

I’m no tax expert, I don’t have the solution to this issue.  I do agree that communities should examine priorities and how those are funded.  In the meantime I hope that County voters approve Prop M  – doing so will raise about $80 million from the county and $9 million from the city each year.

Urban Policy in the November Election

Four weeks from today the U.S. will make history — we will either elect the first black President or the first female Vice-President. Neither is a good reason to vote for or against one or the other. We need criteria other than race or gender on which to make our own voting decisions.

For those of us living in urban regions we must look at the Presidential & Gubernatorial election with close inspection of the candidate’s urban policy.

At the national level the respective candidates have vastly differing urban policy objectives. Obama-Biden have Urban Policy as a major issue heading. McCain-Palin’s Urban Policy is non-existent, although you might argue their policy items are scattered among other issue headings such as crime or economic development. I like seeing that Obama-Biden have given urban policy the clout it deserves.

At the Missouri state level we have Democrats Jay Nixon for Governor and Sam Page for Lt Gov with Republicans Kenny Holshof for Gov and incumbent Peter Kinder for Lt Gov. For me their plan for say urban transit is more important than debating the 2nd Amendment and Abortion. You can view the sites and make your own determination.

I’ve been voting now for 20 years. In that time I don’t think I’ve ever voted a straight party ticket. In each election I might like a few Democrats and a few Republicans. Not this year. I’m voting to keep Palin in Alaska. Someone get her a White House tour book — because that is as close as she should ever get to the oval office.

Voters in St Louis County get a say in the future of transit in our region. Metro is seeking much needed funding to keep buses & trains serving thousands throughout our region. Proposition M reads as:

Shall the County of St. Louis impose, in addition to an existing County-wide sales tax of one-quarter of one percent for the same purpose, a County-wide sales tax of one-half of one percent (0.50%) which shall have a sunset date twenty years from the date on which the tax is first imposed, for the purpose of providing a source of funds for public transportation purposes, with the revenues from one-quarter of one percent (0.25%) to be used for MetroLink expansion and revenues from the remaining one-quarter of one percent (0.25%) to be used for the maintenance of existing transit facilities?

• Increase frequency on express routes and arterial routes nearing capacity.
• Implement high-speed bus service between major residential and employment centers.
• Develop express bus corridors into Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines.
• Expand MetroLink to North and West St. Louis County

I’d vote for it if I could. If I’m not mistaken city voters previously approved a tax to fund Metro that will kick in when County voters approve Prop M. For more information see the Greater St Louis Transit Alliance at www.MoreMetroLink.com. Alliance Treasurer Thomas Shrout (of Citizens of Modern Transit) will participate in a panel discussion tonight called Obstacles, Solutions and a Vision for the Future of St Louis. The panel starts at 7pm, just after a reception – both at Cummels on Washington Ave. For more information click here.