Green Party Candidates for Mayor

Those of you registered to vote in the City of St. Louis will have a choice to make on March 3rd.  Candidates, sure.  But before that you’ll have to decide what ballot to take — Democrat or Green.

This year we will see a Green primary due to two Green candidates for Mayor.  On April 4th the winner of the Green primary will face the winner of the 3-way Democratic primary, a Libertarian and Independent Maida Coleman.  Both Green candidates responded to my online questionnaire although only one answered all questions.  The questionnaire was a revision of the one used by candidates for aldermen.  As you will see, I didn’t get all the wording changed.

This is probably the best argument for having non-partisan elections.  We have a primary & general election so these two can have a primary.  The purpose of a primary is so the political parties can select their candidate.  Then you have a general with all the candidates from each party.  This year we have seven total candidates for Mayor, three Democrats, two Greens, a Libertarian and an Independent.  This does not justify having both a partisan primary and a general election.

4. Campaign website URL is (this WILL be published). Type ‘none’ if you don’t have a website/blog.

Don De Vivo:   n/a

Elston McCowan:   www.mccowan4mayor.com

7. List your 3 main qualifications for the position?

De Vivo:

#1: My dedication to St. Louis City
#2: the poltical agenda created by the Green Party that will fund Housing and Health care
#3: The creation of a second party within the City limits that will improve over time City government

McCowan:

#1: Current Pastor of Star Grace M.B.C. Six Years
#2: Twenty Six as a Community Organizer
#3: Current Staff Director, Public Sector Director and Union Rep SEIU Local 2000

8. Only one of the current 28 Aldermen does a blog so that others can read about issues in that ward. Will you, if elected (or re-elected), have a blog with postings on a regular basis? If not, what method of communications will you have with your constituents, the press and interested citizens?

De Vivo:   I would like to have a blog regardless of being elected. In the future the Green Party will have a blog that should help educate the general public on local issues.

McCowan:   I will have a blog as well as a website and newsletters

9. The top five issues facing the City of St Louis in the coming four years are:

De Vivo:

#5: Repel of the Use tax and the return of the Affordable Housing trust fund money, increasing the money for Housing and Health
care
#4: Dealing with the excessive taxation by the Board of Alderman with the full support of the Mayor
#3: Land banked property off of the tax rolls and the creation of a community bank using the affordable housing trust fund as seed
money
#2: Property taxes going up on false or improper information
#1: poor quaility performace by city government

10. The top five issues facing the Greater St Louis Region (The St Louis MSA) are:

De Vivo:

#5: Stimulus money coming into the region
#4: metro’s mistakes
#3: Eminent Domain Abuse
#2: excessvie tax credit that degrade the public school system
#1: rebuilding the image of the City of St. Louis in the larger metro area

11. State offices like State Rep & State Senate as well as the Presidency all have term limits. Cities like New York City have term limits in place. What are your thoughts on local term limits of 8-12 years:

De Vivo:   none, the city government needs to be reformed plain and simple.

12. Would you support a ban on smoking in public places within the City of St. Louis? Yes or no and explain.

De Vivo:   Yes

13. Do you support effort to get local control of the St Louis Police?

De Vivo:   NO, When the current government is reformed the issue can be looked at. The board of Aldermen would be in charge of the funding of the police department. To date the Board of Alderman have done a poor job in our city. I fully support a civilian oversight board and the Green Party City of St. Louis Central committee will begin to establish a civilian review board according to the legislation already written. The Green Party civilian review board can provide a valuable service dealing with the day to day operations between citizens and the Police dept.

14. Elected offices in many cities are non-partisan. In the city we seldom have candidates other than Democrats yet we hold a primary and general election. Going non-partisan could save money every two years by eliminating the March Primary. Your position on switching to non-partisan local elections is:

De Vivo:   No, the effort would be better put into reforming the current government of the City of St. Louis. My efforts are to repel the Use tax and increase by millions money for housing and health care. What is a more noble cause were time and money will make the difference. We can begin the process of rebuilding our government through the petition process, just keep your eye on the money and who the person or party standing in your way or reaching your goal

15. Prior Charter Reform measures, if passed, would have reduced the number of Aldermen/Wards in the city. Describe your thoughts on a reduction in the number of wards:

De Vivo:   I will introduce legislation to the Board of Alderman reducing by half the number seats at the next election. It will save over one million dollars a year that can be placed back into the general revenue fund. The idea is to force the board to discuss the issue and to let the public know how each member voted. If they were to decide to fire then selves than we would be able to draw our own redistricting lines after the 2010 census, creating a workable district based on neighborhoods verses population. The building division and other departments would function at a higher level of service. Duplication of city services could be controlled with better results.

16. Past charter reform also would have consolidated many of the county offices. Describe your thoughts on consolidating County offices and/or making some appointed positions rather than elected:

De Vivo:   Too little time for this one

17. What is the ideal role of the Aldermen in a city where you are Mayor?

De Vivo:   Be a good public servent

18. “Aldermanic Courtesy” is the practice of letting an alderman do as they wish in their ward even though it may not be the best policy for the city as a whole. Your thoughts?

De Vivo:   I will work to end this abusive practice, each person on the board should have the best interest of the city as their goal. The other members of the board are the first line of defense for the citizens of our community.

19. St Louis’ zoning code (classifications, parking mandates, etc) is now 60+ years old. It is largely an auto-centric code. Many cities are replacing such codes in favor of “form based” codes designed to produce more urban building forms. Describe your thoughts on the current zoning ordinances and efforts to bring St Louis’ zoning into the 21st Century:

De Vivo:   Reform the building division and The St. Louis Development Corp. Both are doing the same exact work or could do the same work. Stop the double talk about zoning and reform the way our city government is structured.

20. With respect to physical development, how do we attract more residents & businesses?

De Vivo:   Use all funds for preparing North St. Louis for rebuilding. The site work will generate local jobs and prepare the ground for new construction. The community bank will provide low cost loans that will spur the market for smaller homes. Remember the Affordable housing trust fund is our money, it is time to get it back from the board of Alderman and the Mayor.

21. In November 2008, voters in St Louis County rejected a sales tax that would have triggered a previously approved city sales tax for transit funding. To fund transit in the future we need to do what?

De Vivo:   Reform Metro

22. The Gateway Arch is the symbol for the city but many feel is is not well connected to downtown & the rest of the city. A lid over the depressed section of I-70 has been discussed for many years. Some have argued in favor of eliminating that stretch of I-70 once the new Mississippi River bridge is finished and having a nice boulevard to handle north/south traffic. As an alderman, which option would get your support and why?

De Vivo:   The section of road can be put under ground, the City of St. Louis planning department will take the lead under my leadership. It is time St Louis planned it own future.

23. Last year or so a bill was passed by the Board of Aldermen to give restaurant owners with outdoor patios/sidewalk cafes the option of allowing customers to bring their pet dog with them. However, 7 of the 28 wards opted out of this provision. What are your thoughts of having what should be a city-wide policy cut up into a ward by ward policy?

De Vivo:   That is too tough, it could cost an Alderman his job either way. Outside is open to the public and people do walk their dogs and eat. However, take the liquor law which is used by the local Alderman to control the development in their wards on a ward by ward basis.  Should the same standard be held to that kind of legislation?

24. East-West Gateway has studied expanding MetroLink light rail through both North & South St. Louis. Assuming we could get federal assistance, what are your thoughts on expanding the current system?

De Vivo:   Metro may of messed up the light rail forever, do not ask for a tax increase at this time.

25. Some have advocated the building of streetcar lines in the city to serve the transit needs with in the city. As opposed to Light Rail used to transport suburbanites through the city to downtown. What are your thoughts on the use of modern streetcars such as those used in cities like Portland, OR and Seattle, WA?

De Vivo:   Do not forget the history of streetcars in this city. Without reform our government is not able to provide the leadership needed for this city. However, if you connect the Purposed Delmar line with the Wellston Loop Shopping district I am all for it.

26. The population of the city is roughly 353,000, down a half million from its 1950 peak. What number of total population should be our goal for the 2050 census?

De Vivo:   Too far in advance, lets rebuild North St. Louis and prevent the further decline of Ward 20

27. The 1% City Earnings Tax gets blamed for a lot. Many feel the City needs to eliminate this tax and seek alternate revenue sources. What are your thoughts on eliminating the Earnings Tax?

De Vivo:   People who live outside the city say this, the burden would be shifted to the property owners forcing the sale of lots of parcels.

28. In 2010 we will have a new U.S. Census. The population of St. Louis will be determined at that time. In 2011 we will need to redraw ward boundaries to reflect the change in population that occurred between 2000 and 2010. Please share your thoughts on how to draw ward boundaries to best serve the city as a whole.

De Vivo:   The time to eliminate half of the board of alderman is here, we can draw our lines according to neighborhoods that makes sense verses the need to redraw based on politics. I am always on a deadline and in about two hours this must be in, I am sorry for misspelled words and sentences that do not quite flow together, it just seems the questions were worth showing the public some of the issues that I may not be proud of like my spelling etc.

29. The Americans with Disabilities Act became federal civil rights law in 1990. Yet today, nearly 20 years later, we still see new construction which lacks a basic provision such as an accessible route from the public sidewalk to the front door od the business. How do we as a city ensure future development is accessible to those with disabilities as well as friendly to the able-bodied pedestrian?

De Vivo:   St. Louis Development must be brought under the building division. The building division must be put in an accountable position. The city needs too much work for CDA to run the show any longer. It is easy to plan for the Disabled.

30. Share your thoughts on historic preservation tax credits and demolition of our older building fabric:

De Vivo:   I am a former demolition contractor. I did demolition to save buildings, it is not our fault the Board of Alderman has done so much damage to our city. The process must be worked both ways, demolition and site work with an expanded scope of work to included complete site work. Each site must be ready to build and easy to maintain for the local work crew. It is not hard to determine which houses should go and which should stay. If there is 5 derelicts in a row they should either be all put together at once or the land cleared and prep for new construction at a later date. I have plans to enlarge the scope of work on each site leaving a better looking site and using cleaner better tactics leaving sites that can be marketed for new development. I intend to use the affordable housing trust fund money in the creation of a Community Bank that will lend on St. Louis property exclusively. By creating a rehab market with funding, job creation can be a reality. 

31. The Edward Jones Dome is not getting any younger. If elected, it is a possibility that the St. Louis Rams may ask for major upgrades or a replacement of the dome during your term in office. Share your thoughts on this issue:

De Vivo:   There will be no replacement of the dome under my watch, upgrades may be necessary. The Rams and the State can pay for it. Maybe in the stimulus package it would fit. The unions have to have work in the city.

32. Bicycle friendly cities tend to attract young workers and good paying jobs (aka the Creative Class). How can St. Louis become more bike friendly? For example, one thought is to provide bike racks along sidewalks on commercial streets. Please share your thoughts on the goal of becoming a more bike friendly city.

De Vivo:   I would like to create a bike path from the Wellston Loop Shopping district using the metro right of way which runs through the city. The path would connect Forest Park and Ruth porter mall With the County trail system. The extra effort would spark redevelopment of the old Wellston Loop bus station. We are currently working on a farmers market for the site without the support of the local alderman. I would think bikes rakes will continue to grow in popularity throughout the city.

33. Related to the above is the idea of requiring developments to provide bike parking as a small percentage of the auto parking provided. Share your thoughts on setting minimum standards for bike parking within the city:

De Vivo:   It is too easy to lay out some area for bikes, and would make a great photo opt for any development. The building division could easily plan for bikes, they are under the Mayor, CDA is the problem it has state law on it side.

34. More and more progressive cities are providing narrow on-street parking spaces for scooters & motorcycles. 5-6 scooters can be parked in the space normally occupied by one car. Would you favor efforts to do such in St. Louis?

De Vivo:   yes

35. Recently we’ve seen the city & Clayton use tax incentives to lure law firms to new developments or to retain them. These are firms that have lots of money. However, they also provide a good tax base for the city. Share your thoughts on the use of tax incentives to attract/retain affluent firms:

De Vivo:   The bubble has burst, take care of the people who are here. I moved here because I saw a future working in the city. Do not pay people to come here, we have everything we need to have a nice life for our families, stop selling the farm.

36. Ballpark Village remains a drawing board fantasy at this point. Did tax payers get taken by the Cardinals on promises to build on the site of the old Busch Stadium?

De Vivo:   yes, I intend to Eminent Domain Busch stadium and sell it to Larry Rice.

37. It has been nearly a year since Pyramid Construction folded. Low & high-profile projects remain stalled. One high-profile project is the remaking of the failed downtown indoor mall, St. Louis Centre. In 2007 St. Louis committed general revenues to help get the project done. With Pyramid out of the picture should any new deal on St. Louis Centre put general revenues at risk?

De Vivo:   No

38. Many say they’d move to the city if the schools were better. As an Alderman you have no control over the schools. Still, what advice would you offer for those in charge of the St. Louis Public Schools?

De Vivo:   That is not true. under the current system of government school do not matter. My advice is to rebuild small compact energy efficient schools with a life span of 50 years. Pack them full of educational equipment and place them on the site of old schools if they have not sold off all the site yet. Money is coming in the stimulus package for schools. Lets us not make the same mistakes.

39. Charter schools are seen as a viable alternative by some and undermining to the public schools by others. What are your thoughts on charter schools?

De Vivo:   Too late, sooner are later the public school system will rebuild itself and Charter schools will come back into the system

40. St. Louis as the center of the region attracts homeless from throughout the region. Share your thoughts on the City’s current response and what the city should be doing to help the homeless?

De Vivo:   Rebuild small energy efficient tract homes, design then to last 50 years and put them all over north St. Louis. support the creation of a community bank that will be the basis for drawing in housing money. This is first stage to curb the homeless population from increasing, it will also double the money for health services by repelling the use tax and getting the Affordable housing trust fund money back from the current mayor and board of Alderman. Change from rental production to home ownership production.

41. Many Aldermen advocate owner-occupied development only within their wards. In our current economic climate new owner-occupied development may not be a realistic demand for a few years. Most of us have rented at one point in our lives, share your thoughts on insisting on owner-occupancy in order tp support the redevelopment of a property.

De Vivo:   I can build a small energy efficient home if the affordable housing trust fund is turned into a community bank that will provide the funding. Good loans are the solution to the housing crisis. a 30 year at 5% is an affordable investment. My houses can be built with union labor and come on on budget. Put 5,000 building on the market and 11,000 lots with the site work done instead of subsidizing the developer and watch the market return on your investment. By the way the Board of Aldermen must be removed from the process.