24th Ward Endorsement: Independent Scott Ogilvie
If you thought the 2011 St. Louis municipal elections wrapped up with Tuesday’s primary, you’d be wrong. Â Tuesday was just the primary, the election is April 5th.
Democratic voters in the 24th Ward on Tuesday nominated former alderman Tom Bauer in a 3-way race. Â Bauer received 437 votes to incumbent Bill Waterhouse’s 425. In 2005 voter recalled Bauer.
In the only upset, former Alderman Tom Bauer beat his old foe, incumbent Bill Waterhouse, along with two others to take Dogtown’s 24th Ward Democratic slot in April’s general election.
In 2005, Bauer was recalled by voters and replaced by Waterhouse after an uproar over eminent domain. (STLToday.com)
However, it is Independent Scott Ogilvie that has my attention and endorsement for the general election.
Hopefully Ogilvie can motivate the 563 people who didn’t vote for Bauer to vote for him on April 5th. Â Check out Ogilvie’s website (ward24stl.com) and you will see he lists both ward issues and city-wide issues. Like me, Ogilvie wasn’t born in St. Louis, but he is sharp. Â The ability to think and reason is far more important than a political party or where someone went to high school.
I have donated advertising space on this site to Ogilvie and I even sent him a small check, something I will only do for independent candidates.
– Steve Patterson
It's nice to see someone stepping up to lead!
Not my ward, so I “don't have a dog in this hunt”, but I am concerned about two things on his website – one, he's pretty circumspect about where he lives in the ward and where he came from, both of which would impact my decision to vote for him or any other candidate. And two, his focus seems to be exclusively on the northeastern third, with no position statements on the Manchester or McCausland corridors or on the Clifton Heights neighborhood.
That said, I don't know where Tom Bauer stands on these issues, either, but the ward residents do have the former alderman's record to evaluate. It's great to see a contested race, and hopefully the best-qualified wins in April.
In response to the above: I moved to St. Louis in 1999 after growing up in Minneapolis. I live off of Hampton Ave. near the Carpenter's District Council building, where my wife and I bought a home in 2006. Prior to that we lived just outside the Ward in Richmond Heights.
If by “Where did he come from?” you mean, “Who is he an why is he running?” My answer is that since I moved to St. Louis in 1999, I've spent countless hours exploring every nook and cranny of St. Louis – I can say that I've walked or ridden my bike down nearly every street in the City, always keeping an eye on architectural and development issues. Like so many people, I see the incredible potential of our City, the progress we've made, but also the areas where we've gotten stuck. I look at my hometown Minneapolis and see the ways that they have figured out how to grow since the 1980's – Of course we have a different history and our own particular strengths and weaknesses, but I want to see us make that kind of progress. I want to see the Board watch out for their own neighborhoods while also keeping an eye on the big picture: which means retaining current residents and attracting new ones.
Regarding the focus of the website: There's only so many hours in the day! There are changes taking place, or about to take place, in that area: Vacancies in the Clayton – Tamm Business District, the sale and / or closure and possible redevelopment of Forest Park Hospital, and more. But I also hear residents south of Hwy. 44 say “Don't forget about us.” 44 does physically divide the Ward, but it can't divide who we pay attention to.
Thanks for your comments!
Scott Ogilvie
Thanks for the clarification. Thanks, too, for showing up at the Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association meeting last Monday (something your opponent did not do). As with any candidate, there are issues where we agree and those where we don't, but since this is not my ward, I don't want to color the debate. As you well know, you have a tough race ahead of you. And as someone who has both run for office and helped others campaign, the one thing I would caution you on is relying too much on what's worked better somewhere else. Coming from Denver, I have a similar perspective, but I also remember clearly how we felt when someone recently-arrived from California tried to argue that California ways were better without really knowing or understanding many of the local nuances – “Don't Californicate Colorado” is a favorite tagline. A similar attitude is evident here, with many people “just fine” with how things have worked for decades.
Frustratingly, but also understandably, I can't vote (not a US citizen) in this municipal election. If I could it's these kind of candidates I would be voting for. Using Federal/State level party ideals to guide the complexities of civic government is daft and short sighted (especially considering there are only 2 of them in the USA). We don't need to limit ourselves to “this” or “that” and independent candidates offer the opportunity not to.
Hell, if I lived in that ward, I'd vote for him just because he's not part of the old, dead Democratic Party machine. A Zombie machine, if you will.
Well, then you can fight the walking, groaning un-dead on April 5th by voting for Ogilvie (if you can… like me).
I meet Scott Ogilvie at a friends house this weekend. I am in the 15th ward so I cannot vote for him, but I will say he is a person I would vote for if I could. The conversation my friend (who changed his vote and will vote for him) and I had with him indicates an engaged, intelligent man, who will listen to all sides of an issue and has excellent ideas in his own right.
It is heartening to me to see young men like Scott step up to the plate and take on American democracy. It is not easy to do. I hope he makes it, Scott is exactly the type of leader St. Louis needs to overcome decades of decay. I wish him luck. I encourage all that can vote for him do so. He is a breathe of fresh air.
I meet Scott Ogilvie at a friends house this weekend. I am in the 15th ward so I cannot vote for him, but I will say he is a person I would vote for if I could. The conversation my friend (who changed his vote and will vote for him) and I had with him indicates an engaged, intelligent man, who will listen to all sides of an issue and has excellent ideas in his own right.
It is heartening to me to see young men like Scott step up to the plate and take on American democracy. It is not easy to do. I hope he makes it, Scott is exactly the type of leader St. Louis needs to overcome decades of decay. I wish him luck. I encourage all that can vote for him do so. He is a breathe of fresh air.