Lunchtime Meet & Greet Downtown Friday 2/11/2005

Margie Newman and Alan Brunettin of the Gallery Urbis Orbis are hosting a brown bag meet & greet for me this coming Friday (2/11/2005) at noon. They write:

I am very pleased to have support from all over the city for my candidacy. While representing my neighbors in the 25th ward I intend to work toward creating a more vibrant and exciting city.

If you can make it be sure to stop at one of the many great places downtown to grab your lunch. Breve next door has great sandwiches and the deli at City Grocers is awesome as is 10th Street Italian. Margie & Alan will be providing sodas and water.

Gallery Urbis Orbis is located at 419 North 10th Street.

See you Friday!

– Steve

“Old Ward System Has Lost Clout in City Politics”

The above was the headline in the Post-Dispatch on a story about the decline in importance of the old ward system. The author, Jo Mannies, quoted 11th Ward Alderman Matt Villa:

“If you are naive enough to count on ward endorsements to carry the day, you’re completely out of touch with reality.”

I could not agree more. The 25th Ward organization only has 26 voting members – possibly less at this point because we barely made quorum at the January meeting. The ward system is an old relic.

19th Ward Alderman Mike McMillan is quoted regarding the rise of the internet and how it makes the ward organizations less important:

The story continues:

Such is the reason for this website – to communicate as much information to as many people as possible. This contrasts sharply with the old fashioned method of getting fed bits and pieces of information at sparsely attended neighborhood meetings.

– Steve

Progressive Democrats of Saint Louis

Today I was a guest speaker at the meeting of the Progressive Democrats of Saint Louis which is a part of the Progressive Caucus of Missouri. Both are part of the Progressive Democrats of America.

Topics discussed during the meeting where upcoming events sponsored by the Missourians for Single Payer (Healthcare). They are having a “We Won’t Be Fooled Again” weekend April 1-3. April 1st will include Street Theatre Actions, April 2nd is Citizen/Congressional Hearings on “Solutions to the National Health Care Crisis” and on April 3rd Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich will speak at the Ethical Society at 11am. For more information contact the Missourians for Single Payer.

The very scary thought of privatizing our Social Security was also discussed. A representative from the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition (Pro-Vote) updated us on some action items. For more information check out the Pro-Vote website.

The group was very receptive to my candidacy with individuals offering both financial and volunteer support. All were glad to hear of a progressive person seeking office in the City of St. Louis.

For me it was great to be among Democrats of all ages that are more interested in genuine progressive change than maintaining the status quo. Very refreshing indeed.

– Steve

Campaign Flyer Available Online

In the interest of getting my message out to as many people as possible I have made my flyer available as a downloadable PDF document. The flyer includes information about me, my position on the issues and how to reach me.

Click here for flyer

Feel free to send out the flyer via email. If you like, print it out for friends and neighbors.

– Steve

An example of new thinking

From the Rehabber’s Club list I discovered an exciting housing development corporation in Indianapolis. The group known as Southeast Neighborhood Development, Inc. or SEND So what do I find exciting?

The SEND group actually seems to do something – investing $26 million in their service area since 1991. That is some serious cash. Their website is well organized and includes some great before and after renovation pictures. They include a listing of business locations for sale and for lease. Homes for sale are also included.

But the best part is they partner with other organizations in their community, including local churches, to achieve their stated goals. It appears they are not dependent upon a single source for the bulk of their budget – local city funding is only a part of their budget.

The big lesson here is sometimes it is wise to step back and take a look at our current programs, organizations, and conventional thinking. By doing so we can determine if our current methods are the best way of solving the problem at hand. Perhaps they were 10, 15 or 20 years ago but that doesn’t mean it is still how it should be done.

Looking at organizations in other cities is a great way of gaining a new perspective outside our South St. Louis business as usual thinking. I’m a firm believer in determining the root of problems, brainstorming possible solutions, selecting the best solution and then implementing that solution.

I’m not a fan of doing something simply because that is the way it has always been done, because a group doesn’t want to offend an elected official by asking for change or just skating along with the status quo. We have the potential to be a great urban neighborhood if we put our heads together and work toward a common goal. Fresh thinking, not more of the same, will get us where we are going.

– Steve