U.S. Politics

[Jaeger]

not really, NYC is mostly democratic/liberal running mates, however Andrew Yang isn't too bad and wants to sit aside the two party system and work on things to benefit everyone no matter what their political stance is, which is why is highly liked here.

a local representative from NYC, Alexandria Cortez endorse a mayoral candidate, Maya Wiley which she was a former counsel member for the current mayor DeBlasio, and is very high end on the racial thing, which is why she isn't highly liked here, which in itself is a surprise

Andrew Yang has various reasons he is like, one of his policies for example is to give 500,000 low income New Yorkers $2,000 a month, he wants to appoint a Deputy Mayor for Public Safety working jointly with NYPD launching operations to prevent/combat crime in troubled NY Neighborhoods.

Fernando Mateo, was supported by Michael Flynn and Trump as an opponent to Wiley.

Wiley isn't bad most dislike her more over the fact that she a counsel member for DeBlasio, so some think this will be a DeBlasio 2.0
anyways, She wants to do the following, called the New Deal New York
-build workforce training sites in uplifting neighborhoods with neighborhood organizations to run training programs
-develop policies that will hire locals in high unemployed and poverty areas to create apprentice jobs
-investing $2 billion in the NYCHA to repair housing and invest in job creating opportunities
-create a centrally managed $10 billion program oversaw by a "Czar" for public works and underserved communities.
-create 100,000 jobs
-recognize that gun violence is because of lack of education + employment opportunities
-launch support programs to reduce crimes in high risk neighborhoods


I will eventually post each candidate and their plans separately

 

[Ticklishchap]

not really, NYC is mostly democratic/liberal running mates, however Andrew Yang isn't too bad and wants to sit aside the two party system and work on things to benefit everyone no matter what their political stance is, which is why is highly liked here.

a local representative from NYC, Alexandria Cortez endorse a mayoral candidate, Maya Wiley which she was a former counsel member for the current mayor DeBlasio, and is very high end on the racial thing, which is why she isn't highly liked here, which in itself is a surprise

I like what I see of Andrew Yang, for example his support for basic income as a way of reforming the welfare bureaucracy and adapting to changing work patterns. It’s an idea that crosses the political spectrum, having some strong supporters on the left and among environmentalists, but also Milton Friedman!

 

[Ticklishchap]

Andrew Yang has various reasons he is like, one of his policies for example is to give 500,000 low income New Yorkers $2,000 a month, he wants to appoint a Deputy Mayor for Public Safety working jointly with NYPD launching operations to prevent/combat crime in troubled NY Neighborhoods.

Fernando Mateo, was supported by Michael Flynn and Trump as an opponent to Wiley.

Wiley isn't bad most dislike her more over the fact that she a counsel member for DeBlasio, so some think this will be a DeBlasio 2.0
anyways, She wants to do the following, called the New Deal New York
-build workforce training sites in uplifting neighborhoods with neighborhood organizations to run training programs
-develop policies that will hire locals in high unemployed and poverty areas to create apprentice jobs
-investing $2 billion in the NYCHA to repair housing and invest in job creating opportunities
-create a centrally managed $10 billion program oversaw by a "Czar" for public works and underserved communities.
-create 100,000 jobs
-recognize that gun violence is because of lack of education + employment opportunities
-launch support programs to reduce crimes in high risk neighborhoods


I will eventually post each candidate and their plans separately

Thank you very much for both posts. I remember Curtis Sliwa because there was a chapter of Guardian Angels in London in the late 80s/early 90s. The emphasis on vocational training is a good thing overall as a large number of students (especially boys) are put off by the narrow academic curriculum. And sadly many college degrees are not especially strong intellectually and have little practical value. I have no axe (or ax in US spelling) to grind here because I am educated to postgrad level.

All of the candidates listed - whether I agree with their platforms or not - have more talent than our recent contenders for Mayor of London, which is a shame for us but good for NYC.

I look forward to hearing more from you about the other candidates.

 

[Jaeger]

Thank you very much for both posts. I remember Curtis Sliwa because there was a chapter of Guardian Angels in London in the late 80s/early 90s. The emphasis on vocational training is a good thing overall as a large number of students (especially boys) are put off by the narrow academic curriculum. And sadly many college degrees are not especially strong intellectually and have little practical value. I have no axe (or ax in US spelling) to grind here because I am educated to postgrad level.

All of the candidates listed - whether I agree with their platforms or not - have more talent than our recent contenders for Mayor of London, which is a shame for us but good for NYC.

I look forward to hearing more from you about the other candidates.

a lot of people tend to bad mouth NYC, yet either never lived there or visited, and listen to the media only which usually only shows negative things 24/7 doesn't matter what city or state you mention.

however DeBlasio has been an idiot from day 1, the only things he managed to accomplish (successfully) in NYC was public servants (parks and rec employees, and such) got an $15 an hour wage and his universal Pre-K (free) to parents. other than that not much is successful about this man, he promised a lot for the city but a lot of the money just straight into Manhattan (a major tourist zone).

of course, I believe it's whoever is going to do best for the city, however Sliwa is the only Republican Candidate I even see having a chance of becoming a mayor since he is like Giuliani

 

[Strike Eagle]

a lot of people tend to bad mouth NYC, yet either never lived there or visited, and listen to the media only which usually only shows negative things 24/7 doesn't matter what city or state you mention.

however DeBlasio has been an idiot from day 1, the only things he managed to accomplish (successfully) in NYC was public servants (parks and rec employees, and such) got an $15 an hour wage and his universal Pre-K (free) to parents. other than that not much is successful about this man, he promised a lot for the city but a lot of the money just straight into Manhattan (a major tourist zone).

of course, I believe it's whoever is going to do best for the city, however Sliwa is the only Republican Candidate I even see having a chance of becoming a mayor since he is like Giuliani

a lot of the ones I know bashing New York, are Floridians complaining about the New Yorkers moving there, however we have quite a bit of New Yorkers here in California, however most Floridians will not complain about the companies/jobs moving there, like how Californian tech giants opened regional branches into Texas LoL

I'm not a fan of DeBlasio, and sure am not a fan of how Manhattan get's a lot of attention while the other 4 boroughs usually suffer or gets the crumbs for development, investments... however it does seem Brooklyn and Queens are growing pretty good nowadays


Sliwa seems better then most candidates IMO, a lot of the rest seem have to a blessing with some sort of Big New Yorker, he seems to kind of be on his own. the rest, I don't know how to explain, but they all seem to be wanting to get noticed by higher up politicians, or some seem to have connections with DeBlasio in one form or the other.

 

[Jaeger]

a lot of the ones I know bashing New York, are Floridians complaining about the New Yorkers moving there, however we have quite a bit of New Yorkers here in California, however most Floridians will not complain about the companies/jobs moving there, like how Californian tech giants opened regional branches into Texas LoL

I'm not a fan of DeBlasio, and sure am not a fan of how Manhattan get's a lot of attention while the other 4 boroughs usually suffer or gets the crumbs for development, investments... however it does seem Brooklyn and Queens are growing pretty good nowadays


Sliwa seems better then most candidates IMO, a lot of the rest seem have to a blessing with some sort of Big New Yorker, he seems to kind of be on his own. the rest, I don't know how to explain, but they all seem to be wanting to get noticed by higher up politicians, or some seem to have connections with DeBlasio in one form or the other.

most New Yorkers I know hate how Manhattan gets the attention when it comes to adding new everything, however Brooklyn is getting it's first major high rise which will be the tallest outside Manhattan, and yes Brooklyn and Queens are growing with tourism, however Manhattan is still the bigger tourist spot and will be forever

most Texans indeed will complain about the jobs moving in, but its usually Houstonians tbh, simply because Houston is dominated by 2 major industries: Energy (Oil and Gas) and Medical. however, when Tesla was moving into Texas, Houston did invite Tesla to setup a Gigafactory (car production), engine production facility, a mega wind farm and a major solar farm (as well as training locals for maintenance on them), and for Houston to become SpaceX's HQ. not only that, they invited Amazon to spread throughout the Greater Houston area, allowing Houston to be home to Amazon's Texas office, both which failed ultimately, since Tesla went to Austin and their SpaceX went to Brownsville.

Tesla also acknowledge to wanting to build a city called "Star base City" which Musk will eventually opened another Gigafactory, Engine production line, move the SpaceX HQ and more there, and plans to have the city 100% renewable/clean energy based. of course, Texas isn't complaining about that

Sliwa isn't a bad candidate, however if he acts like Giuliani did, which was "showboating" and making some bad policies he won't be very liked, however at the same time, I don't see him winning anyways, even for a Republican running mate.

 

[Ticklishchap]

a lot of people tend to bad mouth NYC, yet either never lived there or visited, and listen to the media only which usually only shows negative things 24/7 doesn't matter what city or state you mention.

however DeBlasio has been an idiot from day 1, the only things he managed to accomplish (successfully) in NYC was public servants (parks and rec employees, and such) got an $15 an hour wage and his universal Pre-K (free) to parents. other than that not much is successful about this man, he promised a lot for the city but a lot of the money just straight into Manhattan (a major tourist zone).

of course, I believe it's whoever is going to do best for the city, however Sliwa is the only Republican Candidate I even see having a chance of becoming a mayor since he is like Giuliani

I would never badmouth NYC. I have really enjoyed my visits there - it has changed a lot since the mid-80s when I recall the subway graffiti.
There are some of the best art museums in the world in NYC.

 

[Strike Eagle]

Biden, Johnson sign new Atlantic Charter on trade, defense amid Covid recovery (nbcnews.com)

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed a new Atlantic Charter on Thursday, modeled after the 1941 agreement, that outlines eight key areas on which the U.S. and the United Kingdom plan to collaborate.

The revamped charter, which comes during Biden's first trip abroad as president, says it builds "on the commitments and aspirations set out eighty years ago, affirms our ongoing commitment to sustaining our enduring values and defending them against new and old challenges."


Those commitments include defending democracy, reaffirming the importance of collective security and ensuring a fair and open global trading system, the document said.


Biden and Johnson agreed to the revamped accord during a bilateral meeting Thursday at Carbis Bay, Cornwall, in the southwest of England on Thursday ahead of the G-7 summit with other world leaders, which starts Friday.

Speaking to reporters from St. Ives afterward, Biden said he had a "very productive meeting" with Johnson and said they discussed "ambitious" goals on climate change. The president added that they talked about "shared sacrifices" service members from both countries made in Afghanistan.

The charter commits to combating the modern challenges of cyberthreats and climate change and to bringing the pandemic to an end. As a result of the agreement, Biden and Johnson will work to reopen travel between the U.S. and the U.K. as soon as possible. They plan to create a new travel task force that will make recommendations about safely reopening international travel.


“Many people in the U.K. and U.S. have been prevented from seeing family and friends for over 400 days as a result of coronavirus travel restrictions,” Johnson’s office said. “The task force will work to explore options for resuming up U.K.-U.S. travel and ensure that the U.K. and U.S. closely share thinking and expertise on international travel policy going forward.”

To help bring an end to the pandemic globally, the two leaders are expected to agree to work together on genomic sequencing and reviewing Covid-19 variants


They also agreed to a new plan that would be signed next year that would help alleviate obstacles British technology firms face when working with U.S. counterparts.

The Atlantic Charter was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941, outlining their goals for after World War II. Johnson’s office described it as “one of the greatest triumphs of U.K. and U.S. relations and did more than any other agreement to shape the world order, leading directly to the creation of the U.N. and NATO.”

 

[Jaeger]

I would never badmouth NYC. I have really enjoyed my visits there - it has changed a lot since the mid-80s when I recall the subway graffiti.
There are some of the best art museums in the world in NYC.

wasn't referring to you bad mouthing NYC, I was referring to a local US residents who tend to bad mouth NYC for various things, but will move there or visit there

 

[Strike Eagle]

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to declare racism a public health crisis in city - ABC7 Chicago

Mayor Lori Lightfoot formally declared racism to be a public health crisis in Chicago Thursday.

Mayor Lightfoot made the announcement at the MLK Exhibit Center in North Lawndale. She's calling on all Chicagoans to work together to address racial inequities that have resulted from systemic racism.
"We can no longer allow racism our residents to rob the residents of the opportunity to live and lead full, healthy and happy lives and we are working closely with the Chicago Department of Public Health and community organizations to address these inequities once and for all," Mayor Lightfoot said.
The mayor and Chicago public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady saying the city needs to build on its work to improve anti-racist policies that address the root causes of inequity.

Lightfoot called for improving anti-racism policies by:

-Building capacity for anti-racist leadership,

-Reckoning with the impacts of racism,

-Advancing strategies to operationalize racial equity,

-Empowering transformative community relationships.

CDPH announced that it will be using $9.6 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create six Healthy Chicago Equity Zones covering the while city.

 

[Strike Eagle]

‘Tip of the spear’: Texas governor leads revolt against Biden - POLITICO

With a focus on immigration and border security, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott is covering his right flank and carving out a distinct lane in the 2024 presidential sweepstakes.

In the span of a week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed bills restricting the teaching of critical race theory and allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license. He’s preparing to order state lawmakers back into a special session to pass legislation restricting voting access, a GOP priority. And in the most pugilistic affront to President Joe Biden’s White House yet, he announced Texas will build its own border wall.

Less than six months into Biden’s presidency, Texas conservatives are in revolt against the new administration. And Abbott, the often overshadowed governor of the nation’s biggest red state, is emerging as an unlikely leader of the Biden resistance.


“We are the tip of the spear, we are on the front of the battle lines, no question,” said James Dickey, the former chair of the Texas Republican Party. “With the federal government entirely abdicating their responsibility, that leaves us on the border needing to take up the fight, and Governor Abbott is clearly doing that.”


In part, raising the Texas flag is a return to form for Abbott, who made a political career out of suing the Obama administration. As state attorney general, his posture toward Washington was so hostile that he said of his job in 2013, “I go into the office in the morning. I sue Barack Obama, and then I go home.”
But in restoring Texas to its place as Washington’s chief antagonist, Abbott is also doing something more revealing: Facing criticism from Republican activists for the mask mandate and business restrictions he imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, he is covering his right flank, while re-elevating immigration and border security — a major concern to Republican base voters — as a national issue. Just as important, he is carving out a distinct lane in the GOP’s presidential sweepstakes at a time when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is beginning to rise in stature among the party grassroots.
Bill Pozzi, the GOP chair in heavily Republican Victoria County, said Abbott’s aggressiveness on border policy represents a “mea culpa” to conservatives for his handling of the pandemic. Still, he said Abbott is “doing the exact right thing.”

I don’t get why we’re so reluctant to challenge the federal government,” Pozzi said. “The federal government is vulnerable, and when they’re making so many terrible decisions, come on. Who made them God? They’re not God.”

It was only four months ago that Abbott was suffering a beating in Texas for his handling of the deadly winter storm and electrical grid failure in the state. Millions of Texans were left freezing in their homes, while Abbott came under criticism for echoing misleading claims that renewable energy was to blame. Meanwhile, Abbott’s issuance of a statewide mask mandate and business restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic enraged conservatives.

In a major lift for his rehabilitation with the base, former President Donald Trump, who has already endorsed Abbott’s reelection campaign, will appear with him along the U.S.-Mexico border next week — a coronation of sorts in the GOP’s anti-Biden crusade.

 

[Strike Eagle]

St. Louis Mayor Launches Task Force To Tackle Downtown Crime

A group of government, community and business leaders will meet weekly for the next six weeks to come up with long-term solutions to increase public safety.

news.stlpublicradio.org

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Tuesday announced a new public safety approach for downtown following a spike in gun violence in recent weeks.

Part of the new effort includes a greater police presence downtown for the next six weeks.

Interim Public Safety Director Dan Isom said most disturbances are occurring on weekends. He said the city has already begun deploying 30 police officers to patrol the area from Friday evenings to Sunday mornings
Isom said officers will focus on enforcing things like traffic rules and park curfews, but he added that the increased police presence is a short-term fix to a larger problem.

“This is not only about enforcement,” he said. “Creating positive and productive spaces in our downtown will bring more people to the neighborhoods to have fun and do things downtown.”

Isom will also meet weekly with a newly created task force called the Downtown Engagement and Public Safety Initiative.

Jones said the group, made up of government, community and business leaders, will discuss long-term solutions for revitalizing the area.

“The health of our downtown directly impacts the rest of the city, and a strong urban core will help our region grow. But making downtown safer has to go beyond just punitive enforcement measures. That’s limited thinking,” she said.
Jones said the group will focus on what makes downtown a good place to live, work and enjoy entertainment.

“My vision for downtown is one where people can bring their families for cultural events like concerts that show off our local artists, small businesses, and where our youth can take advantage of fun, safe activities,” she said.

Jones has taken steps over the past few weeks to shut down problematic bars in downtown linked to an increase in violent crime. That includes Reign Restaurant, a nightclub that had its liquor license suspended on Friday. The club has been the scene of several shootings in the past year.

A grassroots group of residents has been pushing city officials to increase public safety in downtown for the past year.

 

[Strike Eagle]

Missouri Republicans Pan Biden Vaccine Plan — May Look To Courts To Fight

The top Democrat in the Senate says calls to action against Biden's vaccination plan amount to "sound and fury."

news.stlpublicradio.org

Missouri Republicans slammed President Joe Biden’s proposal to fine certain businesses that don’t vaccinate or test their employees for COVID-19 — with some calling for the General Assembly to hold a special session on the issue.

Whether state lawmakers could effectively combat a regulation from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration remains to be seen. But Attorney General Eric Schmitt is likely to take part in a lawsuit that’s being promoted by a number of other GOP officials around the country.

Biden announced Thursday he’s asking the Department of Labor to develop an emergency rule with OSHA that would require businesses of more than 100 people to vaccinate their employees or require them to be tested for COVID-19. Companies that don’t follow those guidelines would be subject to fines. State and local government employees are not included.

The president and his allies say the action is necessary to get millions of people vaccinated and to prevent hospitals from being overrun. But Republicans like Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called Biden’s proposal “an insult to our American principles of individual liberty and free enterprise.” He told the Kansas City Star on Friday he plans to fight the proposal “on multiple fronts.”

In a statement released late Friday afternoon, Parson said he was conferring with legislative leaders and Schmitt’s office about aligning “resources for a pending legal fight.”

“President Biden is desperate to divert attention from his failures,” Parson said. “However, Missouri will not be a pawn in this publicity stunt that seeks to force Missourians to disclose private health care decisions and dictate private business operations."

During an interview with St. Louis Public Radio earlier this summer, Parson stressed that he was opposed to the state mandating COVID-19 vaccines — but added that he wasn’t against businesses requiring the shot on their own. That ran in conflict with several Republicans who wanted to prohibit companies from requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment or entry into a business.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, also criticized the proposed rule in a letter to Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh.

“I support vaccination, and I have encouraged individuals in my state to receive one, where it is consistent with their medical needs and religious faith,” Hawley wrote. “But vaccination should be an individual decision based on choice, not required by the federal government — or worse, required through midnight emergency regulations of the administrative state.”

It wasn’t just GOP officials who were criticizing Biden’s proposal. Missouri Chamber of Commerce President Dan Mehan, who strongly opposed GOP-led efforts to prohibit companies from requiring the vaccine, said in a statement that his organization was opposed to Biden’s proposal.

“Each workplace is different and employers have long held the right to establish vaccine policies that work for their businesses. The Missouri Chamber believes all employers should continue to have this right when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine,” Mehan said. “It’s unfortunate that this new federal policy will likely further divide public sentiment around COVID-19 vaccination.”
In a statement released Friday, members of the Missouri GOP House leadership said they had asked the House Judiciary Committee to “to hold a public hearing next Wednesday to take public testimony on this issue and to examine policy solutions that will allow us to protect Missourians from this executive order that was issued without regard for our constitutional rights.”

“The Missouri Legislature will always defend Missourians’ unalienable rights and stand strong against federal government overreach and abuse of power,” said House Speaker Rob Vescovo, Majority Leader Dean Plocher and Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann in the statement.

Rep. Tony Lovasco, R-St. Charles County, said Parson should call lawmakers into special session to respond to Biden’s proposal. Lovasco said that while he doesn’t personally approve of private businesses enacting mandates on their workers, he supports their right to do that of their own volition.

Biden’s plan, Lovasco said, is “a completely separate issue from whether or not Walmart decides to do something on their own.”

“I think there’s a lot of things the legislature could do,” said Lovasco, who added he is circulating a petition for the legislature to call itself into special session. “I’m exploring the option of possibly using the pandemic money that we got from the federal government to reimburse or pay employers’ fines if they’re refusing to comply with the mandate. I think that’s something we should look at.”

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo said the GOP reaction to Biden’s proposal amounts to “sound and fury.”

“It doesn’t really add up to much,” said Rizzo, D-Kansas City. “Whenever they get an opportunity to criticize the Biden administration, they’re going to take it. I just never thought that they would go so far as sacrificing peoples’ lives to criticize the administration. Which is where they’re at.”

Rizzo said he doubted Parson would call a special session. While Parson has brought lawmakers back to Jefferson City a number of times since he became governor, he has more recently expressed reluctance about special sessions unless there’s consensus beforehand.

If Parson declines to call a special session, another possibility is that Schmitt could join other GOP-led states in filing a lawsuit against Biden’s administration. Schmitt signaled he would likely sue on Thursday, stating, “Historic overreach on vaccine mandates will not stand in Missouri.”

“We’re at a crossroads in America — who we are and what we’re going to be,” Schmitt wrote on Twitter. “We must fight back.”

Rob Gatter, a professor at St. Louis University Law School’s Center for Health Law Studies, said in order to come up with an emergency rule, OSHA has to establish there is “grave danger to employees in the workplace and the particular rule, in this case a vaccination requirement, is necessary to lower or eliminate that danger.”

Gatter said that in this case, there’s a good chance that any rule around vaccinating or testing employees for COVID-19 would withstand legal scrutiny.

“There’s really no doubt that people are in grave danger as a result of this pandemic, and in particular the delta variant,” Gatter said. “But one question will be, ‘Are all employees equally in danger?’ So that could potentially limit the rule. It’s one thing to say that to everybody who’s working in a school or a hospital or an office setting. It’s another thing when you say that to people who are working virtually only.”

Gatter added it’s possible that someone could argue in court that the fact that 75% of adults have gotten at least one shot counteracts the idea that COVID-19 constitutes a “grave danger.”

“I’m sure they’ll make arguments like that. I don’t think those will fly,” Gatter said. “I think there’s grave danger because we’ve seen a spike in infections, a big spike in hospitalizations, a spike in demand for intensive medical care — all of those things would suggest grave danger. And then the next step is they’d have to show the mandate is necessary in order to reduce or eliminate that danger. And I’m sure they could argue, ‘Oh, we could just require masks.’ Well masks are not as effective as the vaccination.”

 

[Strike Eagle]

City-County Cooperation On The Mind Of St. Louis Mayoral Contenders — And The Region’s Residents

What is city-county unity? It means different things, depending on whom you ask.

news.stlpublicradio.org

You could say that Reggie Jones has a front-row seat to the disunity between St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Jones is the mayor of Dellwood and served on the East-West Gateway board, which often makes big financial decisions on projects for the St. Louis region. He said he’s observed that St. Louis and St. Louis County have markedly different priorities, even though the two jurisdictions’ economies and challenges are so inextricably linked.

With a new St. Louis mayor set to take office after the April 6 election, Jones is hoping for a fresh start between the city and the county.

“There’s room for the city and county to work together for the betterment of the region,” Jones said. “I think that’s something that needs to happen. You know, it’s happened in the past. But it’s time now, particularly everything going on with crime and things of that sort, there needs to be some sort of collaboration.”

Both Treasurer Tishaura Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer, the two candidates in the mayor’s race, say they have built the relationships and have the experience to chart a more collaborative course for the city and county.
In some respects, Jones and Spencer have taken similar approaches when it’s come to major flashpoints for city-county cooperation.

Both candidates opposed an unsuccessful bid to build an NFL stadium on the city’s riverfront, which became the city’s financial responsibility after the county chose not to participate. They also opposed the Better Together proposal to have an all-powerful metro government make decisions for the city and the county.

And the two candidates opposed a bid to bring a private operator to St. Louis Lambert International Airport. While the airport is owned by the city, St. Louis County leaders were rankled they didn’t have much say over a proposal that could dramatically impact a valuable piece of property that’s located in the county.

Spencer said her main goal is to get St. Louis to grow again after years of population decline. She said the failure of the so-called airport privatization push shows the perils of trying to embark on a major initiative alone without county input.

“If elected mayor, I have a relentless commitment to working with our regional leaders,” Spencer said. “And as such, I joined the St. Louis Municipal League. I’m on the executive board. They represent the largest muni, St. Louis City. The first representative in 100 years out there to help build those relationships.”

Jones snagged the endorsements of both St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and County Prosecutor Wesley Bell. She said she hopes to use a process known as the Board of Freeholders, which brings in representatives from the city, county and state to forge deeper collaborations tackling crime and health disparities.

“What broader regional cooperation looks like, especially between St. Louis and St. Louis County, is making sure that we are in sync when it comes to issues that affect St. Louis and St. Louis County,” Jones said.
During a recent news conference, Page expressed a willingness to work with whoever becomes the next mayor on issues of common concern.

“We saw over the past few months success that we can have with a limited pilot project in north county and north city with intense, high-level daily communication with the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis City Police Department,” Page said. “And that had a real and significant impact on violent crime in those high-resourced areas. And we’ll continue our coordination, communication and cooperation on public safety.”

Jones and Spencer won’t be able to act unilaterally either, as both St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green will have a say on any regional initiative that costs the city a significant amount of money. They’ll also have to get buy-in from a St. Louis Board of Aldermen that may have different ideas about what constitutes regional collaboration.

Yet there are area residents who feel that the two executive leaders can forge more cohesive bonds. Seema Dahlheimer, who lives in St. Louis’ Benton Park neighborhood, said she would like the next mayor and Page to be more in sync in terms of COVID-19 restrictions. She observed the city and county had substantially different regulations over the past year when it came to parks, restaurants, bars and the age of children who needed to be masked in public.

“I feel that St. Louis and St. Louis County are kind of the core of St. Louis,” she said. “And when we can’t be in sync on those things, it just seems wild.”

One of the challenges for either Jones or Spencer will be that Page is facing his own political difficulties. He no longer has a majority coalition on the St. Louis County Council, so any major plan will have to also find favor with council members he hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with in recent months.

“He is so divisive on so many fronts,” said David Jackson, one of a number of candidates running for the St. Louis Board of Education. “He won’t be able to get anything done in St. Louis County. And so, I think the city and county talking about combining any services is a moot issue right now because St. Louis County is not going to give Sam Page any support with any of his initiatives.”

Page said as his administration continues to ease COVID-19 restrictions and the county moves out of the pandemic, he believes “we’ll continue to work together on the areas of agreement in St. Louis County, and that’s economic development, infrastructure, roads and public safety.”
Collaboration between St. Louis and St. Louis County means greatly different things depending on whom you ask. Ferguson resident Joe Bruemmer, for instance, would like to see St. Louis and St. Louis County merge into one government that serves all of the city and county residents.

“I know it’s not popular, but it really doesn’t make any sense,” said Bruemmer, referring to the current setup between the city and the county. “If you have one mayor, one government, one Board of Aldermen, however big it may be, it takes away a lot of the red lines and a lot of the redundancies that we spend money on all across the county.”



Efforts to somehow combine St. Louis and St. Louis County government have failed miserably over the past few decades, most recently with the Better Together plan in 2019. Any major changes either proposed by the Board of Freeholders or elsewhere would need the approval of St. Louis and St. Louis County voters.

That’s why people like Chesterfield resident Sue Katz Bussman would like to see more gradual changes to city-county cooperation, such as more conscious efforts to attract tourism to the region.

“It facilitates it on paper of course,” said Bussman, referring to a combination of city and county governments. “But I’m not sure that there would be a whole lot of benefit to that.”

The difficulty in actually pulling off wholescale consolidation between the city and county is why downtown St. Louis resident Craig Riggins would like to see the entities focus on areas of mutual concern — such as fighting crime together. County police, he said, could perhaps have a more permanent collaboration in fighting crime close to the two jurisdictions’ borders.

“This is St. Louis. You can’t drop futuristic, large projects on the people,” Riggins said. “We have to do it in baby steps. Let’s start with law enforcement.”

One thing to look out for in the next few years is the impact of more than $700 million going to St. Louis and St. Louis County from the latest federal COVID-19 relief bill. That could allow city and county leaders to deal with longstanding issues around homelessness, housing, crime and infrastructure, which could put the two jurisdictions on a more solid footing for tangible collaboration.

 

[Jaeger]

City-County Cooperation On The Mind Of St. Louis Mayoral Contenders — And The Region’s Residents

What is city-county unity? It means different things, depending on whom you ask.

news.stlpublicradio.org

You could say that Reggie Jones has a front-row seat to the disunity between St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Jones is the mayor of Dellwood and served on the East-West Gateway board, which often makes big financial decisions on projects for the St. Louis region. He said he’s observed that St. Louis and St. Louis County have markedly different priorities, even though the two jurisdictions’ economies and challenges are so inextricably linked.

With a new St. Louis mayor set to take office after the April 6 election, Jones is hoping for a fresh start between the city and the county.

“There’s room for the city and county to work together for the betterment of the region,” Jones said. “I think that’s something that needs to happen. You know, it’s happened in the past. But it’s time now, particularly everything going on with crime and things of that sort, there needs to be some sort of collaboration.”

Both Treasurer Tishaura Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer, the two candidates in the mayor’s race, say they have built the relationships and have the experience to chart a more collaborative course for the city and county.
In some respects, Jones and Spencer have taken similar approaches when it’s come to major flashpoints for city-county cooperation.

Both candidates opposed an unsuccessful bid to build an NFL stadium on the city’s riverfront, which became the city’s financial responsibility after the county chose not to participate. They also opposed the Better Together proposal to have an all-powerful metro government make decisions for the city and the county.

And the two candidates opposed a bid to bring a private operator to St. Louis Lambert International Airport. While the airport is owned by the city, St. Louis County leaders were rankled they didn’t have much say over a proposal that could dramatically impact a valuable piece of property that’s located in the county.

Spencer said her main goal is to get St. Louis to grow again after years of population decline. She said the failure of the so-called airport privatization push shows the perils of trying to embark on a major initiative alone without county input.

“If elected mayor, I have a relentless commitment to working with our regional leaders,” Spencer said. “And as such, I joined the St. Louis Municipal League. I’m on the executive board. They represent the largest muni, St. Louis City. The first representative in 100 years out there to help build those relationships.”

Jones snagged the endorsements of both St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and County Prosecutor Wesley Bell. She said she hopes to use a process known as the Board of Freeholders, which brings in representatives from the city, county and state to forge deeper collaborations tackling crime and health disparities.

“What broader regional cooperation looks like, especially between St. Louis and St. Louis County, is making sure that we are in sync when it comes to issues that affect St. Louis and St. Louis County,” Jones said.
During a recent news conference, Page expressed a willingness to work with whoever becomes the next mayor on issues of common concern.

“We saw over the past few months success that we can have with a limited pilot project in north county and north city with intense, high-level daily communication with the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis City Police Department,” Page said. “And that had a real and significant impact on violent crime in those high-resourced areas. And we’ll continue our coordination, communication and cooperation on public safety.”

Jones and Spencer won’t be able to act unilaterally either, as both St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green will have a say on any regional initiative that costs the city a significant amount of money. They’ll also have to get buy-in from a St. Louis Board of Aldermen that may have different ideas about what constitutes regional collaboration.

Yet there are area residents who feel that the two executive leaders can forge more cohesive bonds. Seema Dahlheimer, who lives in St. Louis’ Benton Park neighborhood, said she would like the next mayor and Page to be more in sync in terms of COVID-19 restrictions. She observed the city and county had substantially different regulations over the past year when it came to parks, restaurants, bars and the age of children who needed to be masked in public.

“I feel that St. Louis and St. Louis County are kind of the core of St. Louis,” she said. “And when we can’t be in sync on those things, it just seems wild.”

One of the challenges for either Jones or Spencer will be that Page is facing his own political difficulties. He no longer has a majority coalition on the St. Louis County Council, so any major plan will have to also find favor with council members he hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with in recent months.

“He is so divisive on so many fronts,” said David Jackson, one of a number of candidates running for the St. Louis Board of Education. “He won’t be able to get anything done in St. Louis County. And so, I think the city and county talking about combining any services is a moot issue right now because St. Louis County is not going to give Sam Page any support with any of his initiatives.”

Page said as his administration continues to ease COVID-19 restrictions and the county moves out of the pandemic, he believes “we’ll continue to work together on the areas of agreement in St. Louis County, and that’s economic development, infrastructure, roads and public safety.”
Collaboration between St. Louis and St. Louis County means greatly different things depending on whom you ask. Ferguson resident Joe Bruemmer, for instance, would like to see St. Louis and St. Louis County merge into one government that serves all of the city and county residents.

“I know it’s not popular, but it really doesn’t make any sense,” said Bruemmer, referring to the current setup between the city and the county. “If you have one mayor, one government, one Board of Aldermen, however big it may be, it takes away a lot of the red lines and a lot of the redundancies that we spend money on all across the county.”



Efforts to somehow combine St. Louis and St. Louis County government have failed miserably over the past few decades, most recently with the Better Together plan in 2019. Any major changes either proposed by the Board of Freeholders or elsewhere would need the approval of St. Louis and St. Louis County voters.

That’s why people like Chesterfield resident Sue Katz Bussman would like to see more gradual changes to city-county cooperation, such as more conscious efforts to attract tourism to the region.

“It facilitates it on paper of course,” said Bussman, referring to a combination of city and county governments. “But I’m not sure that there would be a whole lot of benefit to that.”

The difficulty in actually pulling off wholescale consolidation between the city and county is why downtown St. Louis resident Craig Riggins would like to see the entities focus on areas of mutual concern — such as fighting crime together. County police, he said, could perhaps have a more permanent collaboration in fighting crime close to the two jurisdictions’ borders.

“This is St. Louis. You can’t drop futuristic, large projects on the people,” Riggins said. “We have to do it in baby steps. Let’s start with law enforcement.”

One thing to look out for in the next few years is the impact of more than $700 million going to St. Louis and St. Louis County from the latest federal COVID-19 relief bill. That could allow city and county leaders to deal with longstanding issues around homelessness, housing, crime and infrastructure, which could put the two jurisdictions on a more solid footing for tangible collaboration.

it does seem the merger with County and City seem to be good to an extent, however I'm not familiarized with the whole St. Louis area stuff. are you for, against or just so so about it?