The Secret Society
Citizens For Responsible Community
St. Charles Citizens For Responsible Government
Citizens Empowerment Committee
Do The Right Thing
My Opinion
By Tony Brockmeyer
In April of 2004 a City Council election was held in St. Charles. A number of St. Louis Developers spent $107,000 in an apparent effort to buy City Council Seats (see FCN April 5, 2004). The Mayor of St. Charles Patti York helped fund a Mudslinging Campaign against candidates she opposed and she gave $2,300 to a group who sent out negative mailers (see FCN April 5, 2004) A Secret Society That Selects Council Candidates interviewed candidates to select those they felt worthy (see FCN April 5, 2004).
It appears that for several years a group of select individuals had maintained control of City Government and the $100 million City budget. Many of these individuals belonged to a loose knit group that we (FCN) referred to as the Secret Society. We don’t know who all the members of the Secret Society are but members included, John Deal, Hyatt Bangert, Ed Pundmann, Tom Hughes, Bill Weber, Nancy Matheny, Don Boehmer, Ernie Dempsey, Kevin Kast, and Ray Harmon (deceased).
The Secret Society apparently liked to meet in member’s basements and worked diligently to stay out of the public eye and keep their group closeted. In the April 2004 election several of their candidates were defeated and their control slipped away. This was evidently more than they could handle. They apparently had to do something about it. We will probably never know the full extent of their activities but we have been able to piece together some of them. Their evident goal, regain control of the City Council and with that the $100 million in taxpayer funds.
Then along came Citizens for Responsible Community with Carl Maus, Raymond Stone, Richard Blalock and others. They started a petition drive, started attending St. Charles City Council meetings, tried to berate Council members, became friendly with Mayor York and her husband, used her private office in City Hall while Council Meetings were being conducted, attended functions with the Mayor and generally got involved in City business and became a nuisance to City Council members who they opposed. This was the group that the Mayor gave $2,300 to and who sent out vicious mailings against City Council candidates during the election. And they don’t and didn’t even live in St. Charles.
These political hit men evidently caught the attention of several wealthy developers from St. Louis County who provided them with a great deal of money. They became attached to the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance headed by Adolphus Busch, Don Musick and Glennon Jamboretz. Jamboretz brought Ken Kielty along as his gofer.
They then became involved in elections in St. Peters were they were successful in defeating Mayor Tom Brown in favor of their candidate Shawn Brown. Thousands of dollars were spent in a court challenge to keep Shawn’s name on the ballot.
They jumped into O’Fallon with both feet and got the pipe lady, Donna Morrow, elected Mayor and were also successful in electing several aldermen.
Along came St. Chuck Watch, a vicious web log that was used to defile everyone who dared speak out against the Mayor or any of her favorite Councilmen, Kneemiller, Muench, Weller and Reese. Tom Hayden, a confidant of the Mayor and the campaign manager for City Councilman Mike Weller, allegedly headed St. Chuck Watch. Several meetings were held in the public meeting room in police headquarters and Hayden reserved the rooms in his name for St. Chuck Watch. City Council Special Counsel. Eric Tolen, recently filed suit against Hayden for remarks about Tolen that were published on St. Chuck Watch. A motion to dismiss the suit claiming Hayden was not responsible for the web log was filed by high priced lawyers who were representing Hayden. The Judge presiding over the suit denied their motion to dismiss and the suit is moving forward.
The next voice heard was Linda Meyer, the wife of a St. Charles Police Officer who had been the president of the St. Charles Police Officers Association. Paula Eberhardt joined with her along with former Councilman Richard Baum, former Councilman Dan Gould, former Council candidate Gary Robinson (who was defeated by Mark Brown) and they called their group, Citizens Empowerment Committee. They immediately started recall efforts against Councilwoman Dottie Greer and later against Councilman Mark Brown.
Citizens Empowerment Committee began spending money like they had an endless supply. They hired people to go out and collect voter signatures on recall petitions. Money was seemingly funneled to them from the City in what amounted to the Mayor paying City funds to Lafayette Partnership, a fictitious name company, as per a contract to Sarah Collins and Associates, both evidently owned by Jamboretz who then passed the funds to his and Kielty’s group the St. Charles Citizens for Responsible Government, who then passed it onto Linda Meyer and the Citizens Empowerment Committee. It appeared that the recall efforts were being funded with taxpayer funds.
Because of what appeared to be discrepancies in the recall signature collection and petitions Council President Rory Riddler requested a police investigation. The investigation into Council woman Greer’s recall is about to be wrapped up and according to our sources will be presented to St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Jack Banas.
People have been taken into custody and allegedly forgeries have been discovered. Others, whose names were on the petitions claim they never signed them. Petition solicitors have been paid as much as $3,750 on a per signature basis. Meyer and Eberhardt have been paid for soliciting signatures as well as Meyer paying herself $1,000 for signature collecting and $1,100 for bookkeeping for the group (FCN January 28, 2005)
As soon as the investigation on Dottie Greer’s recall is completed, one will begin involving the recall of Councilman Mark Brown. Additional information and verification of this information can be found in the last several issues available on the Internet at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com
It has also been reported that Meyer is planning on running for Greer’s Council seat in the event she (Meyer) is successful in having Greer recalled.
It wasn’t long after the birth of the Citizens Empowerment Committee before Glennon Jamboretz and Ken Kielty started St. Charles Citizens For Responsible Government. It’s stated purpose was for the recall of St. Charles officials. The money they reportedly received to date came from Jamboretz and could have been the City money Lafayette Partnership received from the Mayor (FCN October 8, 2005). Tom Hughes also provided this group with funds. Kielty is a former Councilman and owned the St. Charles State License Office. He also deals in the adoption of babies from Russia. According to St. Charles police, a threatening call to Bob Bredensteiner after a letter from Bredensteiner was published in the First Capitol News came from a telephone registered to Kielty (FCN November 5, 2005). During the police investigation Kielty refused to answer any questions or meet with the police on the advice of his attorney, Mike Kielty. Probably fearing the possible damage to the Citizens Empowerment Committee that could result from the police investigation and expected arrests, another committee was formed. They chose to call this one, Do The Right Thing. Headed by Tom Hughes, Tom Hayden and Kevin Kast, the former head of St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles, Do The Right Thing members began in earnest attempts to bully and embarrass Council members who have steadfastly refused them access to the City Treasury or have denied them special favors. Do The Right Thing members attended recent council meetings, they were loud and obnoxious, shouting and trying to interrupt the Council and acted worse than spoiled children.
The members of this group, along with the Mayor and our current City Administrator Allan Williams, who refuses to leave office after his contract was not renewed, need to be investigated and made to answer for their actions and sweet heart deals.
The members of these associated groups have apparently attempted to harass and embarrass and according to one Councilman, even bribe members of the City Council who do not agree with their wishes.
They have a goal. That goal is complete control of St. Charles City Government and the $100 million of taxpayer money. They want to be able to return St. Charles to the way it was before the City had Council members who were truly watching out for the interests of the taxpayers. These associated and intermingled members of these groups, along with the Mayor, believe they can achieve their goal by recalling members of the Council and replacing them with their puppets who will follow in lockstep.
In April of 2007, if the City Charter is not changed, it appears they plan to elect Kevin Kast to the office of Mayor. In order to succeed they have to have the Mayor’s salary raised to more than $125,000 so their candidate will feel worthy of the office.
There is only one thing standing in their way. The voters of St. Charles. What will you do?
Please read “The Secret Society” a reprint of the Conservative Factor by Alex Spencer from the April 6, 2004 edition of the First Capitol News. Starts on Page 12.
