If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
Mother Teresa
Tuesday night, Ward 7 of the City of St. Charles went to the polls and decided that city hall is not for sale to developers and the country club elites who believe their opinions are somehow more important than that of the rest of the citizens who work to build and sustain this community. Armed with a self-imposed restricted budget of about $250.00 (that’s two hundred and fifty dollars!), Dottie Greer rebuffed an assault of more than $50,000 (who knows what the actual amount was since much seemed to go undeclared) and the publication and distribution of what amounted to on-going campaign material in a paid advertisement ironically titled, The Citizen, but put out by a non-citizen of our town.
Furthermore, Dottie entered office with a plurality but was allowed to win a majority vote in her own right. (Congratulations Dottie on your second victory – the first in city history!) The First Capitol News stood by Councilwoman Greer’s side serving as the voice of the average citizen much to the chagrin of those who already controlled Lee Enterprises (Post & Journal) by way of advertisement dollars. Even with the Post, Journal, and “You Paid For It” on their side, the same group sought to silence and discredit the little paper in red because this one publication prints stories that often go against the grain of the self-anointed, “movers and shakers.” The most read newspaper in town was demonized for its take on things because it wasn’t in line with the “official message.”
It was ludicrous to hear some of the same movers and shakers with their bazillion dollars, army of hired guns, and attorneys step up and rant against council in one breath and then shout about how intimidated they were in the next! Their public declaration that the Council president by submitting to the chief of police, (in the City administrator’s presence), those signatures that were believed to be forgeries somehow make our town a police state is ridiculous. The police were not doing the bidding of elected officials; in fact, we had no idea what the findings would ultimately render or if the prosecuting attorney would agree to take action. I do think we were vindicated when our prosecutor filed felony charges in this matter and when he gave the opinion that the entire thing should not have been certified until the matter was settled.
In their great fear because of their supposed intimidation (what exactly that was supposed to be, no one knows) some of these movers and shakers sent out illegal campaign letters lacking any disclosure. These letters demonized people such as our insurance broker! The majority of citizens in Ward 7 saw this as a vile, cowardly step that frankly went too far.
Since the Mayor and Councilman Weller went to the polls and actually worked against Dottie, and Councilman Kneemiller reportedly sent out a letter against Dottie, I think Dottie has the right to shovel a little payback their way, but knowing Dottie, I don’t think she will have the same desire for revenge that Battling Bob had back in 2004.
I guess what I am really wondering is whether or not the movers and shakers will allow Council to work out its differences on its own instead of causing still more trouble. Let the “Other Fab Five” stand on their own and together we can reach for common goals, disagree about some things, fight about other things and in general, function like government has in our country since our nation’s birth!
To those who worry about a Council with differences, I say worry about a Council that has none!
Thank You, Ward 7, for knowing the issues and doing the right thing!
