The following letter has been sent to the mayor and all councilmen.
After reading about the voting on eminent domain in Sunset Hills and the general disapproval of it’s use throughout the country, I wonder if the officials of our city intend to proceed with the proposed West Clay extension.
Or
If they intend to proceed will the voters be allowed to vote on this project before $16,000,000+ (sixteen million dollars!) of our tax money is spent on a needless project?
I have heard this project is to bring more businesses into the area. Wasn’t this the same reason for the First Capitol re-alignment? How many businesses did that bring in? I can name several that it has cost. How many others have been lost to Lindenwood’s expansion and real estate consumption? One only needs to drive down West Clay to see many vacancies in Westbury as well as in St. Charles Plaza, not to mention the vacancies in Mark Twain Mall, and many of the new buildings around Bass Pro. Much of the mall was recently torn down because it was empty for years. Now the plan is to connect both areas with more commercial buildings?
I believe the proposed West Clay extension will close more businesses, empty more buildings, and cost more families their homes while costing the city potential tax revenues from demolition of taxpaying residences. This would further result in the loss of students and funding for the school district. It is plausible that we will soon have another tax proposal on the ballot if that is the case.
Why would a business owner move to this area when he could easily lose his business the next time Lindenwood feels like expanding. Who will be left in the neighborhoods to patronize the new shops?
With an election in August, it would be quite simple to put this issue on the ballot. My request to the council and mayor is to put this project to a vote of the people. Show us that you represent the taxpayers and not special interests over all others. Mark Brown and Dottie Greer have already voted against this. Is it coincidence both are, or were, facing recall? I would wager that the council will never allow this to be voted on by the residents. Too many people are under Mr. Spellmann’s influence. I would also wager that no councilman who has voted for this proposal will explain why we won’t be allowed to vote on this.
Show the city the true benefits of this plan. Prove to the city that all of the residents will benefit. You want to improve traffic congestion and increase business revenue? Much of the traffic in the First Capitol area comes from the thousands of students crammed into what used to be a residential area. Give the new I-70 overpass a chance to open before deciding the traffic warrants this project. .Don’t destroy people’s homes. Does the college really need better access to the Convention Center?
Residents, speak out if you are against another needless project being forced upon us. Call or e-mail your council representative. Write to the papers. Councilmen, let the voters decide, or explain why we won’t be allowed to vote on this.
Mike Femmer, Ward 7
Dear Editor,
Please continue my subscription to the First Capitol News. This paper is badly needed in this town. Keep up the good work.
Glen Dashner
“The People Speak”
Thank you! Voters of Ward 7, it is nice to see what a “grass roots” effort really is. And it didn’t take $50-$70,000, negative mailings, the buying of names and fraud, the negative help of the Mayor and her husband, some fellow council members. They and their fellow cronies tried to tell you that you didn’t know what you were doing and that they could do a better job of who should represent you. Hooray! For you standing up for your rights, one of a few that the average taxpayer has left. It is a shame that you have to go this route to affirm what you wanted. It only shows what’s going on in this country now, as the gap between the have and the have-nots is getting bigger every day. The working people are fast becoming the working poor. The only way to change this is to vote, as shown in Dottie’s recall election. Your vote is as big as any special interest vote.
Now for Mr. Weller, “What a nice guy”, 4/11 meeting on citywide cable, we saw and heard him complaining about things wrote about him in our local paper. Then he spent about 2 minutes praising our local millionaire developer, another 2-3 minutes berating and criticizing fellow council members Mr. Brown and Mr. Gieseke; another minute telling how happy he was to help at Ward 7 polls to try to get fellow council member Dottie recalled, “what a guy”. With friends like that, who needs enemies? Then he tells about how he has an office in New York and has to fly back and forth for council meetings. It seems to me that he is serving special interest and not his wards voters. Maybe he should stay in New York or the Ward 5 residents should have a recall election, just my opinion.
Walter Dietz
