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Saturday, August 05, 2006
FRONT PAGE FIRST CAPITOL NEWS _ August 5, 2006
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Williams Trounced Attempting To Wrest Control of $1.2 Million
Council Retains Authority
By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
An attempt by Allan Williams to wrest control of $1.2 million in special funds from the City Council was trounced at a recent City Council meeting.
New construction at Ameristar Casino has resulted in the City receiving approximately $1.2 million in one-time construction permit fees. Since this money had not been budgeted it amounts to a windfall for the City.
After lengthy discussions, Councilman Rory Riddler, Ward 1 suggested to the Council the money be split 11 ways with each of the ten Councilmen and the Mayor each receiving $110,000 that could be spent on any project they wanted as long as it was for the good of the City. The Mayor was given a share in hope that she would not veto the bill. The Council and Mayor would be able to spend the money on important issues or items for their individual wards or the City as long as it is for the good of the City and normal procedures were followed.
In an apparent attempt to wrest the control of the funds from the Councilmen and the Mayor, Williams took it upon himself to write parameters for the spending of the funds They included: All expenditures shall be transferred from Council directives to the appropriate line item in the budget with the proper project code according to the nature and purpose of the expenditure. All expenditures shall be approved by a majority of the whole Council and Mayor according to the Charter. No money shall be expended for retroactive expenditures.
Councilman Riddler pointed out that this could be problematic. It would be turning the money over to Williams’ control. Once the money is placed in the line items the Council has no control over it and the Mayor or Williams or Department Heads can move the money around and use it for expenditures other than those selected by the individual Councilmen.
Councilman Brown said, “I agree with Mr. Riddler. I can tell you that when City staff has it in for you, you cannot get a project done. We approved Pearl Ridge back in October and there hasn’t been one shovel of dirt moved. Everything is still standing there just the way it was. Nothing gets done. In any other ward it would be done immediately. It just depends upon whom you are and what they want to do. We need to keep it where each Councilperson has their right. That means every single ward in the City will be receiving something. There are a lot of projects that can be done and have a good affect on our wards and to bring it back in and let staff start dictating and transferring your funds and doing whatever they want with it, spending money for useless things, raising electric boxes just so they could take more money out of it. It goes on and on with what they can do with the money so when the time comes there is no money in the budget to do it.”
Councilman Gieseke pointed out if Williams controlled the money and he did not want to sign a contract, he wouldn’t. Gieseke also asked City Attorney Mike Valenti to show him where in the Charter it allows discretionary spending at this level by the office of the Mayor. “I would like a legal opinion on where we are giving an elected official who has limited powers under our charter the opportunity to have that unilateral power to spend money,” Gieseke said.
Riddler made a motion to delete items three and four. During discussion of item six Councilman Brown disputed William’s reasoning on why that item was there. Brown said, “The real reason that’s in there is that they (the administration) has been draining the money out of the Pearl Ridge project and they want to make sure if it comes up short they can still hold it up by saying you can’t use the money on a retroactive project.”
These parameters directed by Williams were defeated by a unanimous vote of Councilmembers in attendance. Councilman Jerry Reese was the only one absent.
By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
An attempt by Allan Williams to wrest control of $1.2 million in special funds from the City Council was trounced at a recent City Council meeting.
New construction at Ameristar Casino has resulted in the City receiving approximately $1.2 million in one-time construction permit fees. Since this money had not been budgeted it amounts to a windfall for the City.
After lengthy discussions, Councilman Rory Riddler, Ward 1 suggested to the Council the money be split 11 ways with each of the ten Councilmen and the Mayor each receiving $110,000 that could be spent on any project they wanted as long as it was for the good of the City. The Mayor was given a share in hope that she would not veto the bill. The Council and Mayor would be able to spend the money on important issues or items for their individual wards or the City as long as it is for the good of the City and normal procedures were followed.
In an apparent attempt to wrest the control of the funds from the Councilmen and the Mayor, Williams took it upon himself to write parameters for the spending of the funds They included: All expenditures shall be transferred from Council directives to the appropriate line item in the budget with the proper project code according to the nature and purpose of the expenditure. All expenditures shall be approved by a majority of the whole Council and Mayor according to the Charter. No money shall be expended for retroactive expenditures.
Councilman Riddler pointed out that this could be problematic. It would be turning the money over to Williams’ control. Once the money is placed in the line items the Council has no control over it and the Mayor or Williams or Department Heads can move the money around and use it for expenditures other than those selected by the individual Councilmen.
Councilman Brown said, “I agree with Mr. Riddler. I can tell you that when City staff has it in for you, you cannot get a project done. We approved Pearl Ridge back in October and there hasn’t been one shovel of dirt moved. Everything is still standing there just the way it was. Nothing gets done. In any other ward it would be done immediately. It just depends upon whom you are and what they want to do. We need to keep it where each Councilperson has their right. That means every single ward in the City will be receiving something. There are a lot of projects that can be done and have a good affect on our wards and to bring it back in and let staff start dictating and transferring your funds and doing whatever they want with it, spending money for useless things, raising electric boxes just so they could take more money out of it. It goes on and on with what they can do with the money so when the time comes there is no money in the budget to do it.”
Councilman Gieseke pointed out if Williams controlled the money and he did not want to sign a contract, he wouldn’t. Gieseke also asked City Attorney Mike Valenti to show him where in the Charter it allows discretionary spending at this level by the office of the Mayor. “I would like a legal opinion on where we are giving an elected official who has limited powers under our charter the opportunity to have that unilateral power to spend money,” Gieseke said.
Riddler made a motion to delete items three and four. During discussion of item six Councilman Brown disputed William’s reasoning on why that item was there. Brown said, “The real reason that’s in there is that they (the administration) has been draining the money out of the Pearl Ridge project and they want to make sure if it comes up short they can still hold it up by saying you can’t use the money on a retroactive project.”
These parameters directed by Williams were defeated by a unanimous vote of Councilmembers in attendance. Councilman Jerry Reese was the only one absent.
Councilmen Charge Williams Exploits Laws For Self Benefit
By Tony Brockmeyer
In a manner reminiscent of when President Clinton remarked, “I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky” and when President Nixon told the the nation, “I am not a crook” Alan Williams shouted to Councilman John Gieseke at a recent Council meeting, “I have done nothing illegal.”
Gieseke was troubled when he learned Williams had contacted the Errors and Omissions Insurance Carrier for the City on July 11th and asked them to provide legal representation for himself (Williams) the Mayor and Councilmen Kneemiller and Weller. The matter involved a lawsuit that former Special City Counsel Eric Tolen had filed against the four when they refused to pay $14,000 in legal bills for work Tolen had done for the Council.
Gieseke remarked, “I thought we had passed a law that the Council was to approve attorneys and it seems to me this is just another way our City Administrator is circumventing the law because they knew they would not get any representation for a $14,000 suit that we have already spent a tremendous amount of money defending them. And instead of settling it we are going to fight. Now we are going to go and try to fight it again instead of just settling it the way it should be done in the first place. The guy did the work he should get paid. Now we have our City Administrator asking our insurance carrier to defend them but when it was Councilman Brown he would not let him go over $20,000. We have a lot of rules for the Council but when it comes to Dr. Williams it seems he just goes around all the rules so he can get what he wants. We had this before, this same lawsuit before; you guys took a vote to get your defense from the Council. Now we have this lawsuit again and since you know you can’t get the votes you are doing it this way. This isn’t right and for anybody to sit up here and say this is right you need to look in a mirror and see if you are actually representing the people because this right here is wrong. “
In response to questioning by Gieseke, City Attorney Mike Valenti admitted the Council had an ordinance requiring Council approval for legal counsel and also admitted Councilman Brown when sued by developer Michael Sellenschuetter for refusing to allow his county development to hook up to City water and sewer, was required to obtain permission for his legal representation. He couldn’t go to the insurance company for Errors & Omissions. coverage
Councilman Gieseke said, “People need to know when our insurance rates go up or we can’t get insurance it’s based off a $14,000 legal bill we owe a guy. That is what it comes down to and if you check the legal bills from the last time I guarantee you it is more than $14,000.”
Williams told Gieseke, “I did nothing illegal. Gieseke responded, “Then I need to know why the last time you asked for it from the Council? You knew you weren’t going to get it this time. You knew the votes weren’t there so you did it this way. You didn’t do it this time but you certainly did it last time. To dance around ethics and morality and the law it is amazing how they do it here at City Hall. It works one way for one person and another way for another person. If you are not on his (referring to Williams) good side, I’ll tell you guys you don’t want to get on his bad side because you are going to get screwed.”
Councilman Mark Brown had stepped out to meet with a constituent during the discussion. He was later interviewed by the FCN. Brown said, “I was outraged when I found out what was happening and Mr. Williams and his co-conspirators should be charged. They never seem to stop when it comes to misappropriating taxpayers money. If the City only had the money that Williams has squandered since he has been here we could lower the property tax and provide free trash pickup for our residents.”
In a manner reminiscent of when President Clinton remarked, “I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky” and when President Nixon told the the nation, “I am not a crook” Alan Williams shouted to Councilman John Gieseke at a recent Council meeting, “I have done nothing illegal.”
Gieseke was troubled when he learned Williams had contacted the Errors and Omissions Insurance Carrier for the City on July 11th and asked them to provide legal representation for himself (Williams) the Mayor and Councilmen Kneemiller and Weller. The matter involved a lawsuit that former Special City Counsel Eric Tolen had filed against the four when they refused to pay $14,000 in legal bills for work Tolen had done for the Council.
Gieseke remarked, “I thought we had passed a law that the Council was to approve attorneys and it seems to me this is just another way our City Administrator is circumventing the law because they knew they would not get any representation for a $14,000 suit that we have already spent a tremendous amount of money defending them. And instead of settling it we are going to fight. Now we are going to go and try to fight it again instead of just settling it the way it should be done in the first place. The guy did the work he should get paid. Now we have our City Administrator asking our insurance carrier to defend them but when it was Councilman Brown he would not let him go over $20,000. We have a lot of rules for the Council but when it comes to Dr. Williams it seems he just goes around all the rules so he can get what he wants. We had this before, this same lawsuit before; you guys took a vote to get your defense from the Council. Now we have this lawsuit again and since you know you can’t get the votes you are doing it this way. This isn’t right and for anybody to sit up here and say this is right you need to look in a mirror and see if you are actually representing the people because this right here is wrong. “
In response to questioning by Gieseke, City Attorney Mike Valenti admitted the Council had an ordinance requiring Council approval for legal counsel and also admitted Councilman Brown when sued by developer Michael Sellenschuetter for refusing to allow his county development to hook up to City water and sewer, was required to obtain permission for his legal representation. He couldn’t go to the insurance company for Errors & Omissions. coverage
Councilman Gieseke said, “People need to know when our insurance rates go up or we can’t get insurance it’s based off a $14,000 legal bill we owe a guy. That is what it comes down to and if you check the legal bills from the last time I guarantee you it is more than $14,000.”
Williams told Gieseke, “I did nothing illegal. Gieseke responded, “Then I need to know why the last time you asked for it from the Council? You knew you weren’t going to get it this time. You knew the votes weren’t there so you did it this way. You didn’t do it this time but you certainly did it last time. To dance around ethics and morality and the law it is amazing how they do it here at City Hall. It works one way for one person and another way for another person. If you are not on his (referring to Williams) good side, I’ll tell you guys you don’t want to get on his bad side because you are going to get screwed.”
Councilman Mark Brown had stepped out to meet with a constituent during the discussion. He was later interviewed by the FCN. Brown said, “I was outraged when I found out what was happening and Mr. Williams and his co-conspirators should be charged. They never seem to stop when it comes to misappropriating taxpayers money. If the City only had the money that Williams has squandered since he has been here we could lower the property tax and provide free trash pickup for our residents.”
St. Charles Park Rangers Keeping Our Parks Safe
By Lynndi Lockenour
With the hot summer days of August in full swing, the local parks are a popular place to spend an afternoon playing ball, swimming or enjoying the sunshine. While the parks bring tremendous fun and entertainment to thousands of St. Charles County residents every year, it also takes a great deal of work to keep them protected and functioning properly. The St. Charles City Rangers are responsible for making sure the parks in St. Charles City remain a fun, yet safe, environment for all patrons.
The rangers started in the late 1970s when a significant problem arose with teenagers loitering and vandalizing public parks. With police officers needed in other places, the parks administration at the time hired a security company to patrol the parks, but the problem persisted.
In 1983 the administration board created separate law enforcement for the parks division. This resulted in the hiring of the first Chief Park Ranger. Their responsibilities were to augment the police department by providing a safe environment for community members in the parks. This is the same philosophy the St. Charles City Rangers follow today.
Consisting of eight total rangers – six part-time and two full-time - Chief Park Ranger Michael Cordry said the rangers are essentially the same as police officers, except that they patrol parks instead of highways. The St. Charles City Rangers patrol 19 public parks, encompassing 650 acres of land, along with three aquatic centers.
Patrolling doesn’t mean spending all their time in the car. In fact, Chief Cordry encourages his rangers to get out of the car and talk to people. “I would say our job is only 30 percent law enforcement,” he said. “The rest is about seeing people, helping them if they need it, and being a smiling face.”
Encouraging his rangers to stop and watch a few minutes of a soccer game, or chat with the parents, Cordry said the rangers are often asked for directions. “People come up and talk to us all the time,” he said. “I don’t think we are nearly as intimidating as police officers.”
Jim Kearns has been a ranger for six years and said his favorite thing about his job is the constant interaction with the public. Originally trained as a sheriff, Kearns said there is a definite difference in the type of violations he sees. “Whatever happens in the streets could potentially happen in the park,” he said. “But most of the time things are pretty mild.”
The most common offense rangers see is parking violations. The designated parking areas are not intended to eliminate spaces, but rather, Cordry said, to keep people safe. “If an area is blocked off, there is most likely a safety reason behind it and people should obey that,” he said.
Many warnings are given, said Cordry, but if someone repeatedly offends, they will be issued a ticket. One of the most difficult things for the public to obey, he said, is the 15 MPH speed limit. “I know that’s slow,” he said. “But if a child darts out in front of your car at that speed, you can stop, whereas that might not be the case if your vehicle is moving faster.”
Other Ranger divisions exist throughout St. Charles County; the City Rangers are different because unlike most others, they carry guns. Cordry said without them the Rangers are little more than watchmen. “We don’t plan on ever using them,” he said. “But it’s very difficult to assert authority over the public without them.”
Cordry adds that having the Rangers equipped with firearms allows the public to feel safer. “Having that weapon means that if need be, a Ranger can protect the patrons around him,” he said. “Without it, there isn’t much he could do.” It is important to note that all Rangers receive the same academy training as police officers and are therefore licensed to handle and carry firearms.
With the current population boom in St. Charles, Chief Cordry adds that this type of firearm protection is even more essential. “Police officers cannot be everywhere at once,” he said. “It is important that we are able to enforce the rules on our own.”
When they aren’t busy patrolling the parks, the rangers are also involved with programming through the St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department. In years past these programs have included everything from storytelling and soccer for children, to motorcycle safety for adults. The programs usually charge a small fee, but the money is always recycled back into the Parks Department. “All the money we make on these programs gets used to do bigger and better things the following year,” Cordry said.
Some people might think the rangers are only busy during the summer months, but this is not the case. Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Larry Henderson said along with continued parks programming, coupled with the mild winters the last few years, winter is a very busy season. “I would venture to say that we are actually busier during the winter than the summer,” he said. “People just don’t see us out as much.”
Chief Cordry agrees, saying that the majority of his programming planning for the following summer happens during the winter months. With their last major program concluding on Halloween, Cordry only has until the first of January to decide what programs will happen in the summer. “It’s a very busy time for us,” he said.
Cordry loves his job as a Chief Park Ranger. “I think we are accepted by the people more and most people are just glad we are there keeping them safe,” he said.
**The St. Charles City Park Rangers are dispatched through the St. Charles Police Department. If you are in need of Ranger assistance while visiting a park, please contact the St. Charles Police Department at (636) 949-3777 and ask for a park ranger. For more information on the rangers and the work they do, or the programs they offer, please visit their Website at www.stcharlesparks.com.
Missouri Water Patrol Keeping Our Rivers & Lakes Safe
By Lynndi Lockenour
With the first official days of summer beginning only a few weeks ago, boating season is in full swing. This means longer, more stressful, hours for Missouri State Water Patrol Officer and PIO Lou Amighetti Jr. Paralleling the duties of a state police officer, Amighetti said his job is only different because it happens in the water. “We perform routine stops and check registrations just like officers would for vehicles on the road,” he said.
Boating season normally begins as warm weather arrives, usually in late April or early May, depending on the year, and continues through Labor Day weekend when students head back to school. The Missouri State Water Patrol is responsible for patrolling the major waterways throughout the state. This includes 272,770 acres of lakes, with 5,500 miles of shoreline, 519 miles of the Mississippi River, 533 miles of the Missouri River and the tributaries along these waterways.
Amighetti said the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, with over 40 miles of uninhibited boating area, attract thousands of boats every summer. “Some people are scared off by the thought of a current,” he said. “But once you get use to it, I think it’s better than boating on lakes.” Though he prefers the river, Amighetti said the current produced by the river is sometimes a problem for boaters who have never experienced it.
This year, Amighetti estimates that the overall number of boaters is down due to rising gas prices. “By the time you put $80 of gasoline in your vehicle to tow a boat to the ramp, then $80 to tow it back, and then the gas you use on the water,” he said. “You are talking some serious money just for fuel.” More boaters tend to drive to their destinations and sit, Amighetti said, rather than driving up and down the river.
To save fuel and spend less, Amighetti recommends boaters slow down and pack less into their boats. “Be prepared before you get here,” he said. “And only bring what you know you will really use.”
Even if boaters are prepared, Amighetti said there are still dangers present, of which everyone should be aware. One problem is the power lines that cross the Missouri/Illinois state boarder, and thus the Mississippi River. Helicopters and airplanes have already hit the lines, but Amighetti adds that boaters are also at danger.
“Flying Kite” flotation devices are becoming more popular. The device is pulled behind a boat, similar to the way a tube and skies are. The kite differs because once a certain point of speed is reached, the kite lifts off the water and the person aboard is launched into the air. This becomes dangerous because the kites can fly up to 30 feet in the air, dangerously close to these power lines. Though Amighetti doesn’t condone the use of the kites at all, he says that users should be extremely careful not to fly around the power lines.
The Mississippi River isn’t just patrolled by the Missouri State Water Patrol. The Illinois Conservation Police also patrols the area. Boaters should know that the rules for boating in Illinois aren’t exactly the same as those in Missouri. Both state’s rules are expected to be followed while boating on the river. “It doesn’t matter if you live in the other state from the police who pulls you over, it is still considered a violation,” Amighetti warns. “For this reason it is best to know the rules for both states.”
The two most cited violations, according to Amighetti, are lack of registration and improper display of ski flags. “People get excited about getting out on the water and forget the rules,” he said. “We are here to prevent that.”
For the most part, Amighetti said he and the other officers are well received by boaters. “The only reason I see for why people wouldn’t want us out here is if they are doing something wrong,” he said. Amighetti loves his job and says people often pull up to the boat just to ask questions. “We are here to help,” he said. “It’s a very thankless job.”
For more information about the Missouri Water Patrol or the rules and regulations, please contact the office in Jefferson City at 573-751-3333 or visit their Website at www.mswp.dps.state.gov.
With the first official days of summer beginning only a few weeks ago, boating season is in full swing. This means longer, more stressful, hours for Missouri State Water Patrol Officer and PIO Lou Amighetti Jr. Paralleling the duties of a state police officer, Amighetti said his job is only different because it happens in the water. “We perform routine stops and check registrations just like officers would for vehicles on the road,” he said.
Boating season normally begins as warm weather arrives, usually in late April or early May, depending on the year, and continues through Labor Day weekend when students head back to school. The Missouri State Water Patrol is responsible for patrolling the major waterways throughout the state. This includes 272,770 acres of lakes, with 5,500 miles of shoreline, 519 miles of the Mississippi River, 533 miles of the Missouri River and the tributaries along these waterways.
Amighetti said the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, with over 40 miles of uninhibited boating area, attract thousands of boats every summer. “Some people are scared off by the thought of a current,” he said. “But once you get use to it, I think it’s better than boating on lakes.” Though he prefers the river, Amighetti said the current produced by the river is sometimes a problem for boaters who have never experienced it.
This year, Amighetti estimates that the overall number of boaters is down due to rising gas prices. “By the time you put $80 of gasoline in your vehicle to tow a boat to the ramp, then $80 to tow it back, and then the gas you use on the water,” he said. “You are talking some serious money just for fuel.” More boaters tend to drive to their destinations and sit, Amighetti said, rather than driving up and down the river.
To save fuel and spend less, Amighetti recommends boaters slow down and pack less into their boats. “Be prepared before you get here,” he said. “And only bring what you know you will really use.”
Even if boaters are prepared, Amighetti said there are still dangers present, of which everyone should be aware. One problem is the power lines that cross the Missouri/Illinois state boarder, and thus the Mississippi River. Helicopters and airplanes have already hit the lines, but Amighetti adds that boaters are also at danger.
“Flying Kite” flotation devices are becoming more popular. The device is pulled behind a boat, similar to the way a tube and skies are. The kite differs because once a certain point of speed is reached, the kite lifts off the water and the person aboard is launched into the air. This becomes dangerous because the kites can fly up to 30 feet in the air, dangerously close to these power lines. Though Amighetti doesn’t condone the use of the kites at all, he says that users should be extremely careful not to fly around the power lines.
The Mississippi River isn’t just patrolled by the Missouri State Water Patrol. The Illinois Conservation Police also patrols the area. Boaters should know that the rules for boating in Illinois aren’t exactly the same as those in Missouri. Both state’s rules are expected to be followed while boating on the river. “It doesn’t matter if you live in the other state from the police who pulls you over, it is still considered a violation,” Amighetti warns. “For this reason it is best to know the rules for both states.”
The two most cited violations, according to Amighetti, are lack of registration and improper display of ski flags. “People get excited about getting out on the water and forget the rules,” he said. “We are here to prevent that.”
For the most part, Amighetti said he and the other officers are well received by boaters. “The only reason I see for why people wouldn’t want us out here is if they are doing something wrong,” he said. Amighetti loves his job and says people often pull up to the boat just to ask questions. “We are here to help,” he said. “It’s a very thankless job.”
For more information about the Missouri Water Patrol or the rules and regulations, please contact the office in Jefferson City at 573-751-3333 or visit their Website at www.mswp.dps.state.gov.
RAMBLING WITH THE EDITOR - Tony Brockmeyer
HISTORY CHANGES
History is said to change depending upon who is telling the story. I wonder why this story hasn't been told? St. Charles City witnessed something that did not fit the story of those who would have you believe
that Councilman Rory Riddler has control of the minds and hearts of five members on the City Council. Riddler recently introduced a re-development plan for Frenchtown that would have allowed for the use of eminent domain. This appeared to be a slam-dunk because the Mayor and a majority of those on the council spoke in favor of the Frenchtown re-development project.
Then one of the most important projects proposed by Riddler was suddenly brought under fire, led by Councilman John Gieseke. Gieseke had just suffered a narrow defeat of a bill that would have stopped the use of eminent domain throughout the City. Riddler, Muench, Weller and Hoepfner voted against the bill making it 5- 4 with Bob Kneemiller absent from the meeting. Gieseke told Riddler and those in attendance he agreed that the Frenchtown area needed help but to use eminent domain would give the project a black eye. Others on the Council joined Gieseke as well as the "black shirts" who were opposing eminent domain. Residents against eminent domain had worn black shirts to the City Council meetings.
The council meetings lasted a long time but those opposed to the use of eminent domain stood their ground and Councilman Riddler finally succumbed to the pressure and the realization that the re-development plan would not pass in its present state.
At a later meeting that saw Councilman Bob Kneemiller steal the Council presidency he also stole Gieseke's language for the use of eminent domain. Kneemiller made a motion to include the eminent domain language that Gieseke had introduced just weeks earlier and assumed ownership like it was his idea. What do you expect from a guy who waits for someone to be absent to take control? He knew that Gieseke wouldn't vote for him to be Council president and knew Gieseke was planning to introduce this language into the development plan. Gieseke had told him this at a fundraiser the weekend before the meeting at Ram's park.
So there you have it, Riddler's control is a myth. In politics you will have people who side with each other because of common beliefs. This council has freethinking members like Gieseke, Greer, Koester, Brown, Riddler and to some extent Muench. Then you have Kneemiller who takes his orders from the Mayor. Weller who isn’t even a poor excuse for a Councilman and who misses most of the meetings taking orders from the Mayor. Then you have the dynamic duo of Hoepfner and Reese. These two tried a coup and almost pulled it off. Now they have to side with Kneemiller and Weller just to save face.
MONEY LAUNDERING OR SMART POLITICS - The Public Has A Right To Know
We will continue our investigative report in our next edition. If you have internet access we will put the list of contributors on our Web Log on Monday, August 7th. It will also be printed in our next edition.
SUMMER SCHEDULE
We are on our summer schedule where we only print twice a month. We will return to our weekly schedule with our September 9th edition. Like the US Senate and House of Representatives we work on a reduced schedule during the summer. However, we update our daily web log whenever we are in receipt of news. You can find it at firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com.
WELLER MISSING AGAIN
For those of you who are keeping score Councilman Mike Weller has missed two our of the last three meetings. We believe he now holds the record for missed Council meetings. Don’t you think he should return his monthly salary if he doesn’t make the meetings? Maybe he should resign and let someone who cares and will attend the meetings be elected.
History is said to change depending upon who is telling the story. I wonder why this story hasn't been told? St. Charles City witnessed something that did not fit the story of those who would have you believe
that Councilman Rory Riddler has control of the minds and hearts of five members on the City Council. Riddler recently introduced a re-development plan for Frenchtown that would have allowed for the use of eminent domain. This appeared to be a slam-dunk because the Mayor and a majority of those on the council spoke in favor of the Frenchtown re-development project.
Then one of the most important projects proposed by Riddler was suddenly brought under fire, led by Councilman John Gieseke. Gieseke had just suffered a narrow defeat of a bill that would have stopped the use of eminent domain throughout the City. Riddler, Muench, Weller and Hoepfner voted against the bill making it 5- 4 with Bob Kneemiller absent from the meeting. Gieseke told Riddler and those in attendance he agreed that the Frenchtown area needed help but to use eminent domain would give the project a black eye. Others on the Council joined Gieseke as well as the "black shirts" who were opposing eminent domain. Residents against eminent domain had worn black shirts to the City Council meetings.
The council meetings lasted a long time but those opposed to the use of eminent domain stood their ground and Councilman Riddler finally succumbed to the pressure and the realization that the re-development plan would not pass in its present state.
At a later meeting that saw Councilman Bob Kneemiller steal the Council presidency he also stole Gieseke's language for the use of eminent domain. Kneemiller made a motion to include the eminent domain language that Gieseke had introduced just weeks earlier and assumed ownership like it was his idea. What do you expect from a guy who waits for someone to be absent to take control? He knew that Gieseke wouldn't vote for him to be Council president and knew Gieseke was planning to introduce this language into the development plan. Gieseke had told him this at a fundraiser the weekend before the meeting at Ram's park.
So there you have it, Riddler's control is a myth. In politics you will have people who side with each other because of common beliefs. This council has freethinking members like Gieseke, Greer, Koester, Brown, Riddler and to some extent Muench. Then you have Kneemiller who takes his orders from the Mayor. Weller who isn’t even a poor excuse for a Councilman and who misses most of the meetings taking orders from the Mayor. Then you have the dynamic duo of Hoepfner and Reese. These two tried a coup and almost pulled it off. Now they have to side with Kneemiller and Weller just to save face.
MONEY LAUNDERING OR SMART POLITICS - The Public Has A Right To Know
We will continue our investigative report in our next edition. If you have internet access we will put the list of contributors on our Web Log on Monday, August 7th. It will also be printed in our next edition.
SUMMER SCHEDULE
We are on our summer schedule where we only print twice a month. We will return to our weekly schedule with our September 9th edition. Like the US Senate and House of Representatives we work on a reduced schedule during the summer. However, we update our daily web log whenever we are in receipt of news. You can find it at firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com.
WELLER MISSING AGAIN
For those of you who are keeping score Councilman Mike Weller has missed two our of the last three meetings. We believe he now holds the record for missed Council meetings. Don’t you think he should return his monthly salary if he doesn’t make the meetings? Maybe he should resign and let someone who cares and will attend the meetings be elected.
THE CITY DESK - Rory Riddler, Councilman Ward 1
How Political Connections
Can Land You A Great Job
Sixty people recently applied for the job of Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission. It’s an important job since the Commission regulates Missouri’s nine casinos and the billion dollar gaming industry.
One would think that out of all those applicants for the job, some would have experience in the gaming industry or law enforcement. Which makes it all the more surprising that the Gaming Commission “unanimously” chose someone with little or no experience for the job, namely former St. Louis County Executive Gene McNary. McNary’s qualifications are that he was St. Louis County Executive from 1975 to 1989. Former President Bush then appointed him to run the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1990. You know, the agency in charge of keeping out illegal aliens. Nothing in his background as County Executive particularly qualified him for that political patronage job, which he left after only three years. For the past thirteen years McNary has been practicing immigration law.
What any of that has to do with the gaming industry in Missouri stumps me.
According to one local news story, the Executive Director’s main job is to “ensure public confidence and keep crime out of the gaming industry.” So they turn to an individual who couldn’t keep millions of illegal immigrants out of the country. Why do they think he can keep organized crime out of the gaming industry?
At age 70, the salary, which can range up to $94,000, will at least keep the former County Executive from having to take a part-time job at McDonalds to supplement his Social Security.
While rumors flew that McNary was the Governor’s top pick for the job, the Chairman of the Gaming Commission (a position appointed by the Governor), stated that the Governor’s Office played “no role” in the selection. Glad that’s settled. Public confidence is certainly heightened knowing that partisan politics played no role in selecting an otherwise unqualified person for this important job.
To be fair, perhaps there is something about the practice of “immigration law” that uniquely qualifies an individual to be Executive Director of the Gaming Commission. Let’s see. The Executive Director oversees 219 employees, 110 of which work for the Highway Patrol. I’m sure some of those Highway Patrolmen in their careers picked up an illegal alien or two. Those illegal immigrants “gambled” on not getting caught…hence his expertise to regulate an industry he otherwise would know nothing about.
If that sounds silly, it’s because political patronage isn’t about decisions that make sense. It’s about political paybacks. There is no doubt Gene McNary has been a faithful political partisan. Somebody “owed” him a job and we the taxpayers get to pick up the tab.
It’s a system as old as politics itself. The root of the word patronage is, after all, patron. A person’s “patron” in ancient Rome was a powerful and wealthy individual to whom you owed political allegiance and favors. In turn, your patron took care of some of your basic needs, interceded on your behalf and perhaps helped get you a job.
The problem comes when important jobs are treated the same way support or clerical positions are treated. Remember the FEMA Director who besides being a great political fundraiser came from a background of putting on horse shows? In hindsight, perhaps that’s a job that should have gone to someone with a smidgen of experience in dealing with DISASTERS!
Given the relative performance levels from political patronage appointees versus professionals in their fields, you can see why I’m apprehensive about the City switching to its own patronage system in April of 2007. After that date, unless overturned by voters, the Mayor would have the sole power to fire city employees. Public employees in Missouri serve “at will”, so they will have little protection from some future Mayor who may want to open up a few positions for political friends.
Recently the Journal newspaper criticized attempts to place this issue back before voters. It had passed two years ago, with a 300-vote margin in a low turnout April election. Why take the chance (they reasoned) that this November, a far larger turnout of voters, armed with the facts, might not want to trade down our City Administrator form of government for the same patronage system that we all know works so well in the City of St. Louis.
After all, just look at the great job Governor Blunt and the Gaming Commission did picking the best Executive Director they could find for Missouri’s Gaming Commission. Perhaps Sandford-Brown should add a class in political back scratching.
Can Land You A Great Job
Sixty people recently applied for the job of Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission. It’s an important job since the Commission regulates Missouri’s nine casinos and the billion dollar gaming industry.
One would think that out of all those applicants for the job, some would have experience in the gaming industry or law enforcement. Which makes it all the more surprising that the Gaming Commission “unanimously” chose someone with little or no experience for the job, namely former St. Louis County Executive Gene McNary. McNary’s qualifications are that he was St. Louis County Executive from 1975 to 1989. Former President Bush then appointed him to run the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1990. You know, the agency in charge of keeping out illegal aliens. Nothing in his background as County Executive particularly qualified him for that political patronage job, which he left after only three years. For the past thirteen years McNary has been practicing immigration law.
What any of that has to do with the gaming industry in Missouri stumps me.
According to one local news story, the Executive Director’s main job is to “ensure public confidence and keep crime out of the gaming industry.” So they turn to an individual who couldn’t keep millions of illegal immigrants out of the country. Why do they think he can keep organized crime out of the gaming industry?
At age 70, the salary, which can range up to $94,000, will at least keep the former County Executive from having to take a part-time job at McDonalds to supplement his Social Security.
While rumors flew that McNary was the Governor’s top pick for the job, the Chairman of the Gaming Commission (a position appointed by the Governor), stated that the Governor’s Office played “no role” in the selection. Glad that’s settled. Public confidence is certainly heightened knowing that partisan politics played no role in selecting an otherwise unqualified person for this important job.
To be fair, perhaps there is something about the practice of “immigration law” that uniquely qualifies an individual to be Executive Director of the Gaming Commission. Let’s see. The Executive Director oversees 219 employees, 110 of which work for the Highway Patrol. I’m sure some of those Highway Patrolmen in their careers picked up an illegal alien or two. Those illegal immigrants “gambled” on not getting caught…hence his expertise to regulate an industry he otherwise would know nothing about.
If that sounds silly, it’s because political patronage isn’t about decisions that make sense. It’s about political paybacks. There is no doubt Gene McNary has been a faithful political partisan. Somebody “owed” him a job and we the taxpayers get to pick up the tab.
It’s a system as old as politics itself. The root of the word patronage is, after all, patron. A person’s “patron” in ancient Rome was a powerful and wealthy individual to whom you owed political allegiance and favors. In turn, your patron took care of some of your basic needs, interceded on your behalf and perhaps helped get you a job.
The problem comes when important jobs are treated the same way support or clerical positions are treated. Remember the FEMA Director who besides being a great political fundraiser came from a background of putting on horse shows? In hindsight, perhaps that’s a job that should have gone to someone with a smidgen of experience in dealing with DISASTERS!
Given the relative performance levels from political patronage appointees versus professionals in their fields, you can see why I’m apprehensive about the City switching to its own patronage system in April of 2007. After that date, unless overturned by voters, the Mayor would have the sole power to fire city employees. Public employees in Missouri serve “at will”, so they will have little protection from some future Mayor who may want to open up a few positions for political friends.
Recently the Journal newspaper criticized attempts to place this issue back before voters. It had passed two years ago, with a 300-vote margin in a low turnout April election. Why take the chance (they reasoned) that this November, a far larger turnout of voters, armed with the facts, might not want to trade down our City Administrator form of government for the same patronage system that we all know works so well in the City of St. Louis.
After all, just look at the great job Governor Blunt and the Gaming Commission did picking the best Executive Director they could find for Missouri’s Gaming Commission. Perhaps Sandford-Brown should add a class in political back scratching.
Case IN POINT By Joe Koester, Councilman Ward 9
Ten Years of Saint Charles Ludwigs-burg Sister Cities
St. Charles sent over several delegates to Ludwigsburg, Germany to celebrate the 10th anniversary of friendship between our two towns. Ludwigsburg made St. Charles the focus of this year’s celebrations, however, Ludwigsburg’s other sister cities were there to help commemorate the occasion and celebrate their own long-standing friendships that have been forged throughout the years. The French City of Montbéliard has the longest sister city friendship with Ludwigsburg and shares common history with them because this town was once part of the Württemberg Kingdom that had its seat in Ludwigsburg.
The Welsh area around Caerphilly and the Ukrainian town of Jevpatorija are Ludwigsburg’s other sister cities and all had delegates present to celebrate with us. Also, present was a delegation from a Czech city that is now interested in forging a friendship with Ludwigsburg too.
While it is unlikely that many of the German-Americans in St. Charles came from this part of Germany, it is nonetheless appropriate that our first sister city is German since our town probably has its largest group of settlers from there. As a side note, Stuttgart is the sister city of Saint Louis, just about 20 km from Ludwigsburg.
If you picture the lot of us strolling the alleyways in Germany and relaxing in cafes and beer gardens, then you’d have the picture quite wrong. Our entire week was scheduled for us with very little time for ourselves.
We went to several official events and heard plenty of speeches – sometimes in German, English, French, Russian, and Czech, and something that is changing in Germany is the weather. It’s hot — too hot for long speeches, but that didn’t deter the politicians. The German summer is quickly approaching our own summertime temperatures and humidity levels. Adding to the Missouri-like heat is the fact that many places are still not air-conditioned, including the lobby of city hall where we attended the formal ceremonies of our anniversary and presented our partner town a bronze replica of the Daniel Boone statue that we recently cast. The entire time, Fire Chief, Ernie Rhodes stood at attention in his dress uniform – smiling! After the first thirty minutes of speeches, I wasn’t smiling much. By the end of the third thirty minutes all I could think about was getting my necktie off and getting a glass of water. Ernie was still smiling and made us all proud. His uniform did make people stop and look and two drugstore clerks approached me to ask if he was with the police, fire, or navy. They thought he might be an admiral. Ernie spent some time with the German fire department of Ludwigsburg including going along for a call that turned to out to be a false alarm.
Several of us had an opportunity to visit some German businesses including, Ziemann, a world leader in brewery manufacturing. We also visited the porcelain plant where you could buy a cup and saucer for the bargain price of about $325. I bought a postcard.
Larry Muench was our photographer. Last I heard, he ended up with about 1,300 digital images. It was liberating not taking a camera along – anything you wanted a shot of, you could just ask Larry. One photograph you should ask to see is of Larry sporting his authentic Tyrolean hat complete with boar’s bristle.
Bob Kneemiller arrived a day later than the rest of us. He and his wife stopped off in London before coming down to Germany. They arrived in town still suffering sticker shock at the prices of things in England and at how lousy the dollar/pound exchange rate is. Several members of Sister Cities also came over including former Mayor Grace Nichols and her husband, John. The banjo band, “The Last Generation” played at every event, including a very pretty rendition of “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” at church. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had been the first time ever that banjos were played in the palace church.
The southwest state of Baden-Württemberg is a mixture of both Catholic and Lutheran churches that came about more because of politics rather than faith and conversion. The result is, many churches have a Catholic appearance, but in fact, are Lutheran. A high point for me was the trip to Maulbrunn, a Cistercian monastery from medieval times (1147) where Johannes Kepler and Hermann Hesse spent time. The entire setting is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. This monastery started out Catholic and the influence is still seen throughout the place. Only much later did the rulers Württemberg convert to Protestantism to expunge the influence of Rome from their domain. One such obvious Catholic influence that remains is the beautiful, solid-stone-carved crucifix. The work is all the more impressive once you learn that both the cross and Christ are cleft from one solid piece of stone but appear to be separate. The cross has been stained or painted to appear wooden.
Also, at Maulbrunn, one can see a famous fountain which Conrad Ferdiand Meyer wrote a poem about called, “Der Römische Brunnen.” This took me back to college days and Professor, Frau Goessl.
Of course, the most important part of any sister city doesn’t lie in buildings, but in the people. The Ludwigsburg townsfolk poured out hospitality to make us all feel welcome. Mayor Spec even broke out his accordion and played for us one evening.
Most of us flew back just in time to get hit by the surprise storm that caused us to land in Louisville, Kentucky and when we did reach Lambert, we had to sort our luggage out on the tarmac and walk through a completely lightless airport. Jerry and Mary Reese went on from Germany to Italy and the mayor flew home one day earlier. We all found rides home and presumably went to bed with the exception of Chief Rhodes, he went to work.
Visit Ludwigburg’s website at: www.Ludwigsburg.de
St. Charles sent over several delegates to Ludwigsburg, Germany to celebrate the 10th anniversary of friendship between our two towns. Ludwigsburg made St. Charles the focus of this year’s celebrations, however, Ludwigsburg’s other sister cities were there to help commemorate the occasion and celebrate their own long-standing friendships that have been forged throughout the years. The French City of Montbéliard has the longest sister city friendship with Ludwigsburg and shares common history with them because this town was once part of the Württemberg Kingdom that had its seat in Ludwigsburg.
The Welsh area around Caerphilly and the Ukrainian town of Jevpatorija are Ludwigsburg’s other sister cities and all had delegates present to celebrate with us. Also, present was a delegation from a Czech city that is now interested in forging a friendship with Ludwigsburg too.
While it is unlikely that many of the German-Americans in St. Charles came from this part of Germany, it is nonetheless appropriate that our first sister city is German since our town probably has its largest group of settlers from there. As a side note, Stuttgart is the sister city of Saint Louis, just about 20 km from Ludwigsburg.
If you picture the lot of us strolling the alleyways in Germany and relaxing in cafes and beer gardens, then you’d have the picture quite wrong. Our entire week was scheduled for us with very little time for ourselves.
We went to several official events and heard plenty of speeches – sometimes in German, English, French, Russian, and Czech, and something that is changing in Germany is the weather. It’s hot — too hot for long speeches, but that didn’t deter the politicians. The German summer is quickly approaching our own summertime temperatures and humidity levels. Adding to the Missouri-like heat is the fact that many places are still not air-conditioned, including the lobby of city hall where we attended the formal ceremonies of our anniversary and presented our partner town a bronze replica of the Daniel Boone statue that we recently cast. The entire time, Fire Chief, Ernie Rhodes stood at attention in his dress uniform – smiling! After the first thirty minutes of speeches, I wasn’t smiling much. By the end of the third thirty minutes all I could think about was getting my necktie off and getting a glass of water. Ernie was still smiling and made us all proud. His uniform did make people stop and look and two drugstore clerks approached me to ask if he was with the police, fire, or navy. They thought he might be an admiral. Ernie spent some time with the German fire department of Ludwigsburg including going along for a call that turned to out to be a false alarm.
Several of us had an opportunity to visit some German businesses including, Ziemann, a world leader in brewery manufacturing. We also visited the porcelain plant where you could buy a cup and saucer for the bargain price of about $325. I bought a postcard.
Larry Muench was our photographer. Last I heard, he ended up with about 1,300 digital images. It was liberating not taking a camera along – anything you wanted a shot of, you could just ask Larry. One photograph you should ask to see is of Larry sporting his authentic Tyrolean hat complete with boar’s bristle.
Bob Kneemiller arrived a day later than the rest of us. He and his wife stopped off in London before coming down to Germany. They arrived in town still suffering sticker shock at the prices of things in England and at how lousy the dollar/pound exchange rate is. Several members of Sister Cities also came over including former Mayor Grace Nichols and her husband, John. The banjo band, “The Last Generation” played at every event, including a very pretty rendition of “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” at church. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had been the first time ever that banjos were played in the palace church.
The southwest state of Baden-Württemberg is a mixture of both Catholic and Lutheran churches that came about more because of politics rather than faith and conversion. The result is, many churches have a Catholic appearance, but in fact, are Lutheran. A high point for me was the trip to Maulbrunn, a Cistercian monastery from medieval times (1147) where Johannes Kepler and Hermann Hesse spent time. The entire setting is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. This monastery started out Catholic and the influence is still seen throughout the place. Only much later did the rulers Württemberg convert to Protestantism to expunge the influence of Rome from their domain. One such obvious Catholic influence that remains is the beautiful, solid-stone-carved crucifix. The work is all the more impressive once you learn that both the cross and Christ are cleft from one solid piece of stone but appear to be separate. The cross has been stained or painted to appear wooden.
Also, at Maulbrunn, one can see a famous fountain which Conrad Ferdiand Meyer wrote a poem about called, “Der Römische Brunnen.” This took me back to college days and Professor, Frau Goessl.
Of course, the most important part of any sister city doesn’t lie in buildings, but in the people. The Ludwigsburg townsfolk poured out hospitality to make us all feel welcome. Mayor Spec even broke out his accordion and played for us one evening.
Most of us flew back just in time to get hit by the surprise storm that caused us to land in Louisville, Kentucky and when we did reach Lambert, we had to sort our luggage out on the tarmac and walk through a completely lightless airport. Jerry and Mary Reese went on from Germany to Italy and the mayor flew home one day earlier. We all found rides home and presumably went to bed with the exception of Chief Rhodes, he went to work.
Visit Ludwigburg’s website at: www.Ludwigsburg.de
THE CONSERVATIVE FACTOR - Alex Spencer
We are all headed to the polls soon to participate in the primary election. Even though you don’t have to register to vote by party in Missouri, you do have to express a party preference to take a ballot and vote. Unfortunately, we’ve seem some of our Republican primary election results tainted by Democrats (and others) taking Republican ballots since they really don’t have to worry about the outcome of their own party elections.
I think that this year’s results will be a bit anti-climactic, but my wife and I will be out there first thing in the morning on August 8th to cast our votes. A lot of neighbors and friends ask me who I’d vote for, so I thought I’d share my very own Voter’s Guide with you while you make decisions about the candidates and the issues.
We actually have a contested primary for United States Congress. Arguably, the system is so stacked in favor of the incumbent that it’s pointless for someone to challenge him or her. Congressman Todd Akin is facing primary opposition from State Representative Sherman Parker. Congressman Akin is one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Really, his conservative credentials are absolutely impeccable. I fear he may be too conservative for our party, and I’m not really sure how I feel about that. Parker seems bright and energetic. He actually seems to have some decent ideas too. However, I’m not sure he really has a chance. That being said, I wonder what will happen if a significant number of Democrats will decide to pull Republican ballots and wreak havoc in our playground? I can certainly see where they would prefer Parker to Akin and want to affect such an outcome. Let’s keep an eye on how that will turn out.
The State Senate race will finally come to a head as well. County Councilman Joe Brazil, who turned out to be all talk, has not really mounted much of a challenge against incumbent Scott Rupp. Notwithstanding his RINO status, Brazil really hasn’t capitalized on his Democratic base to help him and his RINO supporters, MacNab and Pedersen, are actually terrible campaign staff. I think he will receive the trouncing he richly deserves and maybe the smart growth whackos will go find another county to bother.
That takes us to the County Council. There are actually 4 seats up for election, and I’ll concentrate on the two hotly contested seats. In District 1, where RINO Pedersen handed over the seat to the Democrats in April’s special election, Darrel Lackey is taking on Joe Cronin. Lackey is a well-respected alderman in Wentzville and a terrific choice for the County Council. Wentzville knows how to deal with growth, and Cronin’s complete inability to comprehend that sometimes you have to build things makes him a poor choice for the reality of County politics. Hopefully the voters are smart enough to see that. It always seems a shame that “growth” is the platform that will destroy the Republican party in St. Charles.
Over in District 3, the candidates are competing on their successful records of prior government experience. I think I’ll take them in reverse ballot order (and my order of preference). Nancy Matheny is a hometown St. Charles gal who served on our City Council. She would be a welcome breath of fresh air to the Council. She has familiarity with some of the issues that face municipalities and I think she will respect the interests of the voters in unincorporated St. Charles County too. She’s definitely my choice. Tom Ryan ran as a Democrat last time – enough said there. Patrick Barclay is sort of a St. Peters Alderman. I say “sort of” because he so rarely votes on any issues of significance that I think he should resign. Barclay abstains anytime anything is controversial, if his political handlers tell him to, or if it’s something that might create a “voting record.” He is a jittery fellow, scared of his own shadow, and he is such an ineffective elected official that he can’t even get a second for any of his crazy ideas. He governs by poll and freely will tell the residents that he will vote against any project if even one resident objects. He is bought and paid for by Adolphus and proudly wears that badge of honor. I understand that he also panders ceaselessly to the unhappy bunch of idiots who unsuccessfully attempted to takeover St. Peters City Hall led by Sandy Waters and Brandy Pedersen. The only politician in St. Charles County who panders more than Barclay is his colleague, Alderman Len Pagano. Barclay would be an unfortunate choice.
I’m really not sure what to do with the Sheriff’s race. I mean all these guys have law enforcement experience – I guess what we’re looking for in a Sheriff is management skills. Well, that will shake out where it will. I’m inclined to support one of the Sheriffs (Saulters or Neer) but I need to read up a bit more on their ideas and platforms.
The judges races are also fairly uneventful. Most are incumbents who will quietly retain their seats. Others may be more involved than that. The Gartner – Thornhill contest for the new bench (that was supposed to go to Gross designee Rick Zerr) will be interesting since they both have loss records – hey, at least one will be able to declare victory (for the first time) on election night.
Bob Schnur should win by a landslide for Collector – he has the experience and is the best kind of elected official who is thoughtful and responsive to constituents – best of luck to him.
Finally, last but definitely not least, please pay attention to the Republican Central Committee Races. Let’s send a message to the woman who has single-handily made a mockery of our party – I implore those of you in St. Peters Township to send Pathetic Brandy Pedersen (RINO) packing. She is running a slate of losers comprised of litigants against the city of St. Peters including Joan Gettemeyer (matriarch of St. Peters own “Clampett” clan) and Robert Armstrong (befuddled black helicopter guy). Who knows who else she has co-opted. Pay attention folks. If the rumor mill is accurate and Steve Ehlmann taps Chuck Gross to join the Administration, then the Central Committee will play a role in the “political checkers game” that will follow.
As always, I wish my readers the best and remind you to vote on August 8th, otherwise the Democrats will select our nominees for November, and that my dear readers, would not be good.
I think that this year’s results will be a bit anti-climactic, but my wife and I will be out there first thing in the morning on August 8th to cast our votes. A lot of neighbors and friends ask me who I’d vote for, so I thought I’d share my very own Voter’s Guide with you while you make decisions about the candidates and the issues.
We actually have a contested primary for United States Congress. Arguably, the system is so stacked in favor of the incumbent that it’s pointless for someone to challenge him or her. Congressman Todd Akin is facing primary opposition from State Representative Sherman Parker. Congressman Akin is one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Really, his conservative credentials are absolutely impeccable. I fear he may be too conservative for our party, and I’m not really sure how I feel about that. Parker seems bright and energetic. He actually seems to have some decent ideas too. However, I’m not sure he really has a chance. That being said, I wonder what will happen if a significant number of Democrats will decide to pull Republican ballots and wreak havoc in our playground? I can certainly see where they would prefer Parker to Akin and want to affect such an outcome. Let’s keep an eye on how that will turn out.
The State Senate race will finally come to a head as well. County Councilman Joe Brazil, who turned out to be all talk, has not really mounted much of a challenge against incumbent Scott Rupp. Notwithstanding his RINO status, Brazil really hasn’t capitalized on his Democratic base to help him and his RINO supporters, MacNab and Pedersen, are actually terrible campaign staff. I think he will receive the trouncing he richly deserves and maybe the smart growth whackos will go find another county to bother.
That takes us to the County Council. There are actually 4 seats up for election, and I’ll concentrate on the two hotly contested seats. In District 1, where RINO Pedersen handed over the seat to the Democrats in April’s special election, Darrel Lackey is taking on Joe Cronin. Lackey is a well-respected alderman in Wentzville and a terrific choice for the County Council. Wentzville knows how to deal with growth, and Cronin’s complete inability to comprehend that sometimes you have to build things makes him a poor choice for the reality of County politics. Hopefully the voters are smart enough to see that. It always seems a shame that “growth” is the platform that will destroy the Republican party in St. Charles.
Over in District 3, the candidates are competing on their successful records of prior government experience. I think I’ll take them in reverse ballot order (and my order of preference). Nancy Matheny is a hometown St. Charles gal who served on our City Council. She would be a welcome breath of fresh air to the Council. She has familiarity with some of the issues that face municipalities and I think she will respect the interests of the voters in unincorporated St. Charles County too. She’s definitely my choice. Tom Ryan ran as a Democrat last time – enough said there. Patrick Barclay is sort of a St. Peters Alderman. I say “sort of” because he so rarely votes on any issues of significance that I think he should resign. Barclay abstains anytime anything is controversial, if his political handlers tell him to, or if it’s something that might create a “voting record.” He is a jittery fellow, scared of his own shadow, and he is such an ineffective elected official that he can’t even get a second for any of his crazy ideas. He governs by poll and freely will tell the residents that he will vote against any project if even one resident objects. He is bought and paid for by Adolphus and proudly wears that badge of honor. I understand that he also panders ceaselessly to the unhappy bunch of idiots who unsuccessfully attempted to takeover St. Peters City Hall led by Sandy Waters and Brandy Pedersen. The only politician in St. Charles County who panders more than Barclay is his colleague, Alderman Len Pagano. Barclay would be an unfortunate choice.
I’m really not sure what to do with the Sheriff’s race. I mean all these guys have law enforcement experience – I guess what we’re looking for in a Sheriff is management skills. Well, that will shake out where it will. I’m inclined to support one of the Sheriffs (Saulters or Neer) but I need to read up a bit more on their ideas and platforms.
The judges races are also fairly uneventful. Most are incumbents who will quietly retain their seats. Others may be more involved than that. The Gartner – Thornhill contest for the new bench (that was supposed to go to Gross designee Rick Zerr) will be interesting since they both have loss records – hey, at least one will be able to declare victory (for the first time) on election night.
Bob Schnur should win by a landslide for Collector – he has the experience and is the best kind of elected official who is thoughtful and responsive to constituents – best of luck to him.
Finally, last but definitely not least, please pay attention to the Republican Central Committee Races. Let’s send a message to the woman who has single-handily made a mockery of our party – I implore those of you in St. Peters Township to send Pathetic Brandy Pedersen (RINO) packing. She is running a slate of losers comprised of litigants against the city of St. Peters including Joan Gettemeyer (matriarch of St. Peters own “Clampett” clan) and Robert Armstrong (befuddled black helicopter guy). Who knows who else she has co-opted. Pay attention folks. If the rumor mill is accurate and Steve Ehlmann taps Chuck Gross to join the Administration, then the Central Committee will play a role in the “political checkers game” that will follow.
As always, I wish my readers the best and remind you to vote on August 8th, otherwise the Democrats will select our nominees for November, and that my dear readers, would not be good.
THE VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS By Jerry Haferkamp
The Frenchtown Museum is an asset to our city. I have written before as to how it shows the way things used to be in St. Charles. It is a miniature history lesson in one place. However, its survival is in doubt. Over the past 2 years, the City has financed the payment of the mortgage and costs of some repairs. The volunteers are having a difficult time obtaining enough donations to finance the operation plus the mortgage.
Maybe it’s time for the sale of the building to the city with consideration given for the amounts that the city has already paid. I’m no attorney, but it would seem that to protect this asset the city could purchase the property and lease it back to the group headed by Mr. and Mrs. Boshears for what the City would loose in real estate taxes. The lease could be yearly with automatic renewals so long as the museum is maintained. Admission could remain free, with the hopes that visitors would drop a donation in the kitty on the way out. The city would gain a nice Frenchtown property and the group maintaining the museum could use donations they receive for overhead and stop worrying about meeting the mortgage or making repairs.
Of course, the present mortgagee may not want to sell, but the City should not be paying a mortgage on a property we don’t own. I admire what the Boshears and the other volunteers have done to preserve our history, but there is a real possibility that they could come away with a prime piece of real estate on which the City has paid much and received nada. It’s only fair that we should be getting something more than we are for our tax dollars. A city purchase would virtually guarantee the survival of this Frenchtown asset.
Although some on the council would say the City doesn’t have the funds to make this purchase, there seems to be money aplenty to put sculptures all over town. There are plenty of funds to build a future coliseum (or should I say collision-iseum) in the form of the unnecessary roundabout at Third and Tecumseh. I’ve even heard rumors of another give-away to Lindenwood University in the form of a City built tunnel under First Capitol at West Clay. Have faith readers. No one in our city’s government could be stupid enough to go along with that. Or could they?
Of course, that’s just the view from the cheap seats.
ttt
(This column was written several weeks before publication)
I have just finished reading the intellectual desert known as the editorial column of the St. Peters Advertiser (A.K.A. the St. Charles Journal) referring to our city’s fireworks ordinance as a “joke”. Whoever this “Editor” is that wrote that column, he or she fails to address the real problem. Here it is, faithful readers:
Our fireworks laws are no more of a “joke” than our speed limit laws are. What is the real “joke”, you ask? The real joke is the resident who is so wrapped up in his own self-gratification that he has absolutely no respect for his neighbors. Like the speeder on our streets, the ones that put our property in danger and ruin our night’s sleep are the ones who think laws only apply when it is convenient to their purpose.
This source of constant comedy, the Journal’s “Editor” assails our council for passing an ordinance restricting discharge of fireworks. In the next issue he or she will probably assail the council for restricting speed in school zones. Since some morons don’t obey our laws, the Journal editor blames the council. The Editor can’t seem to gather up enough guts to address the real culprits, the violators of our laws. That certainly wouldn’t be conducive to his duty to getting our mayor’s message out that all ills in St. Charles are born of anyone who doesn’t bow to the throne of the Queen of the Center of the Universe.
As I stated in my last column, the Journal has pretty much always been out of step with the citizens of St. Charles. One can only assume that the Editor considers all laws a “joke” if some jerks don’t abide by them. Since there is murder being committed in our society, this editor must think our laws forbidding murder are a “joke”. Cars are stolen; therefore car-jacking laws must be a “joke”. Some people drive drunk. Are our drunk driving laws a “joke”?
The column fails to note that absent this ordinance there would be no restrictions on how late these morons could violate your peaceful sleep. St. Peters has completely banned fireworks, but that hasn’t stopped the use of them in their city. St. Louis County is the same story.
Our ordinance gives the real celebrants of Independence Day the opportunity to celebrate. The people shooting fireworks at 1 or 2 a.m. are celebrating only their own self-centeredness.
No, our fireworks ordinance isn’t a joke. Neither are our speed laws. There are just too many self-centered morons who violate them.
The “joke” is the Journal editorial.
Of course, that’s just the view from the cheap seats.
P.S. (Question) The mayor’s pit bull Mikey has missed a lot of meetings. Did he break free from her leash?
Maybe it’s time for the sale of the building to the city with consideration given for the amounts that the city has already paid. I’m no attorney, but it would seem that to protect this asset the city could purchase the property and lease it back to the group headed by Mr. and Mrs. Boshears for what the City would loose in real estate taxes. The lease could be yearly with automatic renewals so long as the museum is maintained. Admission could remain free, with the hopes that visitors would drop a donation in the kitty on the way out. The city would gain a nice Frenchtown property and the group maintaining the museum could use donations they receive for overhead and stop worrying about meeting the mortgage or making repairs.
Of course, the present mortgagee may not want to sell, but the City should not be paying a mortgage on a property we don’t own. I admire what the Boshears and the other volunteers have done to preserve our history, but there is a real possibility that they could come away with a prime piece of real estate on which the City has paid much and received nada. It’s only fair that we should be getting something more than we are for our tax dollars. A city purchase would virtually guarantee the survival of this Frenchtown asset.
Although some on the council would say the City doesn’t have the funds to make this purchase, there seems to be money aplenty to put sculptures all over town. There are plenty of funds to build a future coliseum (or should I say collision-iseum) in the form of the unnecessary roundabout at Third and Tecumseh. I’ve even heard rumors of another give-away to Lindenwood University in the form of a City built tunnel under First Capitol at West Clay. Have faith readers. No one in our city’s government could be stupid enough to go along with that. Or could they?
Of course, that’s just the view from the cheap seats.
ttt
(This column was written several weeks before publication)
I have just finished reading the intellectual desert known as the editorial column of the St. Peters Advertiser (A.K.A. the St. Charles Journal) referring to our city’s fireworks ordinance as a “joke”. Whoever this “Editor” is that wrote that column, he or she fails to address the real problem. Here it is, faithful readers:
Our fireworks laws are no more of a “joke” than our speed limit laws are. What is the real “joke”, you ask? The real joke is the resident who is so wrapped up in his own self-gratification that he has absolutely no respect for his neighbors. Like the speeder on our streets, the ones that put our property in danger and ruin our night’s sleep are the ones who think laws only apply when it is convenient to their purpose.
This source of constant comedy, the Journal’s “Editor” assails our council for passing an ordinance restricting discharge of fireworks. In the next issue he or she will probably assail the council for restricting speed in school zones. Since some morons don’t obey our laws, the Journal editor blames the council. The Editor can’t seem to gather up enough guts to address the real culprits, the violators of our laws. That certainly wouldn’t be conducive to his duty to getting our mayor’s message out that all ills in St. Charles are born of anyone who doesn’t bow to the throne of the Queen of the Center of the Universe.
As I stated in my last column, the Journal has pretty much always been out of step with the citizens of St. Charles. One can only assume that the Editor considers all laws a “joke” if some jerks don’t abide by them. Since there is murder being committed in our society, this editor must think our laws forbidding murder are a “joke”. Cars are stolen; therefore car-jacking laws must be a “joke”. Some people drive drunk. Are our drunk driving laws a “joke”?
The column fails to note that absent this ordinance there would be no restrictions on how late these morons could violate your peaceful sleep. St. Peters has completely banned fireworks, but that hasn’t stopped the use of them in their city. St. Louis County is the same story.
Our ordinance gives the real celebrants of Independence Day the opportunity to celebrate. The people shooting fireworks at 1 or 2 a.m. are celebrating only their own self-centeredness.
No, our fireworks ordinance isn’t a joke. Neither are our speed laws. There are just too many self-centered morons who violate them.
The “joke” is the Journal editorial.
Of course, that’s just the view from the cheap seats.
P.S. (Question) The mayor’s pit bull Mikey has missed a lot of meetings. Did he break free from her leash?
CHARLES HILL
The talking heads, pundits, and Management Company of the convention center have touted the success of the center over and over. Let’s look at the antidotal evidence of the success and the effect the convention center has had on the City. Main Street is on life support, the city is telling the employees that they can’t afford raises because the tax base isn’t growing and the other centers are hurting from the cannibalistic bite the center has taken out of their business. I am not going to sit here and do nothing but bash the center. After all it is beautiful and looks good. I just want to set the record straight about what the success level is and what we can expect.
Our tourism effort has been so misguided for so many years we can’t expect things to turn around on a dime. Let’s ask some questions for the new Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau director to ponder. If tourism is so strong here then why in July, the height of the season for Americans to take vacations, is our Main Street so void of tourists? Why has the convention center over delivered on meetings, weddings, gun shows and flea markets and under delivered on conventions?
It is obvious the new CVB director has a big job ahead of him. The new director should review the recent Randall Tourism Study and do something that the previous director didn’t do. Advertise where you are getting the biggest bang for the buck. In other words advertise closer to home. If you trust the Randall Study even those who are within 100 miles stay in hotels. The advertising money spent in Indiana and Iowa is hard to justify with 1.5 percent of the visitors coming from those areas. Take the dollar amount spent there and what we get for the return on that investment and you quickly realize the market isn’t there.
So to summarize, convention center beautiful but full of the wrong type of business. Main Street empty because we advertise in the wrong places. Tourism not the economic engine that we have been sold. I hope that our new director is as great as our last one was bad. Good luck. ttt
Our tourism effort has been so misguided for so many years we can’t expect things to turn around on a dime. Let’s ask some questions for the new Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau director to ponder. If tourism is so strong here then why in July, the height of the season for Americans to take vacations, is our Main Street so void of tourists? Why has the convention center over delivered on meetings, weddings, gun shows and flea markets and under delivered on conventions?
It is obvious the new CVB director has a big job ahead of him. The new director should review the recent Randall Tourism Study and do something that the previous director didn’t do. Advertise where you are getting the biggest bang for the buck. In other words advertise closer to home. If you trust the Randall Study even those who are within 100 miles stay in hotels. The advertising money spent in Indiana and Iowa is hard to justify with 1.5 percent of the visitors coming from those areas. Take the dollar amount spent there and what we get for the return on that investment and you quickly realize the market isn’t there.
So to summarize, convention center beautiful but full of the wrong type of business. Main Street empty because we advertise in the wrong places. Tourism not the economic engine that we have been sold. I hope that our new director is as great as our last one was bad. Good luck. ttt
SPORTS - First Capitol News Sports Section - MIKE MCMURRAN Sports Editor
Its almost here, my very favorite time of the year: Football season. This year will be different than any other in the McMurran household as my oldest son, Joe, will be putting on the pads for the first time. I may have mentioned it previously, still, it warrants being repeated, Joe will be playing for the O’Fallon Jr. Renegades this season. As this fine weekly hits the street, Joe will have completed his first week of practice.
Since Joe had already signed up to play soccer for Dr. Richard Heise and the defending champion Academy of the Sacred Heart Falcons, he will be playing both sports this fall. Dr. Heise has already been informed that football will take priority over soccer, meaning that should there be a scheduling conflict, Joe will play football. Ah yes, the stars are all falling in place.
Daniel, on the other hand, will still be playing year round for Tony Glavin. I must preface this by saying I am not a soccer guy – I do not particularly like nor fully understand the sport. That being said, I have watched a player or two with average ability spend a season with Glavin and turn into a completely different player. In Dee’s case, the confidence he gained while playing with Glavin clearly carried over to his CYA team. Good thing, too, because yours truly is his CYA coach. Now before someone starts screaming, “you said you were not a soccer guy,” …no, I am not. What I am though is a teacher and a dad. More importantly I know my shortcomings and understand how to compensate for them. Frankly, I prepare far more for an hour of 1st grade soccer practice than three hours of high school football practice. Never, and I truly mean, never, would I want to do a child wrong.
At least three of Dee’s team mates will also be playing Glavin this year: Evan Lemke, Adam Solomon and Devan Issacs will join Dee this fall in wearing the popular green and white trademark Glavin uniforms. There is a good chance that Parker Green will be joining them, which if nothing else pretty much guarantees Glavin’s beer sales will go up this season (not just because Parker is playing, but because of all five kids).
Maggie Kurtz McMurran will be playing her 6th year of soccer this fall. In addition to soccer she will be playing volleyball for the first time; I think the seasons run at the same time, which should prove to be interesting. As is always the case, Just Kids and The Patt Holt Singers takes priority in Margo’s life. Funny how children with the same parents can turn out so differently. Maggie enjoys soccer, basketball and softball. She has even thrown a number of shutout innings in games where the final score is measured in dozens rather than single runs. Honestly, and she admits it, she participates in sports for the social aspect of it all. Not so when it comes to her “show business” side. Oh sure, she has made some very good friends in the past 18 months or so with ‘Just Kids,’ but if someone where to join that group of performers for the social aspect of it, they would be making a big mistake. It hurts me to say this, but ‘Just Kids’ probably…no, not probably, certainly works harder on their trade than any other group of grade school children I have ever seen – bar none! That includes any soccer, softball, baseball…any athletic team I have ever seen. Any way – that is Margo’s priority, performing!
Me, in addition to coaching Dee’s 1st grade soccer team, will continue coaching Trinity Catholic High School’s varsity football team. Hopefully this year we can win more than one game; a goal that has not been achieved in more than 4 years. I have also agreed to help out with Joe’s Jr. Renegade football team. So my schedule will evolve around my kid’s athletic practices and game schedules.
Some have asked, “Why don’t you coach any of Maggie’s team?” It is a valid question that deserves a response. Coaching boys and girls is as different as night and day – maybe even more different. Girls are nothing more than little women – and to this day, and I am almost 52 years old, I cannot figure out women or girls. Sorry, I just cannot do it.
Which is not to say that some can, and do a very good job at it. For example, my friend Mark Francis has success in coaching girls in both soccer and softball. He watched me coach baseball once and asked why I had my team running from home plate to the foul line and back. “That’s no fun,” he offered. No, no its not, but it teaches unconditional discipline – something needed in sports, at least boys’ sports. On my teams, what I say is the law; I think it is called “old school.” Mark on the other hand has the unattractive task of keeping 14 or so 5th grade girls from killing him, his staff, and each other. Of course he is smart enough to surround himself with very good assistants, in both soccer and softball.
One of those very good assistants, Jim Barnason, suffered a heart attack and died recently while pursuing his passion of riding his bike. Jim’s daughter, Sydney, a classmate of my daughter, in addition to being a teammate in soccer and softball, is also in ‘Just Kids.’ Jim had a way with not only the girls on the softball team, but their brothers, both young and old. My youngest son, Dee told me “every time I saw Mr. Barnason he would pick me up and throw me in the air.” Francis was with out a doubt the head coach. Jim was, with out a doubt, his right hand man.
I have never seen a wake the likes of Jim’s; a testimony to his life. After standing in line for well over an hour, Lynn and I finally reached his lovely wife, Melissa. Those who know me know that I have the uncanny ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time; I have it mastered. So as we approached Melissa I pretty much let Lynn do the talking. Then it struck me, and I uttered to Melissa, “have you any idea how long this line is?” She didn’t, and I replied: “Its longer than the line at Taco Bell at 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning.” It wasn’t said to be funny, it was the only thing I could think of to say. I don’t think she was faking when she smiled and laughed.
To Sydney and Melissa, Family McMurran’s prayers are with you. Jim was many, many things – above all he was genuine and sincere. From my perspective, he didn’t always say what was wanted to be heard, but you could bet your bottom dollar, if it came from Jim’s mouth, it was the truth.
Since Joe had already signed up to play soccer for Dr. Richard Heise and the defending champion Academy of the Sacred Heart Falcons, he will be playing both sports this fall. Dr. Heise has already been informed that football will take priority over soccer, meaning that should there be a scheduling conflict, Joe will play football. Ah yes, the stars are all falling in place.
Daniel, on the other hand, will still be playing year round for Tony Glavin. I must preface this by saying I am not a soccer guy – I do not particularly like nor fully understand the sport. That being said, I have watched a player or two with average ability spend a season with Glavin and turn into a completely different player. In Dee’s case, the confidence he gained while playing with Glavin clearly carried over to his CYA team. Good thing, too, because yours truly is his CYA coach. Now before someone starts screaming, “you said you were not a soccer guy,” …no, I am not. What I am though is a teacher and a dad. More importantly I know my shortcomings and understand how to compensate for them. Frankly, I prepare far more for an hour of 1st grade soccer practice than three hours of high school football practice. Never, and I truly mean, never, would I want to do a child wrong.
At least three of Dee’s team mates will also be playing Glavin this year: Evan Lemke, Adam Solomon and Devan Issacs will join Dee this fall in wearing the popular green and white trademark Glavin uniforms. There is a good chance that Parker Green will be joining them, which if nothing else pretty much guarantees Glavin’s beer sales will go up this season (not just because Parker is playing, but because of all five kids).
Maggie Kurtz McMurran will be playing her 6th year of soccer this fall. In addition to soccer she will be playing volleyball for the first time; I think the seasons run at the same time, which should prove to be interesting. As is always the case, Just Kids and The Patt Holt Singers takes priority in Margo’s life. Funny how children with the same parents can turn out so differently. Maggie enjoys soccer, basketball and softball. She has even thrown a number of shutout innings in games where the final score is measured in dozens rather than single runs. Honestly, and she admits it, she participates in sports for the social aspect of it all. Not so when it comes to her “show business” side. Oh sure, she has made some very good friends in the past 18 months or so with ‘Just Kids,’ but if someone where to join that group of performers for the social aspect of it, they would be making a big mistake. It hurts me to say this, but ‘Just Kids’ probably…no, not probably, certainly works harder on their trade than any other group of grade school children I have ever seen – bar none! That includes any soccer, softball, baseball…any athletic team I have ever seen. Any way – that is Margo’s priority, performing!
Me, in addition to coaching Dee’s 1st grade soccer team, will continue coaching Trinity Catholic High School’s varsity football team. Hopefully this year we can win more than one game; a goal that has not been achieved in more than 4 years. I have also agreed to help out with Joe’s Jr. Renegade football team. So my schedule will evolve around my kid’s athletic practices and game schedules.
Some have asked, “Why don’t you coach any of Maggie’s team?” It is a valid question that deserves a response. Coaching boys and girls is as different as night and day – maybe even more different. Girls are nothing more than little women – and to this day, and I am almost 52 years old, I cannot figure out women or girls. Sorry, I just cannot do it.
Which is not to say that some can, and do a very good job at it. For example, my friend Mark Francis has success in coaching girls in both soccer and softball. He watched me coach baseball once and asked why I had my team running from home plate to the foul line and back. “That’s no fun,” he offered. No, no its not, but it teaches unconditional discipline – something needed in sports, at least boys’ sports. On my teams, what I say is the law; I think it is called “old school.” Mark on the other hand has the unattractive task of keeping 14 or so 5th grade girls from killing him, his staff, and each other. Of course he is smart enough to surround himself with very good assistants, in both soccer and softball.
One of those very good assistants, Jim Barnason, suffered a heart attack and died recently while pursuing his passion of riding his bike. Jim’s daughter, Sydney, a classmate of my daughter, in addition to being a teammate in soccer and softball, is also in ‘Just Kids.’ Jim had a way with not only the girls on the softball team, but their brothers, both young and old. My youngest son, Dee told me “every time I saw Mr. Barnason he would pick me up and throw me in the air.” Francis was with out a doubt the head coach. Jim was, with out a doubt, his right hand man.
I have never seen a wake the likes of Jim’s; a testimony to his life. After standing in line for well over an hour, Lynn and I finally reached his lovely wife, Melissa. Those who know me know that I have the uncanny ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time; I have it mastered. So as we approached Melissa I pretty much let Lynn do the talking. Then it struck me, and I uttered to Melissa, “have you any idea how long this line is?” She didn’t, and I replied: “Its longer than the line at Taco Bell at 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning.” It wasn’t said to be funny, it was the only thing I could think of to say. I don’t think she was faking when she smiled and laughed.
To Sydney and Melissa, Family McMurran’s prayers are with you. Jim was many, many things – above all he was genuine and sincere. From my perspective, he didn’t always say what was wanted to be heard, but you could bet your bottom dollar, if it came from Jim’s mouth, it was the truth.
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