The View From The Cheap Seats
By Jerry Haferkamp
O.K., I confess. I read the St. Peters paper. Well, parts of it anyway.
I read Steve Pokin’s articles because they are interesting and sometimes very humorous. I read the editorial so I can get the mayor’s “thought of the day”.
But mostly I read the calls and letters from the public. Some are thoughtful and some make one realize that they need the filter on their gene pool replaced, but they tell you what is on the minds of the public. However, the call in section makes a good place for cowards to throw mud and then hide, since they aren’t identified. I would like to comment on a recent posting that was called in and printed.
The caller assailed John Gieseke for wanting to file suit to get two state laws that are clearly unconstitutional off the books. Although the majority of the council agreed with the suit, the caller points at Gieseke. The caller asked, “What was Gieseke thinking”?
So let me explain, mystery caller.
Laws that are unconstitutional aren’t just tossed out without cause. That cause has to be a ruling by a judge, or panel of judges that the law is invalid. This comes as a result of an aggrieved party filing what is known as a “suit”. The council voted to file this suit, and all was well. Our wonderful mayor then vetoed the action and gave her entourage on the council their marching orders, and the veto was upheld. She was fortunate that Mike Weller made one of his rare appearances at a council meeting, or her veto would have been overturned.
I haven’t spoken to Gieseke in about five months, but I imagine his thinking, along with all the other unencumbered council members who voted in favor of the suit, was to do what is best for our city. And I believe that this caller’s thinking was to discredit a councilman who is running for mayor.
These laws place an unconstitutional burden on our city. It would have cost only 50 cents to each resident to have them removed, money well spent. The mayor vetoed the action and her puppets voted to uphold the veto. Your question should have been “What were they smoking” Oops, I meant “thinking”?
Ward 2, you are going to have a choice after all. Instead of one council candidate who is tied to the mayor’s apron strings and one who is attached to the mayor at the hip, there is a candidate that is independent of the mayor. His name is Larry Willis and he has lived in your ward for about 20 years. I had to ask if his father’s name was Larry Willis also. Some of us went to St. Charles High with a Larry Willis, but the candidate isn’t related. He’ll be operating a campaign on a “shoestring” budget, so don’t expect from him any of the high dollar, glossy mailings the mayors out of town hit men use. But when he shows up at your door, invite him in and give him your thoughts. He seems to be interested in what you think.
Of course, that’s just the view from the cheap seats.
