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Saturday, May 19, 2007
SECRET GROUP ASSAULTS YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW
ATTACK MADE ON FIRST AMENDMENT
By Tony Brockmeyer
An attack was made on the First Amendment last weekend when local businesses, who advertise in this newspaper, received a mailing asking them to stop advertising in the First Capitol News.
The letter, shown at the far right, came packaged with a a recent copy of the First Capitol News and a form letter asking the advertiser to sign and send to the FCN requesting that their ad be stopped. A stamped, addressed, envelope was included for their convenience. The letter was unsigned and had no return address so the business owners do not know who sent it.
First Capitol News Publisher Phyllis Schaltenbrand said, “For the past seven years we have been shining a light on St. Charles City Government. We take our readers behind the scene so they know what is going on. Now that this group is successful in taking control of the city council and the Mayor’s office, this newspaper is one thing standing between them and complete dictatorship.
Apparently they are frightened that one of our investigative reports is going to uncover activities they do not want the St. Charles resident taxpayers to know.”
Attacks have previously been made against this publication. Linda Meyer, who headed the recall efforts in the attempt to remove Councilman Mark Brown and Dottie Greer from office, has written and made phone calls to our advertisers in her attempts to have them stop advertising in this newspaper. She is married to a St. Charles police officer who was the president of the St. Charles Police Officers Association and a member of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
We have had advertisers tell us they have been contacted by the Mayor and her husband, Lionel, in an attempt to have them stop advertising in this publication.
TR Hughes spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the defunct St. Charles Citizen whose sole purpose was to put the First Capitol News out of business. His publisher, Ed Watkins, was quoted in the May 18th St. Charles section of the Post Dispatch as saying, “That was the worst mistake I ever made.” Watkins was also quoted in the May 21, 2006 edition of the Journal as saying, “I think people really underestimate the First Capitol News and the power of the First Capitol News. I have a healthy respect for them.”
Prior to the advent of the First Capitol News, those who were feeding from the public trough and living high on taxpayer dollars were able to do so without being exposed.
For the past several years they have been placed under the spotlight and their actions are being reported. That is why they are trying to stop this newspaper from reporting the true news about their schemes.
You should have received with this edition of the newspaper a subscription envelope. If you would like to help in the support of the First Capitol News so that you continue to receive local news coverage and investigative reports you won’t find anywhere else, we ask that you enclose a check or money order and mail it to the First Capitol News Post Office Box 1, St. Charles, Missouri 63302. If for some reason there is not a envelope enclosed any envelope will work just fine.
Home delivery of the First Capitol News is $20 for six months and $35 for a year. Although any contribution is welcome and we thank you for being a supporter of the Free Press.
Daily news is also available online at
firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com. Our entire edition including ads is available at
firstcapitolnews.com.
By Tony Brockmeyer
An attack was made on the First Amendment last weekend when local businesses, who advertise in this newspaper, received a mailing asking them to stop advertising in the First Capitol News.
The letter, shown at the far right, came packaged with a a recent copy of the First Capitol News and a form letter asking the advertiser to sign and send to the FCN requesting that their ad be stopped. A stamped, addressed, envelope was included for their convenience. The letter was unsigned and had no return address so the business owners do not know who sent it.
First Capitol News Publisher Phyllis Schaltenbrand said, “For the past seven years we have been shining a light on St. Charles City Government. We take our readers behind the scene so they know what is going on. Now that this group is successful in taking control of the city council and the Mayor’s office, this newspaper is one thing standing between them and complete dictatorship.
Apparently they are frightened that one of our investigative reports is going to uncover activities they do not want the St. Charles resident taxpayers to know.”
Attacks have previously been made against this publication. Linda Meyer, who headed the recall efforts in the attempt to remove Councilman Mark Brown and Dottie Greer from office, has written and made phone calls to our advertisers in her attempts to have them stop advertising in this newspaper. She is married to a St. Charles police officer who was the president of the St. Charles Police Officers Association and a member of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
We have had advertisers tell us they have been contacted by the Mayor and her husband, Lionel, in an attempt to have them stop advertising in this publication.
TR Hughes spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the defunct St. Charles Citizen whose sole purpose was to put the First Capitol News out of business. His publisher, Ed Watkins, was quoted in the May 18th St. Charles section of the Post Dispatch as saying, “That was the worst mistake I ever made.” Watkins was also quoted in the May 21, 2006 edition of the Journal as saying, “I think people really underestimate the First Capitol News and the power of the First Capitol News. I have a healthy respect for them.”
Prior to the advent of the First Capitol News, those who were feeding from the public trough and living high on taxpayer dollars were able to do so without being exposed.
For the past several years they have been placed under the spotlight and their actions are being reported. That is why they are trying to stop this newspaper from reporting the true news about their schemes.
You should have received with this edition of the newspaper a subscription envelope. If you would like to help in the support of the First Capitol News so that you continue to receive local news coverage and investigative reports you won’t find anywhere else, we ask that you enclose a check or money order and mail it to the First Capitol News Post Office Box 1, St. Charles, Missouri 63302. If for some reason there is not a envelope enclosed any envelope will work just fine.
Home delivery of the First Capitol News is $20 for six months and $35 for a year. Although any contribution is welcome and we thank you for being a supporter of the Free Press.
Daily news is also available online at
firstcapitolnews-today.blogspot.com. Our entire edition including ads is available at
firstcapitolnews.com.
We Do Not Print Falsehoods
The First Capitol News reported the Mayor told the board of the police association she would fire Chief of Police Tim Swope and his staff if she was reelected.
This was not a lie!
Shortly before the election, the Mayor held a press conference saying this was a lie and she was keeping all the city directors for a year. Then she was reelected. A couple of weeks later Chief Swope is gone and has a severance package. His secretary has been transferred to the record room. His assistant Chief, Major Bob Boerding, has been relieved of his command and demoted to the rank of Captain. Captain Gary Pollard, the public information officer, was relieved of his duties, demoted to patrolman and then back to Captain. In the severance agreement Swope is to receive a years salary of $113,000 payable in monthly installments beginning May 18th and benefits to the end of this year. The agreement also places a gag order on Swope.
The First Capitol News reported on activities that occurred during former Mayor Grace Nichol’s term in office.
This was not a lie!
She berated this newspaper and claimed we told lies. She even ran a half page ad in a St. Peters newspaper and in a look a like publication of the First Capitol News. We obtained the information from news reports and individuals who served during her term. If you go back and check the news reports from that election you will discover she made the same claims against her opponents then as she made against us during this election.
We reported that Councilman Mike Weller was disgusted with the snow removal efforts of the city. He told the Mayor that enough was enough.
This was not a lie!
In our February 24th edition we produced the e-mail that Councilman Weller had sent the First Capitol News.
The First Capitol News reported just prior to the election that millionaire developers were attempting to take over city hall.
This was not a lie!
A review of campaign finance reports on file at the office of the Director of Elections and news reports show that millionaire developers spent more than $1000,000 in recent election campaigns to place their candidates in office.
The First Capitol News reported that Professional Character Assassins were being brought in for the recent Mayoral and City Council elections.
This was not a lie!
A review of the campaign material you received in the mail and the phony clone of our newspaper that was thrown on your driveway prove it was a fact.
The First Capitol News reported that a Grand Jury subpoena was served on the city for records including records regarding the illegal signing of a contract without city council approval that the Mayor signed with Express Scripts. A contract that Express Scripts has made a demand of a $200,000 payment from the city.
This was not a lie!
Executive session minutes will show that the subpoena was served on the city and the council appropriated $25,000 in attorney fees for the hiring of a special council to make sure the records were provided in a timely manor.
The First Capitol News reported State Representative Tom Dempsey passed legislation in one day that prevented the city from stopping TR Hughes from hooking up his St. Andrews subdivision located outside the city limits to city water and sewers.
This was not a lie!
Records on file with the city and the state government plus later news reports show this was a true story.
A story in the First Capitol News reported that deposed testimony in the investigation of fraud and forgeries in the recall attempts against Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown linked developers to the recall attempts.
This was not a lie!
A copy of the deposed testimony on file in the law office at city hall shows this was a true story.
A series of investigative reports by the First Capitol News told of millions of dollars in campaign money laundering through a large number of committees headed by Thomas Smith, an employee of State representative Tom Dempsey, J of 320 Monroe Street.
This was not a lie!
Reports on file with the Missouri Ethics Commission prove this information was correct.
The First Capitol News reported the recall efforts against Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown were full of fraud and forgeries
This was not a lie!
An investigation by the police department showed this information was correct. Arrests were made and charges issued and more charges are pending by the office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
There are hundreds of similar examples. You can check our archives at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com for additional stories. You will see the First Capitol News publishes the truth. Those who would like to keep the truth hidden from the residents of St. Charles are attempting to discredit this publication. We are standing between them and total dictatorship in their attempts to line their pockets with taxpayer dollars.
This was not a lie!
Shortly before the election, the Mayor held a press conference saying this was a lie and she was keeping all the city directors for a year. Then she was reelected. A couple of weeks later Chief Swope is gone and has a severance package. His secretary has been transferred to the record room. His assistant Chief, Major Bob Boerding, has been relieved of his command and demoted to the rank of Captain. Captain Gary Pollard, the public information officer, was relieved of his duties, demoted to patrolman and then back to Captain. In the severance agreement Swope is to receive a years salary of $113,000 payable in monthly installments beginning May 18th and benefits to the end of this year. The agreement also places a gag order on Swope.
The First Capitol News reported on activities that occurred during former Mayor Grace Nichol’s term in office.
This was not a lie!
She berated this newspaper and claimed we told lies. She even ran a half page ad in a St. Peters newspaper and in a look a like publication of the First Capitol News. We obtained the information from news reports and individuals who served during her term. If you go back and check the news reports from that election you will discover she made the same claims against her opponents then as she made against us during this election.
We reported that Councilman Mike Weller was disgusted with the snow removal efforts of the city. He told the Mayor that enough was enough.
This was not a lie!
In our February 24th edition we produced the e-mail that Councilman Weller had sent the First Capitol News.
The First Capitol News reported just prior to the election that millionaire developers were attempting to take over city hall.
This was not a lie!
A review of campaign finance reports on file at the office of the Director of Elections and news reports show that millionaire developers spent more than $1000,000 in recent election campaigns to place their candidates in office.
The First Capitol News reported that Professional Character Assassins were being brought in for the recent Mayoral and City Council elections.
This was not a lie!
A review of the campaign material you received in the mail and the phony clone of our newspaper that was thrown on your driveway prove it was a fact.
The First Capitol News reported that a Grand Jury subpoena was served on the city for records including records regarding the illegal signing of a contract without city council approval that the Mayor signed with Express Scripts. A contract that Express Scripts has made a demand of a $200,000 payment from the city.
This was not a lie!
Executive session minutes will show that the subpoena was served on the city and the council appropriated $25,000 in attorney fees for the hiring of a special council to make sure the records were provided in a timely manor.
The First Capitol News reported State Representative Tom Dempsey passed legislation in one day that prevented the city from stopping TR Hughes from hooking up his St. Andrews subdivision located outside the city limits to city water and sewers.
This was not a lie!
Records on file with the city and the state government plus later news reports show this was a true story.
A story in the First Capitol News reported that deposed testimony in the investigation of fraud and forgeries in the recall attempts against Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown linked developers to the recall attempts.
This was not a lie!
A copy of the deposed testimony on file in the law office at city hall shows this was a true story.
A series of investigative reports by the First Capitol News told of millions of dollars in campaign money laundering through a large number of committees headed by Thomas Smith, an employee of State representative Tom Dempsey, J of 320 Monroe Street.
This was not a lie!
Reports on file with the Missouri Ethics Commission prove this information was correct.
The First Capitol News reported the recall efforts against Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown were full of fraud and forgeries
This was not a lie!
An investigation by the police department showed this information was correct. Arrests were made and charges issued and more charges are pending by the office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
There are hundreds of similar examples. You can check our archives at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com for additional stories. You will see the First Capitol News publishes the truth. Those who would like to keep the truth hidden from the residents of St. Charles are attempting to discredit this publication. We are standing between them and total dictatorship in their attempts to line their pockets with taxpayer dollars.
Council Kills Engineering Contract For Downtown Parking Garage
By Tony Brockmeyer
Tuesday night the City Council killed item B-1b on the Consent Agenda which would have awarded an engineering contract to HDR for the first phase of a long planned parking garage in Downtown St. Charles. The idea of building more parking had been championed by Second Ward City Councilman Larry Muench in the past as well as the Special Business District (SBD) and Historic Downtown Association (HAD).
Those efforts came to a crashing halt Tuesday evening as the City Council unanimously shot down the engineering contract at the urging of the Mayor and Council President Bob Kneemiller. They argued that there was no money for the project. Previously the Council had set aside future funding in the Capital Improvement Budget (CIP) to address parking problems.
For decades, business owners on North Main Street have complained about a lack of adequate parking. Most vocal in the past has been long-time businessman on North Main, Maurice (Mo) Thro, owner of Thro’s and Michelle’s clothing stores.
Councilman Larry Muench had pushed for a site between First Capitol and Jefferson between North Second Street and the alley to the East. He had envisioned a cooperative agreement between the City, St. Joseph’s SSM Hospital, which owns part of the site, and the corporate business Quilogy, which owns another portion of the site. The preliminary engineering contract with HDR was to determine the size, scale and cost of the project.
Though the project would have been located on the First Ward side of First Capitol, the project received no support from First Ward Councilman Richard Veit, who also voted to kill the parking garage project. While some Council members said they would form another committee to “study” the parking problems of Downtown, one member of the Historic Downtown Association we spoke with, who owns property on Main, said that any hope of parking relief just got setback years. She questioned if Councilmen Veit and Muench knew what they were voting on, or if they were just going along with the Council President and trusting what they were told.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, this property owner observed, ”Some people were afraid this new City Council would be less supportive of Downtown. In the long-term this is really short-sighted. Downtown is the heart of St. Charles. Too many businesses are already struggling to get by.”
Some long-time business owners on the street were shocked to hear of the council’s actions, though they prefer their reactions to remain anonymous for now. “Everyone knows there isn’t enough parking down here. That’s one reason why it is so hard to lease space and why there are so many empty storefronts.”
Specifically cited by some owners were businesses in the 100 block of South Main. “If you are a big business the city finds you parking or leases you space. But if you have a coffee shop or hair salon you are on your own. Nobody cares about small business owners.”
One local attorney and frequent visitor to Downtown said they always had problems trying to find parking to go to Lewis & Clark’s Restaurant. “Even at night you are hard pressed to get a convenient parking space. A garage there would have been great. I’m sorry to hear the City killed the idea.”
Tuesday night the City Council killed item B-1b on the Consent Agenda which would have awarded an engineering contract to HDR for the first phase of a long planned parking garage in Downtown St. Charles. The idea of building more parking had been championed by Second Ward City Councilman Larry Muench in the past as well as the Special Business District (SBD) and Historic Downtown Association (HAD).
Those efforts came to a crashing halt Tuesday evening as the City Council unanimously shot down the engineering contract at the urging of the Mayor and Council President Bob Kneemiller. They argued that there was no money for the project. Previously the Council had set aside future funding in the Capital Improvement Budget (CIP) to address parking problems.
For decades, business owners on North Main Street have complained about a lack of adequate parking. Most vocal in the past has been long-time businessman on North Main, Maurice (Mo) Thro, owner of Thro’s and Michelle’s clothing stores.
Councilman Larry Muench had pushed for a site between First Capitol and Jefferson between North Second Street and the alley to the East. He had envisioned a cooperative agreement between the City, St. Joseph’s SSM Hospital, which owns part of the site, and the corporate business Quilogy, which owns another portion of the site. The preliminary engineering contract with HDR was to determine the size, scale and cost of the project.
Though the project would have been located on the First Ward side of First Capitol, the project received no support from First Ward Councilman Richard Veit, who also voted to kill the parking garage project. While some Council members said they would form another committee to “study” the parking problems of Downtown, one member of the Historic Downtown Association we spoke with, who owns property on Main, said that any hope of parking relief just got setback years. She questioned if Councilmen Veit and Muench knew what they were voting on, or if they were just going along with the Council President and trusting what they were told.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, this property owner observed, ”Some people were afraid this new City Council would be less supportive of Downtown. In the long-term this is really short-sighted. Downtown is the heart of St. Charles. Too many businesses are already struggling to get by.”
Some long-time business owners on the street were shocked to hear of the council’s actions, though they prefer their reactions to remain anonymous for now. “Everyone knows there isn’t enough parking down here. That’s one reason why it is so hard to lease space and why there are so many empty storefronts.”
Specifically cited by some owners were businesses in the 100 block of South Main. “If you are a big business the city finds you parking or leases you space. But if you have a coffee shop or hair salon you are on your own. Nobody cares about small business owners.”
One local attorney and frequent visitor to Downtown said they always had problems trying to find parking to go to Lewis & Clark’s Restaurant. “Even at night you are hard pressed to get a convenient parking space. A garage there would have been great. I’m sorry to hear the City killed the idea.”
RAMBLING WITH The Editor Tony Brockmeyer
WHY DID TIM SWOPE LEAVE AS CHIEF OF POLICE?
Although Tim Swope refuses to make any comments as to why he accepted the severance package from the city and left his job as Chief of Police, the First Capitol News was able to make some interesting discoveries that may shed some light on this situation.
On April 16 Mayor York notified the police department she would be acting as Chief of Police and would be making any decisions related to the police department. An office was to be made available to her and she would be interviewing all employees.
Mayor York ordered Chief Swope to immediately end the police investigation into the fraud and forgeries committed during the Mark Brown recall effort and to forward whatever information he had to St. Charles Prosecuting Attorney Jack Banas.
Mayor York ordered Chief Swope to stop fraternizing with people he went to high school with and people he had worked with in the St. Charles County Sheriff’s office.
Now if you were in Tim Swope’s shoes what would you do?
The Mayor has been quoted as saying that during her campaign the people were more interested in streets and infrastructure than anything else. If that statement was true why then immediately after the election did she settle down in the police department instead of the public works department? Was it because she lied when she said she was not going to fire Chief Swope and his command staff or was it because she was trying to make him uncomfortable enough to leave on his own so she could satisfy the Fraternal Order of Police? You decide!
WE HOLD OUR HEAD UP HIGH!
The old saying “All politics is local” was coined some time ago. That saying is holding true even today. I say this because the new St. Charles administration, which was elected by 55 percent of 16 percent of the voters, has begun to place pressure on those who support this newspaper. Since the days of Watergate the press has taken on a much larger role. It’s the job of the press to keep the politics and the politicians on an even keel. You might say we are supposed to keep them honest. This paper can hold our head up high because that’s what we do. We do it better than the other papers because we are not beholden to the City of St. Charles for advertising funds to produce or distribute our paper.
The other two newspapers distributed in St. Charles but with headquarters out of town each receive in access of $300,000 in advertising per year from the city. The city is most likely one of the biggest accounts. That being said, their stories are often void of any real controversy or comment that would look negatively on the St. Charles administration.
You can’t say that about the First Capitol News. When we see something that’s not right we report on it. This paper has never edited itself based on who gives us advertising. Lindenwood University and Dr. Spellmann was an advertiser and we ran stories when we believed they were doing wrong. Council President Rory Riddler was a contributing columnist and we told him he was wrong with the way he was handling the Frenchtown redevelopment.
Why would a small number of people want to see us go? Simple, control of the press as well as the city gives them total control. If nobody is there to tell you what’s really going on he or she can cheat, steal, and act anyway they want. It’s really simple; they don’t want their actions aired in public because they don’t want the taxpayers to know.
In a recent editorial, written in another publication, the editor attempted to explain why they don’t use anonymous sources in the stories they print. While this was brought to my attention I had to laugh. The biggest stories in our countries recent history have been from anonymous sources. The real reason a paper would refuse to use a source that insists on remaining anonymous is they are afraid to make those in power angry. Sources who refuse to be named usually have a job that can be affected, family to protect or a business that would be in jeopardy. The fact that they have criteria is admirable, most people learn most of that in J-School in the first ten minutes.
Papers who refuse to use or place such scrutiny on why not to use anonymous sources in reality are the cause for the distrust of the current press. They are unable to provide a fair and balanced representation of the truth. Case in point is the fact that Mayor York held a press conference telling people that she did not say she would fire Chief Swope if re-elected. The other papers lack of editorial ethics did not allow for them to print the truth as relayed to them by sources that wished their identities to be withheld. Those voices would not be heard. They only reported what the mayor said. This type of press is much more dangerous than any other. This type of press is not free.
The First Capitol News does keep our sources confidential when they request it. We will continue to do so as we bring you behind the scene news that you won’t find anywhere else. We thank you for being a reader of the First Capitol News and hope that you continue to enjoy our publication.
BURN THE DEBT! WHAT IS THE MONEY REALLY FOR?
We were told that the Mayor recently sent out a couple of hundred e-mail invitations for a “Burn The Debt” party to be held at Bogey Hills Country Club. Our sources told us about 60 people showed up and that nine of the invited 10 councilmen were also present. Councilman Erv Ermeling was not there. Some of the people told us they thought the money was going to the Mayor’s campaign but later found out that any extra would go to TR Hughes in an attempt to pay him back the $58,000 he spent on the recent elections of the mayor and city councilman and his attempt to discredit this newspaper. Maybe he needs the money. An article in the March 23-29 edition of the St. Louis Business Journal reported that T.R. Hughes, Inc. saw its revenue drop about 32 percent last year. T.R. Hughes reported revenue of $59.8 million in 2006, down from nearly 88.8 million in 2005.
The councilmen were told if they had any campaign debt to see Buddy Harden and he would see it was paid. Several councilmen apparently took Hughes up on the offer.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Don’t forget to send in your subscription for home delivery, $20 for six months and $35 for a year. “I saw it in the First Capitol News.” It’s what people are talking about! Home Delivery! Subscribe Today! A self addressed envelope is included inside this paper.
Although Tim Swope refuses to make any comments as to why he accepted the severance package from the city and left his job as Chief of Police, the First Capitol News was able to make some interesting discoveries that may shed some light on this situation.
On April 16 Mayor York notified the police department she would be acting as Chief of Police and would be making any decisions related to the police department. An office was to be made available to her and she would be interviewing all employees.
Mayor York ordered Chief Swope to immediately end the police investigation into the fraud and forgeries committed during the Mark Brown recall effort and to forward whatever information he had to St. Charles Prosecuting Attorney Jack Banas.
Mayor York ordered Chief Swope to stop fraternizing with people he went to high school with and people he had worked with in the St. Charles County Sheriff’s office.
Now if you were in Tim Swope’s shoes what would you do?
The Mayor has been quoted as saying that during her campaign the people were more interested in streets and infrastructure than anything else. If that statement was true why then immediately after the election did she settle down in the police department instead of the public works department? Was it because she lied when she said she was not going to fire Chief Swope and his command staff or was it because she was trying to make him uncomfortable enough to leave on his own so she could satisfy the Fraternal Order of Police? You decide!
WE HOLD OUR HEAD UP HIGH!
The old saying “All politics is local” was coined some time ago. That saying is holding true even today. I say this because the new St. Charles administration, which was elected by 55 percent of 16 percent of the voters, has begun to place pressure on those who support this newspaper. Since the days of Watergate the press has taken on a much larger role. It’s the job of the press to keep the politics and the politicians on an even keel. You might say we are supposed to keep them honest. This paper can hold our head up high because that’s what we do. We do it better than the other papers because we are not beholden to the City of St. Charles for advertising funds to produce or distribute our paper.
The other two newspapers distributed in St. Charles but with headquarters out of town each receive in access of $300,000 in advertising per year from the city. The city is most likely one of the biggest accounts. That being said, their stories are often void of any real controversy or comment that would look negatively on the St. Charles administration.
You can’t say that about the First Capitol News. When we see something that’s not right we report on it. This paper has never edited itself based on who gives us advertising. Lindenwood University and Dr. Spellmann was an advertiser and we ran stories when we believed they were doing wrong. Council President Rory Riddler was a contributing columnist and we told him he was wrong with the way he was handling the Frenchtown redevelopment.
Why would a small number of people want to see us go? Simple, control of the press as well as the city gives them total control. If nobody is there to tell you what’s really going on he or she can cheat, steal, and act anyway they want. It’s really simple; they don’t want their actions aired in public because they don’t want the taxpayers to know.
In a recent editorial, written in another publication, the editor attempted to explain why they don’t use anonymous sources in the stories they print. While this was brought to my attention I had to laugh. The biggest stories in our countries recent history have been from anonymous sources. The real reason a paper would refuse to use a source that insists on remaining anonymous is they are afraid to make those in power angry. Sources who refuse to be named usually have a job that can be affected, family to protect or a business that would be in jeopardy. The fact that they have criteria is admirable, most people learn most of that in J-School in the first ten minutes.
Papers who refuse to use or place such scrutiny on why not to use anonymous sources in reality are the cause for the distrust of the current press. They are unable to provide a fair and balanced representation of the truth. Case in point is the fact that Mayor York held a press conference telling people that she did not say she would fire Chief Swope if re-elected. The other papers lack of editorial ethics did not allow for them to print the truth as relayed to them by sources that wished their identities to be withheld. Those voices would not be heard. They only reported what the mayor said. This type of press is much more dangerous than any other. This type of press is not free.
The First Capitol News does keep our sources confidential when they request it. We will continue to do so as we bring you behind the scene news that you won’t find anywhere else. We thank you for being a reader of the First Capitol News and hope that you continue to enjoy our publication.
BURN THE DEBT! WHAT IS THE MONEY REALLY FOR?
We were told that the Mayor recently sent out a couple of hundred e-mail invitations for a “Burn The Debt” party to be held at Bogey Hills Country Club. Our sources told us about 60 people showed up and that nine of the invited 10 councilmen were also present. Councilman Erv Ermeling was not there. Some of the people told us they thought the money was going to the Mayor’s campaign but later found out that any extra would go to TR Hughes in an attempt to pay him back the $58,000 he spent on the recent elections of the mayor and city councilman and his attempt to discredit this newspaper. Maybe he needs the money. An article in the March 23-29 edition of the St. Louis Business Journal reported that T.R. Hughes, Inc. saw its revenue drop about 32 percent last year. T.R. Hughes reported revenue of $59.8 million in 2006, down from nearly 88.8 million in 2005.
The councilmen were told if they had any campaign debt to see Buddy Harden and he would see it was paid. Several councilmen apparently took Hughes up on the offer.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Don’t forget to send in your subscription for home delivery, $20 for six months and $35 for a year. “I saw it in the First Capitol News.” It’s what people are talking about! Home Delivery! Subscribe Today! A self addressed envelope is included inside this paper.
AN EDITORIAL
INTRODUCING THE SAGA OF TR GEPETO AND PINOCOPATTI
With this issue we are introducing our new editorial cartoons , “The saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti. They will be appearing in editions of the First Capitol News from time to time and we hope you enjoy them.
We offer the following as background to the saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti:
Once upon a time in a village along the banks of a rushing river there lived a greedy, lonely man who thought he should be king. Lets call him TR Gepeto. He believed that all the villagers should bow down and pay him homage because he was very wealthy and he knew what was best for them. However, TR Gepeto had a business that needed his attention and he did not want to dedicate the time necessary to be king. He just wanted the power. This king wannabe tried to make demands upon the governing body of the village that would bring him greater riches but would come out of the pockets of the villagers. Several of the elected officials refused to bend to his wishes. He tried to get some of his lackeys elected by the villagers to the governing body but alas his efforts failed. The members of the governing body believed that what was best for the villagers was more important than what was good for the greedy, lonely TR Gepeto.
He attempted to have the villagers rebel against some members of the governing body and spent thousands and thousands of dollars in doing so. Alas, when the local sheriff discovered fraud, forgeries and deceit, these efforts failed. Some of the lackeys of the wannabe king were even charged with crimes. He tried to get the investigation by the sheriff stopped but when the sheriff refused he started a campaign to have the sheriff removed.
He was also very angry because there was a town crier who refused to do his bidding and each time he tried to slip something past the villagers the town crier alerted them. So the wannabe king brought in his own make-believe town crier in an attempt to discredit the real town crier. But, alas, once again his efforts were fraught with defeat and his make-believe town crier quickly disappeared but not before lauding the work of the real town crier.
Elections were again coming due and the lonely man believed he needed a puppet that could take control of the local government and do his bidding. He was planning on creating such a puppet out of a block of wood he had discovered. But then he had an even better idea. He would find someone who would follow his directions without question and form them into the puppet that he could control and thus take over the village. Enter PinocoPatti.
TR Gepeto believed if he could get a member of the governing body reelected to the top position in the village government, who would bow to his every wish, his dreams for more wealth would be realized. TR Gepeto then spent thousands more dollars promoting his puppet and other candidates whom he could control, in efforts to get them elected to the village governing body. TR Gepeto even created a duplicate of the town crier to spread his lies and distortions so that the villagers would believe it was the real town crier. You see, it was the only way he could get the villagers attention.
Because of the underhanded way he conducted the campaigns of lies, untruths, and deceit the lonely wannabe king, TR Gepeto was successful in taking control of the village board. However, his plan had a weakness. PinocoPatti had a defect. Each time she told a lie her nose would grow longer. Try as he might TR Gepeto was unable to keep PinocoPatti’s nose from growing longer with each lie. This was something he would have to work on.
But in the meantime, TR Gepeto angered some of his lackeys when an attempt was made to have them reimburse him for the thousands of dollars he had spent on his takeover campaign. Maybe the king was not as wealthy as he would have all the villagers believe.
Be sure to follow the continued adventures of the saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti in future edition of the First Capitol News.
The saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti is offered as a parody and any similarity to any persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
THE EDITOR
With this issue we are introducing our new editorial cartoons , “The saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti. They will be appearing in editions of the First Capitol News from time to time and we hope you enjoy them.
We offer the following as background to the saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti:
Once upon a time in a village along the banks of a rushing river there lived a greedy, lonely man who thought he should be king. Lets call him TR Gepeto. He believed that all the villagers should bow down and pay him homage because he was very wealthy and he knew what was best for them. However, TR Gepeto had a business that needed his attention and he did not want to dedicate the time necessary to be king. He just wanted the power. This king wannabe tried to make demands upon the governing body of the village that would bring him greater riches but would come out of the pockets of the villagers. Several of the elected officials refused to bend to his wishes. He tried to get some of his lackeys elected by the villagers to the governing body but alas his efforts failed. The members of the governing body believed that what was best for the villagers was more important than what was good for the greedy, lonely TR Gepeto.
He attempted to have the villagers rebel against some members of the governing body and spent thousands and thousands of dollars in doing so. Alas, when the local sheriff discovered fraud, forgeries and deceit, these efforts failed. Some of the lackeys of the wannabe king were even charged with crimes. He tried to get the investigation by the sheriff stopped but when the sheriff refused he started a campaign to have the sheriff removed.
He was also very angry because there was a town crier who refused to do his bidding and each time he tried to slip something past the villagers the town crier alerted them. So the wannabe king brought in his own make-believe town crier in an attempt to discredit the real town crier. But, alas, once again his efforts were fraught with defeat and his make-believe town crier quickly disappeared but not before lauding the work of the real town crier.
Elections were again coming due and the lonely man believed he needed a puppet that could take control of the local government and do his bidding. He was planning on creating such a puppet out of a block of wood he had discovered. But then he had an even better idea. He would find someone who would follow his directions without question and form them into the puppet that he could control and thus take over the village. Enter PinocoPatti.
TR Gepeto believed if he could get a member of the governing body reelected to the top position in the village government, who would bow to his every wish, his dreams for more wealth would be realized. TR Gepeto then spent thousands more dollars promoting his puppet and other candidates whom he could control, in efforts to get them elected to the village governing body. TR Gepeto even created a duplicate of the town crier to spread his lies and distortions so that the villagers would believe it was the real town crier. You see, it was the only way he could get the villagers attention.
Because of the underhanded way he conducted the campaigns of lies, untruths, and deceit the lonely wannabe king, TR Gepeto was successful in taking control of the village board. However, his plan had a weakness. PinocoPatti had a defect. Each time she told a lie her nose would grow longer. Try as he might TR Gepeto was unable to keep PinocoPatti’s nose from growing longer with each lie. This was something he would have to work on.
But in the meantime, TR Gepeto angered some of his lackeys when an attempt was made to have them reimburse him for the thousands of dollars he had spent on his takeover campaign. Maybe the king was not as wealthy as he would have all the villagers believe.
Be sure to follow the continued adventures of the saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti in future edition of the First Capitol News.
The saga of TR Gepeto and PinocoPatti is offered as a parody and any similarity to any persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
THE EDITOR
Commentary From The Publisher - Phyllis Schaltenbrand
Rubber Stamp Council Busy Fulfilling Pledge To Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
It seems the highest priority among the majority of new City Councilmembers is to not ask too many questions and to not tell people what they are doing.
Our sources tell us that Third Ward Councilwoman Laurie Feldman was particularly upset that news of the Council’s support for buying out former Police Chief Tim Swope’s contract leaked out. Not upset that she voted for it, mind you, just upset that the public found out how she voted. She berated her fellow Councilmembers over leaks to the press.
Here are some recent examples of the new Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell policy at City Hall:
DON’T ASK
Council supports legislation to “give away” to a citizens committee appointed by the Mayor, the power to set your water and sewer rates and to give out tens of millions of dollars worth of contracts for sewer and water plant upgrades and line extensions.
They just want to RUBBER STAMP the actions of these unelected citizens and blame them when your rates go up. Almost every new Councilmember ran on a platform pledging to not raise any taxes or rates. If our sewer and water rates go up, these Councilmembers will have broken their pledges to you. They are desperately looking for a third party to let them off the hook. We at the First Capitol News don’t intend to.
The Council, also, voted to give the Mayor supreme authority to hire interim department directors without any vote of approval of the Council. In other words, this Council couldn’t even be bothered to deliberate and vote on the merits of a nominee of the Mayor.
DON’T TELL
The majority of City Councilmembers supported a “gag” rule as a condition for the buyout of former Police Chief Tim Swope so that he could not comment on the details of his leaving. These are not the actions of people who support open government.
Their actions, in supporting the Mayor’s buyout of Swope’s contract cost every taxpayer of this City. One of the first votes of these new Councilmembers (with the exception of Erv Ermeling who abstained) was to WASTE $150,000 of your hard earned tax dollars! They might as well have stacked up $150,000 in the middle of the street and burned it!
DON’T CARE
First Ward Councilman Richard Veit epitomized the attitude of the slate of candidates elected to give unquestioning support to the Mayor by millionaire developer T. R. Hughes when he said at a recent Council meeting that he wasn’t elected to be “Mayor” of the First Ward, but to be part of a “collective” body.
He didn’t use the word “deliberative” body where representatives would think and act for themselves. He said collective body; a hive mentality where everyone thinks and acts the same and does what they are told.
It seems the highest priority among the majority of new City Councilmembers is to not ask too many questions and to not tell people what they are doing.
Our sources tell us that Third Ward Councilwoman Laurie Feldman was particularly upset that news of the Council’s support for buying out former Police Chief Tim Swope’s contract leaked out. Not upset that she voted for it, mind you, just upset that the public found out how she voted. She berated her fellow Councilmembers over leaks to the press.
Here are some recent examples of the new Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell policy at City Hall:
DON’T ASK
Council supports legislation to “give away” to a citizens committee appointed by the Mayor, the power to set your water and sewer rates and to give out tens of millions of dollars worth of contracts for sewer and water plant upgrades and line extensions.
They just want to RUBBER STAMP the actions of these unelected citizens and blame them when your rates go up. Almost every new Councilmember ran on a platform pledging to not raise any taxes or rates. If our sewer and water rates go up, these Councilmembers will have broken their pledges to you. They are desperately looking for a third party to let them off the hook. We at the First Capitol News don’t intend to.
The Council, also, voted to give the Mayor supreme authority to hire interim department directors without any vote of approval of the Council. In other words, this Council couldn’t even be bothered to deliberate and vote on the merits of a nominee of the Mayor.
DON’T TELL
The majority of City Councilmembers supported a “gag” rule as a condition for the buyout of former Police Chief Tim Swope so that he could not comment on the details of his leaving. These are not the actions of people who support open government.
Their actions, in supporting the Mayor’s buyout of Swope’s contract cost every taxpayer of this City. One of the first votes of these new Councilmembers (with the exception of Erv Ermeling who abstained) was to WASTE $150,000 of your hard earned tax dollars! They might as well have stacked up $150,000 in the middle of the street and burned it!
DON’T CARE
First Ward Councilman Richard Veit epitomized the attitude of the slate of candidates elected to give unquestioning support to the Mayor by millionaire developer T. R. Hughes when he said at a recent Council meeting that he wasn’t elected to be “Mayor” of the First Ward, but to be part of a “collective” body.
He didn’t use the word “deliberative” body where representatives would think and act for themselves. He said collective body; a hive mentality where everyone thinks and acts the same and does what they are told.
CASE IN POINT by Joe Koester
None are so hopelessly enslaved, as those who falsely believe they are free. The truth has been kept from the depth of their minds by masters who rule them with lies. They feed them on falsehoods till wrong looks like right in their eyes.
Johann von Goethe
On City Politics: If you have kept abreast of city politics then you probably know that money set aside for each ward, but not yet spent, may in fact, go back into the general budget. Certainly, this is a poor decision considering some wards have had the benefit of this money while others have not.
In Ward 9, money was already set aside for a public improvement project at the corner of Duchesne and Droste Roads; for the replacement of all stop signs in the ward (as well as a few in Ward 10 that are at split intersections); for a retaining wall at James Drive and Droste; and for at least seven street lights in High Prairie Subdivision. Ward 9 deserves to have this investment fulfilled. Hopefully, those concerned will fight for our ward and make certain that this money, already earmarked for improvements to our neighborhoods, actually goes to these projects and does not allow it to go back into the general fund.
Another story out of Ward 9, and more specifically, my own neighborhood, concerns itself with a business being established within a residential area that many surrounding residents opposed. The business permit was given with opposition coming from two council members – including Stivison’s vote. Certainly, if the proper communication had been made prior to the council meeting, the representation for the ward could have stopped this from moving forward. You see, whenever something concerns solely one ward, council members will communicate their wishes for their area since they should know it best. Before the council meeting even happens, you begin taking up your cause with others on council. Whenever a symbolic vote is cast, it usually is a way of having your cake and eating it too. For many readers this particular small matter is meaningless, however, when the issue is in your own back yard, you may well see things differently. Unfortunately, many politicians play this game and their own constituents end up the losers.
Three exciting developments along West Clay will hopefully continue unabated in the coming months including: the completion of the old Clinic site (commercial and residential usage); the groundbreaking of the development behind the Jack-in-the-Box that will become a senior housing development; and finally, the redevelopment of First Capitol Drive from the water tower to I-70. This last development is crucial to our town’s financial well being. Our city currently suffers from a less-than-desirable image as you enter from I-70 and 94. This one development area, I believe, could be the most important piece of the puzzle to be redeveloped and quite literally, I think it would solidify redevelopment throughout the City. This location is after all, the core of our town. A new entrance to our City at First Capitol Drive could lift the perception of our entire community as certainly as it currently detracts from our community now.
There is a study being conducted on the feasibility of streetcars in town. If this does move forward, I think that our town needs to take a serious look at making one of the stops at Lindenwood University at First Capitol and Boone (at the planned redevelopment site) as well as at the water tower (site of planned redevelopment). The route could be something like this: New Town/ Charlestowne / Main Street / Convention Center / water tower / Lindenwood University / Back to Main Street... this, of course, if the study shows that the plan is even feasible.
Johann von Goethe
On City Politics: If you have kept abreast of city politics then you probably know that money set aside for each ward, but not yet spent, may in fact, go back into the general budget. Certainly, this is a poor decision considering some wards have had the benefit of this money while others have not.
In Ward 9, money was already set aside for a public improvement project at the corner of Duchesne and Droste Roads; for the replacement of all stop signs in the ward (as well as a few in Ward 10 that are at split intersections); for a retaining wall at James Drive and Droste; and for at least seven street lights in High Prairie Subdivision. Ward 9 deserves to have this investment fulfilled. Hopefully, those concerned will fight for our ward and make certain that this money, already earmarked for improvements to our neighborhoods, actually goes to these projects and does not allow it to go back into the general fund.
Another story out of Ward 9, and more specifically, my own neighborhood, concerns itself with a business being established within a residential area that many surrounding residents opposed. The business permit was given with opposition coming from two council members – including Stivison’s vote. Certainly, if the proper communication had been made prior to the council meeting, the representation for the ward could have stopped this from moving forward. You see, whenever something concerns solely one ward, council members will communicate their wishes for their area since they should know it best. Before the council meeting even happens, you begin taking up your cause with others on council. Whenever a symbolic vote is cast, it usually is a way of having your cake and eating it too. For many readers this particular small matter is meaningless, however, when the issue is in your own back yard, you may well see things differently. Unfortunately, many politicians play this game and their own constituents end up the losers.
Three exciting developments along West Clay will hopefully continue unabated in the coming months including: the completion of the old Clinic site (commercial and residential usage); the groundbreaking of the development behind the Jack-in-the-Box that will become a senior housing development; and finally, the redevelopment of First Capitol Drive from the water tower to I-70. This last development is crucial to our town’s financial well being. Our city currently suffers from a less-than-desirable image as you enter from I-70 and 94. This one development area, I believe, could be the most important piece of the puzzle to be redeveloped and quite literally, I think it would solidify redevelopment throughout the City. This location is after all, the core of our town. A new entrance to our City at First Capitol Drive could lift the perception of our entire community as certainly as it currently detracts from our community now.
There is a study being conducted on the feasibility of streetcars in town. If this does move forward, I think that our town needs to take a serious look at making one of the stops at Lindenwood University at First Capitol and Boone (at the planned redevelopment site) as well as at the water tower (site of planned redevelopment). The route could be something like this: New Town/ Charlestowne / Main Street / Convention Center / water tower / Lindenwood University / Back to Main Street... this, of course, if the study shows that the plan is even feasible.
The View From The Cheap Seats by Jerry Hafferkamp
The View From The Cheap Seats
By Jerry Haferkamp
“What the heck is she doing”? That’s the question reverberating all around the city. The mayor’s supporters are asking about her slash and burn at City Hall. Many of those who voted for her are surprised. Those who didn’t aren’t. We know her better than her supporters do. Like the proverbial horse led to water, we led you to the truth, you just wouldn’t drink.
I look to more surprises for the 55% of you that voted for her.
Look for the former Director of Tourism to make his return. I could only hope that when he does, this time he will abide by our ordinances. Exhibiting at least a small amount of common sense and intelligence wouldn’t hurt, either.
Look for the return of the “Top Cop”. There is an attachment there I can’t put into words. I know at the council meeting where Patti named him her “Top Cop”, she appeared as if someone was going to have to revive her. Now we can understand why she has an office in the Justice Center. We won’t have to look for a new Chief of Police. The Fraternal Order of Police will run our police department, thank you.
Look to the various boards to consist of residents who don’t breathe unless this mayor tells them they may. If she can’t get residents that will do her bidding, she’ll use non-residents. She has shown this trait in the past.
She can now dare to show her true self. She no longer needs the voters. She has this temporary position until Tom Dempsey steps down and the political machine anoints her as your State Representative. (At this point, it should be noted that the Republican machine is not doing anything the Democrat Party machine wouldn’t do). By the time she needs your votes again, many of us will have passed on and most of the rest will have forgotten the dishonesty. She is doing a quick “slash and burn” and hope most of it is forgotten by the next time she needs to use you.
Only the City Council can put the brakes on this runaway train, but so far has only given York the fast track. There are three on the council who may have not promised to drink the Kool-Aid, but seven are locked to the mayor.
The mayor now has full and unstoppable control. She has so much staff she doesn’t even have to get out of bed, and she’ll be adding more. That way, when the stuff hits the fan, she will have someone onto whom she can pin the blame. No blame sticks to Teflon Patti.
Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
By the way. I recently asked Tom Dempsey how he was coming along with having the T.R.Hughes law removed. (That’s the anti-resident law that benefits one campaign contributor.) He replied that he is trying to identify a piece of legislation to which he can attach the bill. It surely didn’t take this long to get his buddy’s bill passed into law. Maybe we need to send him a large campaign donation to get activity.
The old council should have started legal action to have it removed.
This council never will.
That’s the view from the cheap seats.
By Jerry Haferkamp
“What the heck is she doing”? That’s the question reverberating all around the city. The mayor’s supporters are asking about her slash and burn at City Hall. Many of those who voted for her are surprised. Those who didn’t aren’t. We know her better than her supporters do. Like the proverbial horse led to water, we led you to the truth, you just wouldn’t drink.
I look to more surprises for the 55% of you that voted for her.
Look for the former Director of Tourism to make his return. I could only hope that when he does, this time he will abide by our ordinances. Exhibiting at least a small amount of common sense and intelligence wouldn’t hurt, either.
Look for the return of the “Top Cop”. There is an attachment there I can’t put into words. I know at the council meeting where Patti named him her “Top Cop”, she appeared as if someone was going to have to revive her. Now we can understand why she has an office in the Justice Center. We won’t have to look for a new Chief of Police. The Fraternal Order of Police will run our police department, thank you.
Look to the various boards to consist of residents who don’t breathe unless this mayor tells them they may. If she can’t get residents that will do her bidding, she’ll use non-residents. She has shown this trait in the past.
She can now dare to show her true self. She no longer needs the voters. She has this temporary position until Tom Dempsey steps down and the political machine anoints her as your State Representative. (At this point, it should be noted that the Republican machine is not doing anything the Democrat Party machine wouldn’t do). By the time she needs your votes again, many of us will have passed on and most of the rest will have forgotten the dishonesty. She is doing a quick “slash and burn” and hope most of it is forgotten by the next time she needs to use you.
Only the City Council can put the brakes on this runaway train, but so far has only given York the fast track. There are three on the council who may have not promised to drink the Kool-Aid, but seven are locked to the mayor.
The mayor now has full and unstoppable control. She has so much staff she doesn’t even have to get out of bed, and she’ll be adding more. That way, when the stuff hits the fan, she will have someone onto whom she can pin the blame. No blame sticks to Teflon Patti.
Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
By the way. I recently asked Tom Dempsey how he was coming along with having the T.R.Hughes law removed. (That’s the anti-resident law that benefits one campaign contributor.) He replied that he is trying to identify a piece of legislation to which he can attach the bill. It surely didn’t take this long to get his buddy’s bill passed into law. Maybe we need to send him a large campaign donation to get activity.
The old council should have started legal action to have it removed.
This council never will.
That’s the view from the cheap seats.
THE PEOPLE SPEAK - Letters To The Editor
Dear Tony,
The police department is made up of three factions. The Fraternal order of Police, The St. Charles City Police Organization, and the independent police who belong to neither. I know as a retired teacher that school districts had trouble negotiating if there was more than one union. The teachers could either have NEA or MSTA but not both! It’s a miracle to me how they can run that department with three factions. Chief Swope did it and is a hero for the effort.
In the next segment of the letter I am going to pretend I’m like Bill O’Reilly.
These are the facts of the case as I read them are heard them. I will announce a score for the Mayor at then end of each fact.
Fact 1. The Mayor parked her Lexus in the parking lot. True.
Fact 2. She commandeered an office in the building. True.
Fact 3. Told the assembled police she was the police chief while she was there. This is true but she denied. Score PI.
Fact 4. She countermanded all of Chief Swope’s orders. True but she denied claim. Score N.
Fact 5. She called all of the women into “her office” one at a time to ask about sexual harassment. True but she again denied. Score OC.
Fact 6. Gave order to police. Chief Swope was completely out of the loop. He had no control. True but she denied. Score HI.
She stayed 1 1⁄2 weeks. It was total chaos. True but she denied. Score O.
Let me see. Each denial is worth 4 inches. Our Mayor’s nose grew 16 inches. She has out done Pinocchio!!!!
Jane Horning
Dear Editor,
I read your article about Chief Swope with a heavy heart. This young man was a tremendous asset to the City of St. Charles and should have been kept. I say should have been kept because if this was a truly mutual agreement than there wouldn’t be a need for a gag order incorporated into the contract that was signed. I find it amusing that the Mayor would force the Chief out one day then dismantle the upper management of the department the next. “It’s a package deal” looks to be exactly that, a “package deal”. I do feel betrayed by the Post and the Journal for their lack of journalistic ethic in dealing with the Mayor and her statements. They now know the Mayor lied to them and the public, to top it off the Post still perpetuates the lie with the last article about the Chiefs dismissal. Thanks for keeping us informed, and
congratulations on another scoop of the other two papers.
Best Regards,
B. Williams
There goes the neighborhood – but maybe not
Dear Tony,
The “celebration” of the closing of Benton Elementary is premature, since a couple of people had petitions to keep Benton open as a school during the event. And people were signing them. The board will be asked to rescind its decision to close Benton.
In general, people are eager to sign the petitions. Keeping our core neighborhood schools open is easily the most popular idea in town, at least north of I-70. People say, “You bet I do!” when asked if they would like to sign. Or, “I was hoping somebody would get a petition going!” It’s beyond politics. Since joining the “Keep Historic Benton School Teaching” campaign, I’ve also heard how distressed people still are at the closing of Blackhurst. Yet the school district plans to close all the elementary and middle schools, eventually. And build a big box school somewhere? Or privatize the schools?
The only people who won’t sign the Benton petition are connected to the district, or working for the “competition,” private schools. (Speaking of which, school board member Karen Perrone is the business manager for the Academy of the Sacred Heart. And Donna Towers works for Lindenwood, a private university that brokers its own real estate transactions.)
Closing neighborhood schools is an idea that was probably dreamed up when gas was much cheaper. Because, thanks to concern over climate change and rising gas prices, the latest trend in living is the old-fashioned neighborhood, with shopping, restaurants, schools, and services within walking and biking distance. Other cities have embraced the concept. And so has St. Charles, with New Town.
We now know that the school district has the money to justify leaving things as they are, and yes, there are enough students. There is no public support for closing the schools. Some Coverdell School parents are even considering a petition to keep all the “extra” kids out. I’d sign it!
Three school board members will be up for election next spring. I’m not going to speculate why the board chose to treat school children like commodities, and attempt a hostile takeover of the school and, by proxy, our core neighborhoods. However, if I were those board members about to run for office, I’d be thinking, “Wow! We’ve created a public relations nightmare.”
Luckily, they have the power to end it any time, now.
Sincerely,
Peggy Whetzel
The police department is made up of three factions. The Fraternal order of Police, The St. Charles City Police Organization, and the independent police who belong to neither. I know as a retired teacher that school districts had trouble negotiating if there was more than one union. The teachers could either have NEA or MSTA but not both! It’s a miracle to me how they can run that department with three factions. Chief Swope did it and is a hero for the effort.
In the next segment of the letter I am going to pretend I’m like Bill O’Reilly.
These are the facts of the case as I read them are heard them. I will announce a score for the Mayor at then end of each fact.
Fact 1. The Mayor parked her Lexus in the parking lot. True.
Fact 2. She commandeered an office in the building. True.
Fact 3. Told the assembled police she was the police chief while she was there. This is true but she denied. Score PI.
Fact 4. She countermanded all of Chief Swope’s orders. True but she denied claim. Score N.
Fact 5. She called all of the women into “her office” one at a time to ask about sexual harassment. True but she again denied. Score OC.
Fact 6. Gave order to police. Chief Swope was completely out of the loop. He had no control. True but she denied. Score HI.
She stayed 1 1⁄2 weeks. It was total chaos. True but she denied. Score O.
Let me see. Each denial is worth 4 inches. Our Mayor’s nose grew 16 inches. She has out done Pinocchio!!!!
Jane Horning
Dear Editor,
I read your article about Chief Swope with a heavy heart. This young man was a tremendous asset to the City of St. Charles and should have been kept. I say should have been kept because if this was a truly mutual agreement than there wouldn’t be a need for a gag order incorporated into the contract that was signed. I find it amusing that the Mayor would force the Chief out one day then dismantle the upper management of the department the next. “It’s a package deal” looks to be exactly that, a “package deal”. I do feel betrayed by the Post and the Journal for their lack of journalistic ethic in dealing with the Mayor and her statements. They now know the Mayor lied to them and the public, to top it off the Post still perpetuates the lie with the last article about the Chiefs dismissal. Thanks for keeping us informed, and
congratulations on another scoop of the other two papers.
Best Regards,
B. Williams
There goes the neighborhood – but maybe not
Dear Tony,
The “celebration” of the closing of Benton Elementary is premature, since a couple of people had petitions to keep Benton open as a school during the event. And people were signing them. The board will be asked to rescind its decision to close Benton.
In general, people are eager to sign the petitions. Keeping our core neighborhood schools open is easily the most popular idea in town, at least north of I-70. People say, “You bet I do!” when asked if they would like to sign. Or, “I was hoping somebody would get a petition going!” It’s beyond politics. Since joining the “Keep Historic Benton School Teaching” campaign, I’ve also heard how distressed people still are at the closing of Blackhurst. Yet the school district plans to close all the elementary and middle schools, eventually. And build a big box school somewhere? Or privatize the schools?
The only people who won’t sign the Benton petition are connected to the district, or working for the “competition,” private schools. (Speaking of which, school board member Karen Perrone is the business manager for the Academy of the Sacred Heart. And Donna Towers works for Lindenwood, a private university that brokers its own real estate transactions.)
Closing neighborhood schools is an idea that was probably dreamed up when gas was much cheaper. Because, thanks to concern over climate change and rising gas prices, the latest trend in living is the old-fashioned neighborhood, with shopping, restaurants, schools, and services within walking and biking distance. Other cities have embraced the concept. And so has St. Charles, with New Town.
We now know that the school district has the money to justify leaving things as they are, and yes, there are enough students. There is no public support for closing the schools. Some Coverdell School parents are even considering a petition to keep all the “extra” kids out. I’d sign it!
Three school board members will be up for election next spring. I’m not going to speculate why the board chose to treat school children like commodities, and attempt a hostile takeover of the school and, by proxy, our core neighborhoods. However, if I were those board members about to run for office, I’d be thinking, “Wow! We’ve created a public relations nightmare.”
Luckily, they have the power to end it any time, now.
Sincerely,
Peggy Whetzel
THE CITY DESK - Rory Riddler
Cow Bell Rattle Is Call-To-Arms At High School Event
Now I know why they don’t serve beer at High School sporting events.
But I’ve gotten ahead of myself.
Let’s start with how a cow bell came to be at the center of a near death defying trip to a high school sporting event. In retrospect I should have been expecting trouble. We all know how rowdy the crowds can get at women’s junior varsity soccer events.
It was the last away game on one of the few sunny days of the 24 game season. As a soccer dad coming from a parochial school background, it had taken me most of the season to get use to the more aggressive physical contact on the field between players. But some fans at one area high school seemed prepared to extend that physical contact to those sitting in the stands as well.
To protect the innocent let’s just say the game was held at a fictional school I’ll call Wort Zumfalt North. That should throw the lawyers off.
The game was held on what had to have been a practice field at best. The stands are set into the side of what looked like a levee with a moat between us and a track. Then there was a second “drainage ditch” between the track and the field.
The problem is that the out of bounds line was at the bottom of this inner moat, so that approximately three feet of playing area, on both sides of the field, are at a 45 degree angle.
How this passes anyone’s safety regulations is beyond my comprehension. Players are expected to be running flat out to stop a ball at the line only to have the earth drop out from under them. There were plenty of falls, the cause of which was “painfully” obvious to everyone. Despite this badly engineered excuse for a trip to the ER, the game went on.
One of the St. Charles parents, brought an innocent looking cow bell to the game. This they had occasion to ring when our team would score. Though ring isn’t quite the right word for a cow bell. It’s more like a clacking or clunking.
Though not used incessantly or in what I thought of as an offensive manner, the cow bell nonetheless engendered the most hostile feelings from supporters of the home team. It began with a woman yelling at the owner of the cow bell if he knew how “blinkity-blank” annoying that thing was. Gee, I bet it never crossed his mind and thanks for sharing that.
A while later she pressed the point by threatening to call the police as she felt there must be an ordinance against ringing a cow bell in public.
Let’s see. I have a set of O’Fallon ordinances here in my pocket. Cow tipping seems to be a definite infraction. Cow chip throwing from a moving vehicle seems to be prohibited as well. Nope, nothing about cow bells.
Of course the grousing only encouraged louder vocalization in support of good plays by the St. Charles team. That’s when one Wort Zumfalt North fan lost it.
His arms covered in tattoos, a Wort Zumfalt North fan turned around and yelled to the exuberant St. Charles fan that he should shut the @#%! up. That’s when the two coaches and the girls on the bench slowly turned around to watch the fans in the stand instead of the game on the field.
Now in his defense, this St. Charles fan had only been yelling positive encouragement for his own team and had not booed or said anything disparaging about the other team. But being the bearer of the cow bell made him a singular target for the wrath of the opposing team’s overly aggressive fans.
The verbal exchange that erupted between these individuals gave me momentary pause to note the nearest exits. I had almost settled on who to use for a human shield, when a moment of sanity broke out. An older and wiser Wort Zumfalt North fan tapped the tattooed man on the arm with some timely advice. She pointed out the disparity in the relative height and weight between this fan and the man he was challenging.
The now famous Battle of the Cow Bell was over. The crisis had been averted. We all made it out of Wort Zumfalt North alive. Sure there is the battle fatigue to deal with, the waking up in the middle of the night screaming for someone to save the cow bell, but we won and that’s what high school sports is all about anyway.
Of course, for fans of Saturday Night Live this incident is a great example of life imitating art. Comedic actor Will Ferrell once played a character in a sketch who rang a cow bell at the drop of a hat. When others expressed their annoyance, his punch line was, “I’ve got a fever and the only thing that will cure it is…more cow bell!”
I half expected to wake up the next day and read in the newspaper, “Entire City of O’Fallon Awoken At 5 PM By Cow Bell – Police Seek Suspect.”
Now I know why they don’t serve beer at High School sporting events.
But I’ve gotten ahead of myself.
Let’s start with how a cow bell came to be at the center of a near death defying trip to a high school sporting event. In retrospect I should have been expecting trouble. We all know how rowdy the crowds can get at women’s junior varsity soccer events.
It was the last away game on one of the few sunny days of the 24 game season. As a soccer dad coming from a parochial school background, it had taken me most of the season to get use to the more aggressive physical contact on the field between players. But some fans at one area high school seemed prepared to extend that physical contact to those sitting in the stands as well.
To protect the innocent let’s just say the game was held at a fictional school I’ll call Wort Zumfalt North. That should throw the lawyers off.
The game was held on what had to have been a practice field at best. The stands are set into the side of what looked like a levee with a moat between us and a track. Then there was a second “drainage ditch” between the track and the field.
The problem is that the out of bounds line was at the bottom of this inner moat, so that approximately three feet of playing area, on both sides of the field, are at a 45 degree angle.
How this passes anyone’s safety regulations is beyond my comprehension. Players are expected to be running flat out to stop a ball at the line only to have the earth drop out from under them. There were plenty of falls, the cause of which was “painfully” obvious to everyone. Despite this badly engineered excuse for a trip to the ER, the game went on.
One of the St. Charles parents, brought an innocent looking cow bell to the game. This they had occasion to ring when our team would score. Though ring isn’t quite the right word for a cow bell. It’s more like a clacking or clunking.
Though not used incessantly or in what I thought of as an offensive manner, the cow bell nonetheless engendered the most hostile feelings from supporters of the home team. It began with a woman yelling at the owner of the cow bell if he knew how “blinkity-blank” annoying that thing was. Gee, I bet it never crossed his mind and thanks for sharing that.
A while later she pressed the point by threatening to call the police as she felt there must be an ordinance against ringing a cow bell in public.
Let’s see. I have a set of O’Fallon ordinances here in my pocket. Cow tipping seems to be a definite infraction. Cow chip throwing from a moving vehicle seems to be prohibited as well. Nope, nothing about cow bells.
Of course the grousing only encouraged louder vocalization in support of good plays by the St. Charles team. That’s when one Wort Zumfalt North fan lost it.
His arms covered in tattoos, a Wort Zumfalt North fan turned around and yelled to the exuberant St. Charles fan that he should shut the @#%! up. That’s when the two coaches and the girls on the bench slowly turned around to watch the fans in the stand instead of the game on the field.
Now in his defense, this St. Charles fan had only been yelling positive encouragement for his own team and had not booed or said anything disparaging about the other team. But being the bearer of the cow bell made him a singular target for the wrath of the opposing team’s overly aggressive fans.
The verbal exchange that erupted between these individuals gave me momentary pause to note the nearest exits. I had almost settled on who to use for a human shield, when a moment of sanity broke out. An older and wiser Wort Zumfalt North fan tapped the tattooed man on the arm with some timely advice. She pointed out the disparity in the relative height and weight between this fan and the man he was challenging.
The now famous Battle of the Cow Bell was over. The crisis had been averted. We all made it out of Wort Zumfalt North alive. Sure there is the battle fatigue to deal with, the waking up in the middle of the night screaming for someone to save the cow bell, but we won and that’s what high school sports is all about anyway.
Of course, for fans of Saturday Night Live this incident is a great example of life imitating art. Comedic actor Will Ferrell once played a character in a sketch who rang a cow bell at the drop of a hat. When others expressed their annoyance, his punch line was, “I’ve got a fever and the only thing that will cure it is…more cow bell!”
I half expected to wake up the next day and read in the newspaper, “Entire City of O’Fallon Awoken At 5 PM By Cow Bell – Police Seek Suspect.”
Electric Light Rail May Be Coming To St. Charles
Photos & Story by Tony Brockmeyer
New Town At St. Charles Acquires 11 Streetcars
The streetcars pictured above are from a group of eleven which were recently acquired by Greg Whittaker, the developer of New Town at St. Charles and The Plaza at Noah’s Ark. Trucked in on flat beds from Lake Tahoe California it is planned that the vehicles will be refurbished to a like new condition and used throughout New Town. Possible uses include an old-fashioned diner, café, sushi bar or bookstore.
A trolley transportation committee was approved by the previous city council and a study is being conducted on the feasibility of using some of the cars on rails from New Town, to Main Street in downtown St. Charles, to the Casino, the Plaza at Noah’s Ark and then to the St. Charles Convention Center. Maybe to the hospital and Lindenwood University.
Originally built in St. Louis between 1937 and 1946 the streetcars were used daily in St. Louis for 20 years. Their next 20 years were spent in San Francisco where they worked until they were finally retired in 1982.
According to Tim Busse, the New Town architect, this has been a dream of Greg Whittaker who he described as not only a dreamer but a doer.
New Town At St. Charles Acquires 11 Streetcars
The streetcars pictured above are from a group of eleven which were recently acquired by Greg Whittaker, the developer of New Town at St. Charles and The Plaza at Noah’s Ark. Trucked in on flat beds from Lake Tahoe California it is planned that the vehicles will be refurbished to a like new condition and used throughout New Town. Possible uses include an old-fashioned diner, café, sushi bar or bookstore.
A trolley transportation committee was approved by the previous city council and a study is being conducted on the feasibility of using some of the cars on rails from New Town, to Main Street in downtown St. Charles, to the Casino, the Plaza at Noah’s Ark and then to the St. Charles Convention Center. Maybe to the hospital and Lindenwood University.
Originally built in St. Louis between 1937 and 1946 the streetcars were used daily in St. Louis for 20 years. Their next 20 years were spent in San Francisco where they worked until they were finally retired in 1982.
According to Tim Busse, the New Town architect, this has been a dream of Greg Whittaker who he described as not only a dreamer but a doer.
First Capitol News Sports - Mike McMurran Sports Editor
A couple of house cleaning duties: yes I really did have surgery, on my left rotator cuff. I’m back to work, but Mother Nature has a way of getting even with us all. Over the years I’ve had a number of different surgeries, remember, I used to be a pretty good football player. I’d be down from the anesthesia for a day at longest, and pretty much back on my feet with 5 to 7 days. Once I had my knee cut open as opposed to “scoped,” and it took maybe a month to get back to normal. I suspect because I am now 52 instead of 25, my recovery is taking much, much longer. At least that is what the physical therapists are telling me. “You’ll be back to normal in no time,” is the usual response. From what I can best tell, “no time” might just be as long as 2 to 3 months. Such is life.
This will be the last comment from me on April’s election, I promise. A number of my friends have approached me and said, “sure, I voted for you, but Democrats just can’t win in St. Charles. If you want to have any political future in St. Charles you are going to have to change to Republican.” I guess some of my friends just don’t know me as well as they should. I believe the philosophy of the Democratic Party – I cannot go against what I believe in just to get elected. That’s just not me! My recent on the job injury (I fell on the ice at school on February 15) makes me an even stronger Democrat. As I mentioned, it seems I am going to have to have months of physical therapy to get my shoulder back to par. I’m on light duty at school so I pretty much simply file papers and answer the phones – busy work, if you will. Originally I had my therapies scheduled during school hours – after all, it was a work related injury, why not use work time?
Well, as it was explained to me, one of the first pieces of legislation our boy governor pushed for was Workman’s Compensation reform. The legislation and reform require that if injured on the job you must go to any and all therapy AFTER work hours! As I explained to the insurance company, “ I pick my kids up from school; my wife doesn’t get off work until 6 p.m. – how am I to juggle that?” “Not our problem,” is all they could say. I pretty much plan my days, weeks and months from August until May – lining up after school care, working around my kid’s baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball and football games. Any regular reader of this column knows how hectic my schedule is! “If you miss therapy it simply tells us you don’t care about receiving the proper medical attention. Be there or else!” The last sentence is not an embellishment – that is precisely what they said. “Be there or else.” So much for trying to get me to go to the other side. The policies of republican’s have directly had a negative impact on my family. They talk about things such as “family values,” – Bull! “Be there or else!”
This is not meant to be mean spirited, nor written out of anger; rather it is just an unscientific observation. I can see our boy governor following in the same “family value” footsteps of his father. For those of you who know not what I am talking about, do your own research. The Blunt boys don’t always allow their brain to do their thinking for them. As promised, that’s it for politics.
Amateur sports, which include youth sports, are thriving here in beautiful St. Charles County. The RiverCity Rage have dropped three contests in a row to lower their record to 5-3. On the surface such might seem to be a problem, but I’m not so sure. The past two seasons the Rage have entered the playoffs with the best record in the league; only to loose in the first round of the playoffs. Hopefully the boys will make the necessary adjustments to go a little deeper in the playoffs. Only problem I see is they may not get home field advantage. Time will tell. Presently the Rage are battling Lexington for the top sop in the eastern division of United Indoor Football League. The Rage travel two weeks, and take a week off with a bye week before returning to Family Arena on Saturday, June 2nd to take on the same Ohio Valley Greyhounds that beat them Saturday.
The River City Rascals are looking forward to their home opener on Friday, May 25, as they entertain the Evansville Otters. I know I say it every year, but it warrants repeating: if you like baseball, the Rascals might just be the best kept family value entertainment value. Never have I heard some leave the ball park and say a bad thing about their experience – only positive comments.
This will be the last comment from me on April’s election, I promise. A number of my friends have approached me and said, “sure, I voted for you, but Democrats just can’t win in St. Charles. If you want to have any political future in St. Charles you are going to have to change to Republican.” I guess some of my friends just don’t know me as well as they should. I believe the philosophy of the Democratic Party – I cannot go against what I believe in just to get elected. That’s just not me! My recent on the job injury (I fell on the ice at school on February 15) makes me an even stronger Democrat. As I mentioned, it seems I am going to have to have months of physical therapy to get my shoulder back to par. I’m on light duty at school so I pretty much simply file papers and answer the phones – busy work, if you will. Originally I had my therapies scheduled during school hours – after all, it was a work related injury, why not use work time?
Well, as it was explained to me, one of the first pieces of legislation our boy governor pushed for was Workman’s Compensation reform. The legislation and reform require that if injured on the job you must go to any and all therapy AFTER work hours! As I explained to the insurance company, “ I pick my kids up from school; my wife doesn’t get off work until 6 p.m. – how am I to juggle that?” “Not our problem,” is all they could say. I pretty much plan my days, weeks and months from August until May – lining up after school care, working around my kid’s baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball and football games. Any regular reader of this column knows how hectic my schedule is! “If you miss therapy it simply tells us you don’t care about receiving the proper medical attention. Be there or else!” The last sentence is not an embellishment – that is precisely what they said. “Be there or else.” So much for trying to get me to go to the other side. The policies of republican’s have directly had a negative impact on my family. They talk about things such as “family values,” – Bull! “Be there or else!”
This is not meant to be mean spirited, nor written out of anger; rather it is just an unscientific observation. I can see our boy governor following in the same “family value” footsteps of his father. For those of you who know not what I am talking about, do your own research. The Blunt boys don’t always allow their brain to do their thinking for them. As promised, that’s it for politics.
Amateur sports, which include youth sports, are thriving here in beautiful St. Charles County. The RiverCity Rage have dropped three contests in a row to lower their record to 5-3. On the surface such might seem to be a problem, but I’m not so sure. The past two seasons the Rage have entered the playoffs with the best record in the league; only to loose in the first round of the playoffs. Hopefully the boys will make the necessary adjustments to go a little deeper in the playoffs. Only problem I see is they may not get home field advantage. Time will tell. Presently the Rage are battling Lexington for the top sop in the eastern division of United Indoor Football League. The Rage travel two weeks, and take a week off with a bye week before returning to Family Arena on Saturday, June 2nd to take on the same Ohio Valley Greyhounds that beat them Saturday.
The River City Rascals are looking forward to their home opener on Friday, May 25, as they entertain the Evansville Otters. I know I say it every year, but it warrants repeating: if you like baseball, the Rascals might just be the best kept family value entertainment value. Never have I heard some leave the ball park and say a bad thing about their experience – only positive comments.
Comments & Commentary by Charles Hill
If you haven’t seen the movie “Liar, Liar” starring Jim Carey you should see it. This column would then make more sense. If you haven’t, let me describe some of the plot. Carey plays an attorney who is a habitual liar. This trait isn’t lost on his young son who uses his birthday wish to correct the behavior his Dad (Carey) demonstrates on a daily basis. You’re probably saying get to the point Charles.
Okay, each of us has a wish each and every birthday. I would ask each of you to wish that the Mayor Of St. Charles, Patti York, would have to tell the truth for 24 hours straight. That would mean we could really find out the answers to these important questions.
1) Why did she run Chief Swope out of town? 2) What is her true relationship with former FOP prez and her top cop Thomas Mayer. 3) Did she tell the St. Charles Police Association that she would fire Swope. 4) Why Dennis Corley for Chief? 5) Did she know about the alleged forgeries before hand on the recall petitions? 6) Why would a night shift cop call Patti to let her know that her daughter was caught cashing alleged forged checks before anyone else? 6) What do the night shift cops have hanging over Patti’s head? 7) What qualifies Lionel to be a construction contractor? 8) Is his new found company doing work for anyone who has contracts with the City or who needed the approval of Patti (City) to build?
Send in your questions the week before your birthday, maybe if we all wish it may come true.
Okay, each of us has a wish each and every birthday. I would ask each of you to wish that the Mayor Of St. Charles, Patti York, would have to tell the truth for 24 hours straight. That would mean we could really find out the answers to these important questions.
1) Why did she run Chief Swope out of town? 2) What is her true relationship with former FOP prez and her top cop Thomas Mayer. 3) Did she tell the St. Charles Police Association that she would fire Swope. 4) Why Dennis Corley for Chief? 5) Did she know about the alleged forgeries before hand on the recall petitions? 6) Why would a night shift cop call Patti to let her know that her daughter was caught cashing alleged forged checks before anyone else? 6) What do the night shift cops have hanging over Patti’s head? 7) What qualifies Lionel to be a construction contractor? 8) Is his new found company doing work for anyone who has contracts with the City or who needed the approval of Patti (City) to build?
Send in your questions the week before your birthday, maybe if we all wish it may come true.
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