How Citizens For Responsible Community Came Into Existence
Citizens For Responsible Community came into existence on March 11, 2002. Carl Maus was President, Raymond Stone Vice President, Al Mercer Secretary, Richard Blalock Treasurer and Kathleen Ball as Deputy Treasurer. Since their inception this group has been involved in St. Charles politics even though none of them reside in St. Charles.
During the last Mayor’s race the group sent out negative mailings against St. Charles County Councilman Dan Foust who was challenging York for the seat. York denied any knowledge of the group or of the mailing. Election night photos showed Stone standing next to York when she was acknowledging her victory to supports. Reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission show Citizens For Responsible Community donated $3,832.39 to Patti York. The records also show on May 13, 2003 Citizens To Elect Patti York made a $2,300 donation to CFRC.
In 2001, the Jones Company came before the St. Charles City Council with a proposal to build over 900 homes on property near the Page Avenue Extension and to have the property annexed into the City. The proposal, known as Cavendish Square, was denied after a petition drive headed by Maus and Stone. Their complaint was the property was more suitable for commercial and they did not want high density residential developed.
Another developer took over the property after the petition drive by Maus and Stone forced the Jones Company to give up.
When the Jones Company proposed a development on the grounds to the St. Charles Golf Course, Maus and Stone and CFRC became involved with area residents and once again foiled a development. Once again another developer stepped in and took over the project.
Since that time Maus and Stone have formed a kinship with St. Charles Mayor Patti York and her husband Lionel. They attend St. Charles City Council meetings frequently and have been given use of the Mayor’s office in City Hall from time to time even though neither resides within the City limits.
The First Capitol News in our April 5-16 edition reported the Citizens For Responsible Community had raised nearly $107,000most of it coming from St. Louis and St. Charles millionaires, Don Musick, Charles Hager, Glennon Jamboretz, T.R. Hughes and Adolphus Busch IV. They have been using the money to attempt to unseat incumbent city officials in St. Charles, St. Peters and O’Fallon.
CFRC sent out waves of expensive mailings attacking candidates in several St. Charles City Council races. The mailers came out attacking Councilman Bob Hoepfner Ward 10, Councilman John Gieseke Ward 8, Councilman John Scheer Ward 5 and Councilman Rory Riddler Ward 1. They also sent out material attempting to defeat Joe Koester and Dottie Greer. The CFRC Candidate Mike Weller defeated John Scheer. CFRC also backed Bob Kneemiller, Larry Muench and Jerry Reese.
In St. Peters they were successful in ousting incumbent Mayor Tom Brown and installing Shawn Brown as St. Peters Mayor. In O’Fallon they were successful in the election of Donna Morrow as Mayor and several of the Aldermen.
CFRC promoted Joe Brazil and Doug Funderburk in their reelection campaigns for the St. Charles County Council. They also backed former St. Charles City Councilman Richard Baum in his unsuccessful race for St. Charles County Council against Joe McCullouch. Baum also lost his reelection campaign for his City Council seat
Besides being used as hired guns to put into office candidates who are agreeable to the agenda put forward by the millionaires they have also been helping Great Rivers Habitat Alliance in their fight against a development on 1600 acres involving the Lakeside 370 Business Park Property in St. Peters.
St. Peters officials recently discovered a secret memo, which outlined Great Rivers plan to gain control of the Lakeside 370 property so they could achieve financial gain. St. Peters officials rejected a $5 million offer from Great Rivers for the property, which Great Rivers later raised, to $12 million. The property has been sold to Kaplan Development for $50 million.
It is also believed they are involved in the attempt by Mayor Shawn Brown of St. Peters to have St. Charles County Councilman Jeff Morrison removed as Prosecuting Attorney for St. Peters. That was foiled by a 5 to 2 vote by the St. Peters Board of Aldermen Tuesday evening.
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