Dear Chief Swope,
Where have all of the Police Officers gone? I can drive around this town for a good week and go without seeing a single Police car. I write this letter today because two times on my way to work this morning drivers ran stop signs right in front of me as I was pulling up to the intersection. This is not the first time, it is a regular occurrence. You might as well take down all of the speed limit signs, most streets have become substitutes for St. Charles Speedway, with drivers going as fast as they want. I lived in Florissant for over 30 years and you couldn’t drive more than a few minutes without seeing a Police car. You also saw the officers issuing tickets for traffic violations; you don’t see that around here. If the cats away, the mice will play. Due to the lack of traffic enforcement in this city, the drivers have begun to ignore most, if not all, of the traffic laws. Because they can. Someone is going to get hurt or even worse killed and part of the blame will lie on the shoulders of you, Chief Swope, for not enforcing your officers to do their job, which is to enforce the law.
Here’s an idea. Instead of using overtime pay to protect the Mayor, why not put the money to better use by putting more patrol officers on the street to protect the citizens. There is a greater danger of getting T-boned at an intersection than someone mugging the Mayor.
Thank you for your time.
Concerned Tax Payer
Letter To The Editor
First Capitol News
Re: Booneslick Road Construction Costs
For the benefit of those City St Charles residents who desire TRUTH, not lies and distortion of facts, that are being spread by the “Advertising” (Publication) that is inserted in the St Charles Journal every other week, this article will refute their misstatement of facts regarding the Booneslick Road reconstruction project. On numerous occasions it has been stated erroneously by other individuals that the cost to the City was 20% with 80% coming from grants. In actuality it has cost the City 52.2% for phases 1 and 2 and 30% for phase 3 with an average of 43.15% for the entire project. The actual reimbursement the City received from Federal Grants through the East West Gateway Council was 56.85% of the entire project (Phases 1, 2 and 3) of a total project cost totaling $1,966,248. These figures have been provided by City officials from the Public Works Department and Finance Department. I hereby challenge the people who have stated 80% was provided without cost to the City to produce their proof to substantiate their misstatement of fact or print a retraction of their statement.
Folks please do not be fooled by what you read or are told without verification of the true facts. Since a member of the Council and the Mayor have read the definition of certain words “to just clarify the issue” I would like to give the Webster Dictionary definition of “Advertising” and “Publication”. Advertising - “The practice of offering goods or services to the public through announcements in the media.” Publication - “The act of bringing before the public.” When I first learned that the Journal was treating the bi-weekly insert as “advertising” not a “publication” I was astonished. After all what goods or services are offered? After first considering the appearance of treating it as a publication would in fact be granting some amount of credence to it. I decided that if an advertisement is simply some ones ideas to sell their products or services, then maybe that is exactly what this advertisement is trying to do with their untruths, hateful and sarcastic written statements.
We must clarify truth from untruth, fact from fiction. If the statement appears to be sensationalism then check it out and determine the truth for yourself.
Rich Greer
Dear Editor,
In the recent Council meeting and the news much has been said about the Mayor’s bodyguard. I understand why the Mayor has a body guard, Mayor Francis Slay has one so she needs one. I find it interesting the Mayor now feels she needs a body guard after 5 years in office. The major change in her life is her closeness to Francis. In the past there have been conflicts on the council floor yet she felt okay.
She blames it on her back being to the audience, does that mean in the past she felt the City Clerk, City Attorney and City Administrator were expendable. Now that she sits with them off the dais she needs the protection. I was at a meeting since the bodyguard has been employed, don’t let them tell you this is for the council. This bodyguard follows the Mayor from her office to the chambers and anytime the Mayor moves so does the bodyguard.
Mayor you were right when you said it was never needed before, it is not needed now. Your level of self importance is really showing.
S. Ryan
Dear Editor,
I am very disappointed in the council for not stopping the wasteful spending for the Mayor and her bodyguard. I am a 60 year old women who lives alone. I am much more vulnerable to any type of violent act compared to the Mayor. She sits in a chamber with 12 men around her, the police chief behind her, the fire chief and many other city staff members. Is she fearful of a mutiny on the council floor. From what I can see on tv the meetings are not that full, not like Presidential visit where there are thousands.
This Mayor has always felt that she was the queen of the city, for her a bodyguard and for us let them eat cake.
I AM Madd
