Letters to the Editor
First Capitol News
This letter is in response to Linda Covilli’s letter in the St. Charles Journal dated Wednesday, November 16, 2005.
Ms. Covilli needs to know that I Co-Sponsored the Resolution to keep our Grade Schools open. She also needs to know that I had personal reasons for leaving the meeting that night. Which will remain private and personal.
I fully support the schools in my Ward. I have obtained Double Fine Zone signs for the schools in my Ward and speed bumps on streets where the children’s safety was being compromised. There soon will be a flashing light installed at one of the Elementary Schools for the children’s safety.
In the future I would appreciate a phone call from Ms. Covilli before she decides to write a negative Letter To The Editor without all the facts.
Dottie Greer, Council Representative Ward 7
St Charles
Dear Editor:
For some years now St. Charles has been relentlessly waging war on its poor. We seem to be conducting a “war on poverty”, not by helping the poor, not by attempting to eradicate the root causes of being poor, but by driving the poor from our community. We are driving them beyond our boundaries, thus placing them out of sight, where we won’t be constantly reminded that the poor are always with us, where we won’t have to feel guilty about what we have and what they don’t, where we won’t have to worry about their impact on our sacred property values. There seems to be an insidious master plan which has at its heart the express purpose of eventually eradicating every vestige of low and modest income housing in our city. We have been continually destroying this housing but we are not replacing it. We are instead building very expensive homes and condominiums around the periphery of our City. The poor have nowhere to go. The latest example is Powell Terrace.
This project, part of Lindenwood’s expansion, will affect the most vulnerable in our community. This housing will not be replaced in kind and these people will have no place to go. Back in November of 2002 City officials held meetings to determine what could be done to help the people of Powell Terrace and their neighborhood. At that time mayoral candidate Dan Foust voiced his opinion. “We should go in and bulldoze it and start all over.” Helping these people to improve their neighborhood and their lives is one thing. Simply eliminating their neighborhood with nothing to replace it is something else. There have been many jokes regarding what to do with Powell Terrace. Poverty is no joke. It is a tragedy.
A year or two ago the First Capitol News described a new thoroughfare being proposed between First Capitol Drive and Boones Lick. Hearing nothing further, many of us thought it had died. Just recently it surfaced again. It looks like this road would wipe out much of Powell Terrace. There seems to be a desire to connect Lindenwood College with the Convention Center. I am puzzled. I haven’t figured out whether it is intended that Lindenwood students will attend conventions as part of their education or whether the conventioneers are expected to study at Lindenwood the short time they are here in town. We will just have to wait and see.
Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ said, “The poor you will always have with you.” He knew us pretty well, didn’t he? His favorite people were the poor. His favorite topic was the poor. We don’t seem to have made much progress with this problem down through the centuries. We also don’t seem to have been following his example or his teachings. We are too busy making money.
Perhaps there are no solutions for these problems. I cannot see any. I have brought this up, not because I have any solutions, but to make you more aware that sometimes our gain is someone else’s pain, and that these conveniences and this progress, if that it be, has been achieved at the expense of someone else’s involuntary sacrifice, a sacrifice made by people least equipped to handle it. I would hope that our city planners would make every effort to design these projects so as to impact the fewest numbers of people, especially those who are most vulnerable. I realize that we cannot impede the wheels of progress, but must these wheels always roll over the backs of our poor? St. Charles have a heart.
Glen Dashner
Dear Editor:
(11-22-05)
Last week First Capitol News featured a picture of what appeared to be a Missouri, bloated, thin-lipped toad glaring down his nose through a pair of sunglasses. I could not see the rest of his body, but I can only assume, caught with his pants down (cell phone in pocket).
This week features “Chip-off-the ole toad”; “eyes glaring, ranting and in an uncontrolled rage trying to scare or intimidate people into backing down.
Let’s talk about the real motives behind all this theatrical “bull”, and I do mean bull. Trying to take attention away from a certain phone call? Trying to take attention away for the real reasons for recalls and who is really behind the whole thing. No secret there. Some names keep popping up. Motives? I think it is called power, money and greed.
There has got to be a special place in hell for such people.
P.J.
Dear editor,
After reading the recent articles about the school district of St. Charles’ financial problems and the decline in attendance at some schools, numerous questions come to mind.
First. How many students would be attending these schools if the neighboring homes were occupied by a family with children instead of Lindenwood students?
Second. How many tax dollars would be paid into the school district by families living in these homes? Lindenwood does not pay taxes to the city.
Third. What is the amount of revenue that is no longer paid by Norm’s Wheel Horse Barn, Penny Window, St. Charles Plumbing Supply, Hackmann Lumber, Mope’s, First Capitol Four Wheel Drive, and all the other businesses and homes that have been pushed out by Lindenwood? I would bet that would go a long way to paying the money needed by the school district. Even if it is not all the needed funds, it is still more than being paid by the University.
Fourth. By closing Blackhurst and Lincoln, how large will the classes be at the schools to which these students are moved? Plus, if we close schools, then why is there a proposed tax increase? I can understand paying higher taxes to keep schools open, but if I’m paying higher taxes to close schools, then I question the decision making process here.
Fifth. Once these schools would be closed, who will buy the buildings? You can bet it will be Lindenwood , and they will start to swallow up the houses around them and destroy those neighborhoods. Even the larger homes will be bought up and turned into apartments or fraternities or something similar. Then we will have even fewer school children in the area and fewer tax-paying homeowners. Also, if the buildings are purchased, then where does that revenue go? It would make sense that it would offset the costs of the proposed tax increase, unless the city is planning on donating these buildings to another institution. More than likely, the buildings will be sold at a loss like the old police station.
In general, it’s foolish to close schools. I would like to see published attendance figures. Are classrooms empty? Are class sizes shrinking? These are good reasons. We have a casino down the street and a huge billboard on I-70 that states how much gambling has donated to education.
Now, the city is going ahead with plans to put a thoroughfare through Powell Terrace. And who is this new street for? Lindenwood, of course. There was an easy way to get through the area at one time, but Boone Street was closed for the First Capitol re-alignment, which only added parking for Lindenwood.
Residents on the South side of 70 should be concerned with this as well, even though Lindenwood is not taking your neighborhoods yet, your taxes are still going to go up to make up for the lost revenue from the University owned properties. A 40 cent increase in taxes per $100 of assessed value equals an additional $600 on a $150,000 home. Are you willing to pay that each year to subsidize Mr Spellmann’s hunger for more land? Why do they need to keep getting so much larger? Growth is not always good.
The vote to proceed with the new project through Powell Terrace was passed by an 8-2 vote. Why do so many of our elected officials continue to allow Mr. Spellmann and Co. to gobble up our town? Why do they look out for Lindenwood interests and ignore the taxpaying residents? No matter who is on the council in the recent years, Lindenwood still gets the nod over tax-paying residents like you and me. Why do they allow these projects to go ahead when they benefit no one but Lindenwood? Why was the project to fix the flooding in Pearl Ridge voted down, and then $130,000+ approved to start the preliminary work to go through Powell Terrace? The council cannot agree to fix problems that are needed by residents, but agree to destroy the homes of Powell Terrace residents. Many who have lived in this area for decades. According to the papers, the city budget faces a one million dollar shortfall and the school budget is facing a shortage too. Now the city wants to spend $16.9 million to put a new road from Lindenwood to the convention center. Please explain that logic to me. Do the students really need a faster way to get to the conventions? I don’t believe they do. Many of the new council members vowed to stand up to the special interests in this city, but it appears only a few are trying. To the rest, I hope everyone remembers them at election time. But I suppose Lindenwood would get any new members to vote their way as well. Money talks.
Mike Femmer
Editor’s response:
Mike I can’t answer all your questions but I hope I can answer some of them. The ones I can’t answer I will try to get the answers for you. You make some very good points.
In regards to Lindenwood University, we interviewed President Spellmann and he has responded to some of your questions in an article that begins on page three. The rest of your questions regarding Lindenwood University will be addressed in our next issue. We did learn from residents around Lindenwood University that the value of their homes and the assessed valuations have risen dramatically since Lindenwood began acquiring properties. We have been unable to locate one individual who sold their home to the University who regrets the sale or who was forced to sell for less than market value. If you know of any we would like to interview them. We also learned that any property owned by the University that is not used for educational purposes is subject to taxes. We are also going to try to find answers to your other questions. Thank you for being a reader of the First Capitol News.
Dear Editor,
Mr. Paul Jokerst wrote a letter in another publication today. It started me to think about the situation in Ward 7 and what could be done. Mr. Jokerst said in his letter that he wanted a change in the politics of St. Charles and he wanted it done fast. Precisely! That is why ward 7 voted for Dottie Greer because we knew she would represent us well and do things for our ward. She also worked on the things we asked her to do-such as cutting down on the endless spending, get more tourists for South Main, the cost and the free spending on the Convention Center. I could go with more and you may hear it in another letter.
Let’s change the subject. The recall committee is part and parcel of Patti’s friends and moneyed people. She was upset at losing three votes for her wants and needs on the council. She wanted to eliminate two of the newly elected councilmen. They thought Mrs. Greer would be the best to eliminate. How they hooked up with Linda Meyer is a mystery. By the way Linda Meyer is the only circulator who lives in Ward 7. What does that tell you? They paid the circulators $5.00 a signature. Hence we have all these duplications of signatures. True you can only pick them up when the list is alphabetized. There are enough to raise serious questions about the validity of the petitions.
Now then let’s get to the bottom of “they denied the wishes of the Ward 7 voters.” Did you hear of the intimidation we had to endure from the circulators? Some of them were rude, trying to force people to sign when they said no, constantly coming around looking for more signatures.
The opposition of Mrs. Greer in the city election hired people or their supporters hired people to go around and steal Mrs. Greer’s Election signs in yards. They would also do damage to the front yards of the “traitors.” The Greer’s and the people around them have had to endure a lot from these hired thugs. On Fourth of July the house catty corner from the Greer’s shot off $700.00 worth of fireworks at the Greer house. It sounded like TNT. We as neighbors thought of calling the police but thought they wouldn’t be much help because of the recall committee. The big question is who bought the fireworks for these kids? We have our suspicions.
I do agree with you Mr. Jokerst. Councilmen should not be recalled. Our forefathers gave us the right to vote and that the votes should stand until the next election These recalls strike me as nothing but an anarchy rising.
Mr. Jokerst there are3,678 eligible voters in Ward 7. Only 742 names were accepted on the petition. Tell me who has the stronger position in the ward. Is it the voters who didn’t sign the petition or the ones who did sign the petition?
A message to anyone who is thinking about voting for the recall-THINK about our forefathers fighting for us to have the right to vote and be free of intimidation and anarchy.
Ward 7 voter
Dear Editor:
Judging from the display of the tyrannical outburst at the November 15th council meeting by Mike Kielty, I request my name be withheld from this letter. Thank you for doing so. I had no idea the group trying to gain total control of St. Charles, two council members at a time, were so dangerously desperate. Three trips by petition pushers, wanting to get rid of Mrs. Greer, were made to our home. Reason given for wanting her off the council was “because of the fireworks”, which to me was stupid beyond belief. The insane outburst by Kielty convinced me that the members mentioned in the screaming fit were the ones who work for the betterment of this town with the taxpaying citizens always in consideration. Now, that’s a whole new approach to governing St. Charles and must not be allowed to continue and which I now realize has to be the reason for this urgency to remove these “first” two council members by doing and saying whatever it takes. So be afraid St. Charles residents. Be VERY AFRAID and observant. You now know, thanks to the Tuesday’s Tantrum, which wards are on the “hit list”.
Respectfully, a citizen and taxpayer , I would like my name withheld. Thank you.
