Dear Editor:
It is rather alarming that the only major newspaper in our region employs a former sports writer as a columnist who is about as unobjective as unobjective can be. He constantly supports the recall effort of Councilpersons Greer and Brown, yet cries out loud of the injustice his friend, drinking buddy, and God knows what else, Mayor York faces in her recall.
In his column dated December 6 he quotes Roland Wetzel, editor of the publication The Republican, as Wetzel gives us all a lesson in Missouri Civics. It had to do with Council President Riddler stopping Linda Meyer and Tom Hughes from making derogatory remarks directed at Council members. It seems his interpretation of the Missouri Constitution gives citizens the right to “say, write or publish, or otherwise communicate whatever he will on any subject.” I couldn’t help but think of poor Tom Green, and how the Republican Party smeared his record, total lies mind you, but stood behind their “Freedom of Speech” to spread untruths.
Does Article 1 of the Missouri Constitution give me the right to have published, fictitious allegations against Mayor York, Roland Wetzel, pudgy (and that is being kind), washed up sports writers, Sally Faith, and others who feel they know what is best for our City. I would think not. I would think there would have to be at least some merit to the allegations. Maybe not. If the latter is the case, I would warn most dog owners to keep their canines locked up, as pudgy’s attraction and fondness for dogs has been well documented in his columns.
And as far as the Mayor goes, in The City Newsletter she shares with City residents how she likes to spend holidays, shacked up in hotels with airlines pilots.
In fairness to those who are not fair to others, Chucky is a dog lover, and not sexually, at least I do not think so. And our Mayor, well her first Christmas was spent with her husband, a pilot, on the road. I have no idea if Wetzel is married, and if he is, if Faith even knows his wife. Mr. Wetzel I know nothing about – but that is my point.
It seems these people say things, repeat them, repeat them again, and then attempt to pass them off as truths.
Now, I for one think Riddler was correct in stopping both Hughes and Meyer. Had he not they would have said things and tried to pass them off as truths; justifying their allegations by saying: “Its a fact, its in the minutes of the meeting.”
Thank you for your service to our community. I look forward to your paper each week.
Please withhold my name
Message to Councilman Funderburk
I read with interest your comments recently in a local newspaper regarding the 600-foot extension of a runway at Smartt Airport. Before I proceed, perhaps I should mention that you and three of your four cohorts opposing the extension voted to approve the 2004 budget that included $850,000 funding for the extension. WHAT HAPPENED? Enter Adolphus Busch and Charlie Hager with a lot of money and suggestions on how to defeat the extension. In fact Adolphus stood before the Council and informed the proponents of the extension that they were going to lose.
You state you do not agree with the reports finding that there have been no bird strikes in 64 years because you spend a lot of time in the area. I am sure you saw a number of planes on the ramp while making one of your trips to the area, and if you had taken a few minutes to stop and see the Airport Director, you would have found that all hangers are rented, (NO VACANCIES) and that there are more than 50, 000 take-offs and landings per year. The citizens of this County are concerned about their Airport, not Creve Couer or Marthasville.
Your other frivolous argument that is also Mr. Brazil’s crutch relates to development that will occur after the 600-foot extension. The Fountains have hundreds of acres remaining for development, St. Peters will have 1,600 acres, and the Baudendistel tract has 1,200 acres. With over 3,000 acres available with City water and sewer all within a few minutes of the Airport, why would anyone want to develop anything in the area of the Airport?
In all my 73 years in this County I have never seen such an abuse of power. Perhaps the five opponents should give consideration to what a wise man once said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
Gerald E. Ohlms
Former President Commissioner
St. Charles County
Editor First Capitol News;
I guess Ken Kielty couldn’t get the legitimate press to call TR to interview TR. You would think with all TR’s advertising power he could have pulled that off especially when he wanted to be interviewed about freedom of speech. TR had to rely on his top advertising man Ed, and spend his own money on Ed’s advertising piece. I guess, what it did cost him, did not come from any of the savings he has received or maybe be receiving when this Citizen Empowerment Committee, Kietly and Jamboretz and that police officer’s wife, get this council changed around to suit the Mayor and TR’s appetite for power and money. Money should really start flowing again when the Mayor gets her 7-3 majority on the Council. TR will probably not need Representative Dempsey’s new law that was passed just for TR and Company on the backs of the St. Charles taxpayers.
Apparently the several “great people” you TR say were insulted and demeaned in a most reprehensible way, you are talking about Caskey, Powell and Pratt. I’ve already addressed these good people in a letter to the editor and I’ll suggest the same to you. Go back and look at the tapes of the Council meetings when thee people were put on the spot for doing a lot of things that shouldn’t have taken place. Like costing the people who pay the bills of their town a lot more money than it should have. Caskey and Powell know why they are not employed any longer and Pratt does also. Check it out and ask them to respond see if they will answer you. We’ll probably never know about Jockerst. I hear it had something to do with computers and him and Chief Swope and closed sessions and all that good stuff that keeps the taxpayer from ever knowing about a lot of happenings that cost us, the taxpayers, a lot of money.
To quote TR, “Citizens should not be afraid of their government. That’s wrong and it’s also very dangerous.” TR you should make the Mayor and her two cronies Kietly and Hayden a plaque with those two sentences on for them to read daily. They could probably save face and not get caught doing threatening phone calls and alleged threats on the internet site and unsigned anonymous letters.
Seeing how I quoted you TR, here is a quote for you. “I’ve never been afraid of anybody in City government. Especially the Mayor and all her money friends like you, TR, nor her two cronies Ken and Tom nor anyone else. You should make sure Ken realized what he did is very dangerous. But then to see Ken and Tom at the 11/15 Council meeting setting next to one another. When Kevin Kast started praising TR and all his money friends and they, Ken & Tom turned around and saw myself and started making gestures like a couple school year bullies that would be real quick on their feet if actually confronted.
That’s all for now!
Bob Bredensteiner
Dear Tony,
Thank you for printing my letter and trying to find the answer to my questions. I hope you can clear up one of Mr. Spellmann's statement. Is he saying that the houses owned by Lindenwood and used for student housing are subject to taxes, or are those considered educational? Also, with the current real estate boom, virtually every property in the country has doubled or more in the last 10 years.
Another item that I though of was the amount of money that is paid by the state to the school district for each student in attendance. I have heard it is over $6,000 per student. If that is truly the case, the school district would be loosing a lot of money by the student houses not having families live there. Perhaps Mr. Spellmann could clarify these things in the next installment.
Thank you,
Mike Femmer
Editor’s response.
Mike I will have your information next week. I have been plagued with a cold this week and have not felt like doing anything.
An open letter to the Editor of the Post Dispatch from Council President Rory Riddler in response to an editorial in the Post criticizing Riddler for reporting to the St. Charles Police what he considers apparent voter fraud in the collection of signatures on the recall petitions on Councilwoman Dottie Greer.
Dear Post Dispatch Editor:
I would appreciate the opportunity to acquaint your readers with all of the facts surrounding my turning in a complaint concerning what I felt were irregularities and violations of State Law by a committee seeking the recall of Councilwoman Dottie Greer in the City of St. Charles.
1. I had exhausted other avenues to try to have these petitions and sworn affidavits reviewed by authorities. The City Clerk, whom our Charter says is to certify if the petitions are “valid”, said that she was not in a position to investigate if they were or not valid and simply performed a ministerial function.
2. Likewise, the St. Charles County Election Authority told the Clerk that they only verify if the names are on the list of registered voters or not. They do not check signatures against signed voter registration cards, nor would they have jurisdiction to investigate if false affidavits were filed.
3. I felt that I had the right to file a complaint with law enforcement if I felt a crime may have been committed.
4. To avoid the very situation you criticize me for in your editorial, I followed proper procedures under our Charter and took the issue to the City Administrator to ask that he be present and help assure that my complaint was not treated differently than any other citizen.
5. The Police Chief, for his part, asked for an investigator from the Sheriff’s Office be assigned to assist and make sure any investigation was fair and impartial.
6. Other than being interviewed to explain the concerns I had, I have had no other contact with the investigators nor sought any updates.
While your editorial offers a very helpful suggestion that the Missouri Highway Patrol should have been called in to handle the complaint, what State Law gives an individual the right to call in the Highway Patrol to investigate a local matter? What State Law says that a local official is a second class citizen and can not avail themselves of filing a police complaint?
Will this new standard be applied by the Post-Dispatch to criticize any local official that believes they have cause to report a crime?
Frankly, I was shocked that there are so few safeguards to prevent abuse of the recall process. I am further surprised that the Post-Dispatch has not done more to follow the money trail involved in this recall effort.
To date over $36,000 has been reported being spent to try to recall two members of the St. Charles City Council. Those hired to gather the signatures were from Belleville, Cahokia, Ferguson, Florissant, Kirkwood, Rolla, St. Peters, Wright City and Berkeley. They were paid $5 per signature and later as much as $10 per signature to get the petitions signed.
The two co-chairs of one committee funding this effort are Ken Kielty and Glennon Jamboretz. Glennon Jamboretz lives in St. Louis County and owns a public relations firm in St. Louis. Ken Kielty doesn’t live in the 7th Ward either. His son, however, is the attorney you quoted in the editorial criticizing my police complaint
.
Earlier this year, Mr. Jamboretz was awarded a City contract without the knowledge of the City Council. In looking into the matter, we discovered that Mr. Kielty was listed as one of the three “oral” bids that were sought for the work. It appears to be a very small world.
In conclusion, I would welcome the Missouri Highway Patrol looking into this case, or reviewing the investigative work being conducted by the Police and Sheriff’s Office. I would welcome the Missouri Attorney General looking into it. I would particularly appreciate the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looking into it.
I merely did what I thought was right and followed the proper channels. No undue pressure was brought to bear and the facts uncovered will ultimately speak for themselves.
Sincerely,
Rory Riddler
City Councilman
City of St. Charles
