By Tony Brockmeyer
A concerned friend and community leader gave us a copy of an e-mail he received from TR Hughes. (The e-mail can be found toward the middle of this story.) This person was concerned because he believes that like in Chile’, the Philippines and Nicaragua, there appears to be a well financed coup d’etat underway in St. Charles.
In those countries wealthy landowners and blue bloods used corrupt generals and politicians to overturn duly elected officials for fear their power base would erode. In St. Charles we have almost the same thing. The wealthy elite who are fearful the $90 million City budget and the $47,000 a day from the Casino will be spent on projects that would benefit all the residents and not be diverted to the pocket books of the wealthy.
In St. Charles it appears we have corrupt politicians who may have diverted City funds to spin doctors who may have co-opted Elliot Davis and many of the other press that depend on advertisements from companies such as TR Hughes Homes, SSM, the St. Charles Convention Center, to pay the bills. The coup is really about some of the wealthy landowners and millionaires being mad because they are losing control and easy access to the taxpayers’ money.
This City Council made Tom Hughes mad. In a Post Dispatch article dated August 19, 2005, Hughes told the reporter the St. Charles City Council tried to put him out of business. One councilman speaking on the basis of anonymity for fear he would be a larger target for Hughes and his moneyed friends told the First Capitol News, “Hughes tried to buy the last election and was unsuccessful, now he is paying for the re-call of two sitting Council members who refuse to do his bidding.” When asked about trying to put Hughes out of business the Councilperson replied, “What an ego. We would have never been concerned about the sewer hook ups in the area Hughes was developing if East Central Missouri, the private sewer company that Hughes is hooking the St. Andrews homes up to, wouldn’t have demanded that St. Charles City taxpayers pay for a broken flow meter. The meter is used to determined how much sewage they were sending into the City system so the City knows what to charge them. That started an investigation which disclosed ECM’s contract with St. Charles had expired some time ago and those who live in the county and were hooked up to the City sewer system were paying less than those in the City. Hughes should be concerned more about building homes under power lines and placing residents in harms way.”
The coup has some players who appear hell bent on taking over City Hall and the money that flows through the City budget.
Please read the e-mail below sent to friends and community leaders.
From: Tom Hughes
To: undisclosed recipients:
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 5:33 PM
Friends and community leaders
This is a copy of an editorial that ran in the St. Louis Post Dispatch last Week on 12-07-05. It was in the big Post, not just the St. Charles section Once again St. Charles City makes the news, unfortunately, once again it’s very ugly. In my opinion this editorial is right on the money. I’ve heard people say that they were afraid of the St. Charles City Council, but how terrified should we all be when the bad guys are allowed to use our Police Department to launch a criminal investigation to intimidate those who are willing to stand up to them. The innocent women, children, and men that lawfully collected recall signatures have been under a criminal police investigation for weeks with no end in sight. Who will be next? If Rory or one of the bad guys wants get to make your life, or that of your wife’s or children a living HELL all they have to do make up an allegation and a police detective will be knocking at your door. THIS IS VERY VERY SERIOUS AND SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The more people that are willing to stand up to these guys, the greater our chances of changing this very bad situation.
There are two meetings scheduled to discuss St. Charles City. Tues/ 12-13-05 4pm to 5:30pm or Thurs. 12-15-05 7:30am to 9am at the St Charles Convention center. Please try to attend.
Approximately 30 people attended the meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Convention Center called by TR Hughes. Those in attendance included; T.R. Hughes, Ken Kielty, Kevin Kast, Roland Whetzel, John Smith, Bill Weber, Mike Sellenschutter, Hank Cleaver, Carl Maus, Raymond Stone, Paula Eberhardt, Linda Meyer, Ed Watkins, Mike Weller, and Bob Kneemiller.
Carl Maus and Raymond Stone are the leaders of Citizens for Responsible Community. Neither lives in St. Charles. TR Hughes, Glennon Jamboretz, Ken Kielty, Adolphus Busch, Don Musick Ameristar Casino and others have made significant contributions to Citizens for Responsible Community.
Roland Whetzel writes a Republican publication. He has also contributed to Conservative Factor articles published in the First Capitol News.
Kevin Kast is a confidant of Mayor York and TR Hughes. He was the head of SSM St. Joseph Health Center prior to his sudden resignation. It is rumored that TR is planning on running Kast for Mayor in 2007. Kast, along with Hughes are believed to be a member of the Secret Society (FCN 4/5/04 The Conservative Factor Column by Alex Spencer) allegedly headed by Bill Weber.
John Smith is the president of the St. Charles Board of Education. The Board is under fire from taxpayers for what is considered to be inept handling of school district affairs. One of the attendees remarked he did not know why he (the attendee) was invited by Hughes but wanted to see what the ruckus was all about. He said he thought the City Council was doing a fine job. He further remarked he was surprised to see Smith there because Smith should be worrying about the failure of the School District to respond to parent concerns instead of butting into City business.
Mike Sellenschutter is a local developer who has filed suit against the City and Councilman Mark Brown in an attempt to have his development in unincorporated St. Charles County hooked up to St. Charles City and sewer service without annexing into the City or complying with City building codes. He has also provided financing to the Citizens Empowerment Committee headed by Linda Meyer and Paula Eberhardt in their efforts to recall Councilwoman Dottie Greer and City Councilman Mark Brown.
Linda Meyer is the head of the Citizens Empowerment Committee and the wife of a St. Charles Police officer. She and Paula Eberhardt is leading the recall efforts of Brown and Greer. Sellenschutter, TR Hughes, and The St. Charles Citizens for Responsible Government headed by Glennon Jamboretz and Ken Kielty, both of whom are confidants of Mayor York, is financing Citizens Empowerment Committee. It has been rumored that Meyer intends to seek the City Council seat now held by Greer if her group is successful in removing Greer from office. Eberhardt is the assistant publisher of a local political advertising sheet whose sole purpose appears to be to vilify anyone who disagrees with the Mayor. A police investigation is currently underway due to a complaint that has been filed alleging the possibility of fraud in the collection of signatures for the recall effort. They are represented by Kielty
Ed Watkins has printed and distributed the ad sheet that currently vilifies whoever the Mayor chooses. But that may soon change. He is a confidant of the Mayor along with Hank Clever a local physician. Watkins does not live in St. Charles. It is alleged he is a member of the Secret Society.
Ken Kielty is a native New Yorker who controlled the license bureau in St. Charles after employment in the local school district. A recent telephone call threatening physical violence was traced by the St. Charles Police Department to a telephone registered to Ken Kielty after the resident placed a trace on the call and turned the matter over to the authorities.
Bob Kneemiller and Mike Weller are City Councilmen who are part of the Mayor’s team who stand ready to do her bidding without thought of how it might affect St. Charles taxpayers. One of the most noted examples of this was their vote in favor of allowing TR Hughes to hook his County development into the city sewers in spite of the development remaining outside of the city limits. St. Charles needs the capacity for its own growth.
