EX ALDERMAN NEWSLETTER 6



EX ALDERMAN NEWSLETTER 6

AUGUST 11, 2010

FROM: John Hoffmann

ANOTHER COMPLAINT ABOUT THE MAYOR USING HIS POSITION TO GENERATE REVENUE FOR HIMSELF AND HIS LAW FIRM: In 2006 a citizen filed a complaint against Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist Jon Dalton. A year earlier Dalton, while mayor, was on the payroll and representing our top contractor, West Country EMS & Fire as a lobbyist, for a clear conflict of interest to some. The Missouri Ethics Commission found in favor of Dalton.

In 2009 as an Alderman I filed a Conflict of Interest complaint against Dalton for being on the payroll and representing the St. Louis County Municipal League as a lobbyist when by his elected position of mayor made him a member of the Municipal League. In theory Dalton could be lobbying for a legislative change that would help some members of the Municipal League that would not be in the best interest of Town and Country. The Ethics Commission found in favor of Dalton. As mayor he gets to join an organization and then hires himself.

This week I filed another with the Ethics Commission against Dalton. The complaint reads as follows:

1) Jonathan Dalton is mayor of Town and Country, Missouri. He is employed by Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, LLC, is a lawyer and is a registered lobbyist in Jefferson City, Missouri. He lists his office address with the Ethics Commission 500 North Broadway St. Louis, however he has an office in Jefferson City at 221 E. Capital Ave. The office manager is Shannon Hawk, a non-lawyer of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, LLC, who is also a registered lobbyist with the Ethic Commission. Dalton is listed on the Lewis-Rice website as the firm’s only Government Affairs attorney in Missouri. The firm claims they maintain a close contact with the legislative and executive members. The firm’s bio on Dalton says he specializes in “government affairs.” Ms. Hawk, as office manager has far more clients registered with the Ethics Commission than Dalton, often clients which many may describe as controversial. One new client is Coalition for Speed Enforcement, which list the same address as the Lewis-Rice Jefferson City office at 221 E. Capital Street. It appears as if this group would represent a company or companies involved in photo radar speeding and red lights camera enforcement.

On the agenda for the June 15 Town and Country police commission meeting “red light cameras” was the only item on the agenda. Police Commission chair Ald. Nancy Avioli wrote in her July 10 newsletter, “The mayor has been approached by companies wishing to establish contracts with the City for installation and management of both red light cameras and speed cameras.  He referred these queries to me as Chair of the Police Commission.  Neither project appears to have the support of the Police Department or the Commission, at least until action is taken on a state-wide basis.” Police commissioners contracted said it was never disclosed Dalton was paid by the companies. Also the decision of the commission not to take action until there is state-wide enabling legislation only helps Dalton’s continued business relationship with this group. Dalton does not list the Coalition for Speed Enforcement as a Principal Client with the Ethics while it appears he is doing work for them.

2) For the last two years Dalton and Hawk only listed lobbying for their employer, Lewis-Rice when listing Principals represented providing food and gifts to legislators and not listing any of their actual clients.

ETHICS? I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but I have to believe if you are an elected official you cannot ethically be placing paid clients on the agenda of city boards or commissions.

HITTING A SOUR NOTE…AGAIN! (How the former Brentwood Symphony wants more of your tax money!) In November of 2009 the Town and Country Board of Alderman did something very sensible…they stopped handing out $10,000 of tax money to the Town & Country Symphony. Any symphony is not what most people would consider a normal municipal service. Police and fire departments are, roads and highways are and parks certainly are areas where tax money must be spent. But amateur symphonies are not. In fact years ago the City of Brentwood saw the light and stopped providing any funds to the Brentwood Symphony, which moved west and found a nice tax teat in Town and Country.

Mayor Dalton announced at the June 28 Board of Aldermen meeting that the Town and Country Symphony would be coming to a work session in August to tell the aldermen all they have done for the city and request the $10,000 grant be reinstated in the 2011 budget.

In 2010 we have operated in a deficit. We fired three employees, an 8-year employee, a police clerk and one of our best police dispatchers. We did eliminate the $10,000 for the symphony. But then we turned around and gave them office space in the Longview Farmhouse for free and spent $1,000 upgrading the building for them.

I don’t see any of the empty storefronts at Manchester Meadows and Town and Country Crossing shopping centers suddenly filling up in 2011 and erasing our deficits. No we are more likely than not going to be dipping into our reserves again.

What did the T&C Symphony give us in 2009? They performed two classical concerts, one at Principia and one in Chesterfield at Logan College. They also put on a Christmas concert and a Fourth of July style concert in June. Let’s be brutally honest… this group of people are not very good. It is nice that average or below average musicians want to play as a symphony, but I do not understand why they should be supported by our tax dollars.

If we feel we have to provide concerts for a Christmas and a summer concert, we could hire professional musicians who sound great. In the last four years I hired an 18-piece Big Band orchestra and singer for $3,000 and a nine-piece Big Band with two singers for $1,200. That alone is a $5,800 savings and a 200% improvement in music quality, if we must have concerts paid from tax funds.

Perhaps to come up with the $10,000 the Symphony wants and the $75,000 for branch chipping we could fire a police captain. That should cover the expenses. Is it too severe firing one of our two assistant police chiefs? Well then let’s fire two cops, we have lots of them. Perhaps you like me think that is a bad idea. The good idea when we have revenue shortfalls is to stop giving $10,000 to musicians and postpone the branch chipping until revenues are back up.

If this board votes to return to giving a $10,000 handout to these folks, as we enter the third year of a recession and enter our second year of deficit spending while considering reinstating a city property tax; every one of them should be voted out of office! The T&C Symphony was not on the work session agenda at the August 9 meeting, so look for it on the August 23 meeting agenda. Or once again the mayor has announced something that is not going to happen.

BRANCH CHIPPING…HOW THE TOWN AND COUNTRY MAGIC SHOW CAN MAKE SOMETHING VANISH: The topic of a Branch Chipping program was on the August 9 Board of Aldermen work session agenda. It had been discussed at the July 26 meeting, a meeting where Dalton was not present. It was to be placed on the August 9 agenda, but then the actual request made on July 26 was wiped off the face of the earth.

The discussion was the third item on the work session agenda. Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist Jon Dalton asked the city clerk who authorized it to be placed on the agenda. The Mayor might have known if only he had attended the last board of aldermen meeting, where there was a long discussion about branch chipping, with Aldermen David Karney, Steve Fons, Lynn Wright and Nancy Avioli all speaking about a number of citizens who want branch chipping. The $75,000 program was cut from the 2010 budget at the same time three employees were laid off and several large grant programs were eliminated, as the general fund portion of the budget saw a $3 million shortfall from 2009.

BREAKING THE LAW IS SO EASY: It was suggested that the $75,000 for Branch Chipping come out of the Parks and Storm Water budget. Someone said it could come out of the Parks and Storm Water funding because the chips from the branches could be used on the trails in the parks.

Get real! Parks and Strom water comes from a sales tax voted for by the public. For the most part all the revenue raised by the sales tax has gone to park department salaries and paying off land purchased for our three parks. Storm Water projects for the most part have been ignored for years. We had paid just under $100,000 for consulting engineers to prioritize all the storm water project requests. That left $100,000 for an actual project in 2010. Now some members of the Board of Aldermen are suggesting looting three-quarters of the funds set aside for storm water projects in 2010 and use it for branch chipping which falls under a General Fund program. Again the General Fund is $3-million in the red for 2009.

Storm water projects have been ignored for almost a decade because all the money was earmarked to pay of the purchase of park land. This is a dedicated fund than has to be used for Storm Water and Parks and Branch Chipping.

TIM MADE SOME SENSE: Aldermen Tim Welby (still on probation for Missouri Ethics Law violations) made an excellent point. Welby said branch chipping is a luxury and was cut because we are working with a deficit budget.

Then someone brought up the fact that without a branch chipping program people might throw branches into a storm water creek and cause flooding…GET REAL FOLKS!

THE SAND THROUGH THE HOUR GLASS: Next Director of Public Works Craig Wilde reminded the aldermen that he would need the matter passed by the August 23 meeting to let bids and finalize contracts otherwise it would be too late to proceed. He also brought up that we had 36 storm water projects requested. The first 18 projects would cost $4-million.

THE KING SPEAKS: Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist Dalton commented that he would want a unanimous vote to have branch chipping or he would be against it. SO MUCH FOR THE REPUBLIC, that Dalton swears allegiance to before each meeting…either you vote the way he wants it or it will not happen.

The mayor also asked who put Branch Chipping on the work session agenda. Nobody would fess up, although two aldermen on July 26 wanted it on the regular agenda so bids could go out. Dalton then asked City Clerk Pam Burdt why it was even on the work session agenda. Pam like a good long time soldier fell on her sword and said she “thought” some aldermen wanted it to be discussed again on August 9. Dalton could not have a firsthand knowledge of what happened since he didn’t show up for the July 26 meeting. He also led the effort to keep the meetings from being recorded even though we paid $50,000 for a sound and digital recording system, so he cannot check the transcript.

Dalton suggested a motion be made at the regular meeting to amend the minutes of the July 26 meeting where the city clerk was told to prepare a bill and place it on the next regular meeting agenda like it never occurred. Such a motion was made and Ms. Burdt’s accurate minutes were changed with some facts being deleted.

A NEW DEER PROGRAM SURFACES…TRYING TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY: In December Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan wrote how at one Board of Aldermen meeting when Alderman Fred Meyland-Smith spoke it was not good news for employees about to be fired due to a drop in revenue or for deer.

On Monday August 9th Fred remembered the employees and mentioned that the city fired three employees to adjust the 2010 budget, when it was suggested $75,000 be used for branch chipping.

He later brought up a new plan for Deer Control.

There is $10,000 in the 2010 budget for Deer Control. It had been discussed during the budget process that the money was for administrative review of the 2009 Deer Control in December.

Fred said he and Lynn Wright came up with the plan that will have elements for both Lethal and Non-Lethal proponents. But in explaining the program Fred said both he and Lynn favored lethal deer controlled and believed non-lethal (Deer sterilizations) method was not effective.

Fred said he wanted to place $5,000 as base funding for Lethal Deer Control early this winter. His goal is to have private funding from individuals, subdivisions or businesses to contribute to the fund.

He wants to have the other $5,000 set aside for Non-lethal Deer Control with the deer lovers contributing to the base funding to finance the very expensive deer hysterectomies (actually over-rectomies).

Fred said there were four points that had to be followed.

One) Citizens should have total freedom in contributing to their plan of choice. Two) Bids must be made by contractors wanting to participate. Three) The Missouri Department of Conservation must give approval. Four) Land owners must give permission.

GERBER UPSET OVER MEYLAND-SMITH DEER PLAN: Al Gerber the chair of the city’s Conservation Commission was not happy to hear about Fred’s plan. At a meeting on June 28 Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist Jon Dalton assured Gerber that his Conservation Commission would have a major part in any future deer control programs. He also mentioned that the Deer task Force chaired by Fred and Lynn had been dissolved.

Over the years the mayor has loaded the city Conservation Commission with liberals, weirdo’s and deer lovers. Al reported that the commission is working on the Deer program but is divided. Keep in mind Al ran as a Deer Lover in April…he is one of the deer weirdo’s.

Al said there were strong opinions on both sides. (I think a deer plan involving lethal means would not likely pass in the Conservation Commission.) Al also mentioned that it sounded like a competition to see which group could raise the most money. Of course it costs about 3 times more money to sterilize a deer than to shoot it, haul it off to be butchered with the meat given to a food pantry.

MAYOR GIVES CREDIT TO THE UNORIGINAL IDEA: Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist Dalton praised Fred and Lynn for their hard work. He clearly forgot about my bill. After being elected in April of 2008 I spent four weeks writing a Deer Control bill that would allow private property owners to hire city approved contractors to kill deer with on scene city oversight. Fred thought it was a terrible idea in 2008 and killed it in committee. Now in 2010 he is acting like he should pose for the next sculpture to replace Rodin’s “The Thinker” for coming up with an identical idea.

WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN IS BACK FOR MORE: The Westminster Christian Academy received final approval for their new campus behind back in 2008. If you remember the big controversy was about football stadium lights and their effect on neighboring houses in three different subdivisions. Planning and Zoning voted to approve the plans minus the lights. Before the Board of Aldermen the school made a rather odd decision that left the residents hanging in limbo. School leaders said they were removing a request for football lights, but would make it again at a later date. Politically by removing the request for stadium lights the school took aldermen off the hook. However they clearly hung out their new neighbors to dry. The neighbors have to continue to worry about the stadium lights impact on their neighborhoods and property values.

The entire WCA project did not move forward after approval due to the recession drying up financing. That was until the Ladue School District funded it for WCA. The current WCA campus is on Ladue Road west of Spoede in Creve Coeur. It was originally the location for the Ladue West Junior High School. The Ladue Schools in the 1970’s closed the school down due to a downturn in enrollment and sold the property to the Special School District. In 1982 the Special School District sold the property to WCA for $3 million. Now Ladue Schools needed more classrooms and brought the property back from WCA for $18 million.

WCA has graded the property and torn down a portion of the existing former West County technical High School building in Town and Country. As the grading continues, they came to the city and asked to change the site plan…not for football but the tennis courts, lacrosse field, field hockey field, baseball and softball diamonds on the west side of the property.

The plan passed Planning and Zone and moved to the Board of Aldermen’s agenda for August 9.

WHAT WE HAVE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE! Al Gerber set up a website when he ran against me. He immediately violated city law, but using the city’s logo on campaign material. He corrected that and then updated the website only once, in March of 2010. Since being elected alderman he has not updated the site at all, even to announce his victory. He certainly is making no effort to tell residents what is happening at city hall or what his opinions are of the happenings.

WRIGHT OR WRONG TREE SERVICE: here is a good chance you have already had a crew from Wright Tree Service in your backyard or you will soon. Wright Tree Service is the Ameren UE tree trimming contractor from Iowa that is part of the UE Power On program. Here is what happened at our house in June.

Wright arrived first thing in the morning and was ready to clear cut through the property. Two problems popped up. First they wanted to cut pine tree limbs just at the wires. When they do that the remaining limb dies and will eventually fall forcing us to clean it up. We wanted them to cut the limbs back against the tree trunk.

The other problem was over trimming a tree that would result in extreme damage to the tree. First my wife went to the Wright Tree supervisor with no satisfaction. At one point he said it was the way Ameren/UE wanted to trim the trees was in his procedural manual in his truck. She asked to see the manual. He refused to show it to her.

That resulted in a demand to see the Ameren UE arborist! When he arrived he agreed with my wife. The moral of this is: Do Not Accept “NO” until you have gone up at least as high as the UE arborist!

NEW BUSINESS IN MANCHESER MEADOWS: No it is not the store to replace Wal-Mart that Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist Jon Dalton promised to announce in two weeks on February 18. What we hear is the big new tax producer for Manchester Meadows is going to be a Halloween costume store that will be open for two months.

TWO WEEKS IN TOWN AND COUNTRY SPEAK: Mayor Jon Dalton on February 18 told a group of citizens at a neighborhood meeting that we would have a big announcement to make in two weeks about the business that would move into the old Wal-Mart store. 174 DAYS LATER we are still waiting for the announcement.

THE NO FINISH FOR THE ANNUAL RETREAT: On June 14 Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist/Photo Radar/Photo Red Light Lobbyist Jon Dalton announced that the Board of Aldermen was not holding the 3-hour “annual retreat” on the first Saturday in June as is required by ordinance. Dalton said instead the Board would hold a 90-minute retreat meeting after the regular meeting on June 14 and then TWO WEEKS later hold another 90-minute “retreat” meeting after the regular board of aldermen meeting. 58 days later the second “retreat” has yet to be held! Two weeks means a lot of things to mayor Dalton but 14-days isn’t one of them.

TWO MONTHS IN TOWN AND COUNTRY SPEAK: On June 14 Town and Country Director of Development Sharon Rothmel stated that within two months she would be able to announce what business would be moving into the old Wal-Mart store at the Manchester Meadows shopping center. Well she has three days to make the announcement or she will join Dalton as city official who says one thing and then does not deliver.

HALL STREET BLUES PART III: The Board of Aldermen finally passed an ordinance making it illegal to park overnight or store tractor trailers or other commercial trucks in areas zoned retail if the trucks are not connected with the businesses located in the shopping center. This is in reaction to a person from Ballwin parking his tractor cabs and trailers on the parking lot of the empty Wal-mart store. On August 10, the day after the bill passed, I found two truck cabs and a large step-up truck without license plates parked in front of the Wal-Mart store.

Not let’s see if the police can write parking tickets and call for tow trucks efficiently as they write speeding citations on I-270.

CARTOONS:

[pic]

[pic]

[pic]

[pic]

[pic]

[pic]

[pic]

We knew this was a problem in 1972 but cannot admit it is in 2010:

[pic]

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download