I thought Slay thanked the resistance in the community. Oh wait, that was Southtown, prior to and early in his mayoralship, not the Century Building after his election. nevermind.

I read in the Journal where The Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (a household name if there ever was one) has endorsed Irene Smith. Hopefully from the coalition's perspective, they don't receive any local government funding. (The sound of the hatchet you hear in the distance is...)

Even to someone who opposes the policies of both Republican Bush and conservative Democrat Slay, putting incumbents on the spot to identify (and therefore admit having made) their biggest mistake is an unfair "Have you stopped beating your wife?" kind of question. Either the incumbent admits a mistake and produces a sound bite for future negative ads against her/him, or the incumbent (like both Bush and Slay opted to do) comes off as too arrogant to admit the possibility of mistake. I wonder if this new journalistic trend will now be extended to all incumbents, or will incumbents that the reporters want to promote get a free pass?

Joe Daus should get out more. The Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression may not be a "household name" in many parts of the white community, but it is well known and respected among many African Americans. Slay knows the organization as the city's biggest proponent of an elected civilian oversight board armed with subpoena power.

Daus' comment illustrates the great cultural divide in the city. Each side of the city has a myopic view of the city that reflects what they experience in their own part of town. Most white southsiders who dismiss Irene Smith as a gadfly ("Who would seriously vote for someone who took a potty break in aldermanic chambers?") will be surprised at the extent of her support in her community. Similarly, those whose community has nothing but scorn for the mayor don't understand why anyone supports him.

Oh please!

Forget the tough mistakes. He's got a half-dozen easy ones to pick from.

How could Slay not think that appointing Verconica O'Brien was a mistake? She votes against his slate every time.

St.Louis Oracle is absolutely right, I should get out more.

I will be interested in seeing the vote results of this huge underground machine of Irene Smith's.

What percentage of the vote are you suggesting she'll get Oracle?

Oracle, I just finished reading your analysis. Quite interesting. However, I think your wrong. Slay will get much much more than 54% of the vote.

I'll be interested to see how significant my myopia is. (my-my-myopia hits me so, hard makes me say oh my Lord...)

Slay may well do better, and I'll update my analysis closer to the election. (The one on the blog now was posted Feb 1, a full 5 weeks before the election.) One of the keys is how the "bobo" vote breaks, and if it breaks big-time for Slay, Slay will win by a bigger margin. Seeing Will Winter's picture with the mayor is one symptom of how that's going.

Of course, lots of "bobos" frequent this ACC blog! How did you react to learning that the news about reduced city crime turned out to be phony? Did you feel betrayed about why you made such a big personal and financial investment in the city, or did you regard it as just some innocent computer screw-up? Do you blame the mayor? What else is on your mind?

Hey Oracle,

I predict that if it rains tomorrow the ground will be more wet than if the sun remains shining throughout the entire day.

What do you think?

I'll add mine later, but I've got him aroudn 62%--Oracle, we should do a pundit prediction thing with local bloggers. Daus can join too, but I hear he's looking for his subscription to the Argus.

Mayoral Debate Proves Board of Education
Candidates Crucial to City's Future

Whether personally watching the televised St. Louis mayoral debate or reading about it in Amy White's exceptional column in the Post-Dispatch entitled, "Unreal TV," education came out a winner as the prime focus. The economy, north-south St. Louis issues, redistricting, racial polarization, crime, or population growth all lost out to education as the primary concern of the upcoming mayoral election. How ironic that the race for City Hall centers around education when City Hall's power over the public schools was legislated out of existence in the late 1800s. That division of power was specifically legislated to keep politics out of the school system. That division, however, did not keep the mayor from attempting to take back the power by promoting a slate of candidates for the school board. Evidently, the issue of City Hall power and influence on the school district retains a certain seduction and allure that cannot be resisted.

Amy White's column was most helpful in summarizing for those who didn't watch the debate and tickling the memories of those who did some of the most crucial statements put forth. Throughout the debate, the mayor was pressed to defend his slate and the actions taken during the Roberti reign and during the past school year. The pressure came not only from the other two candidates but from the media posing the questions. Sylvester Brown, in particular, would not allow the mayor to escape accountability through mere spin.

According to Ms. White, the mayor's best line was in response to Irene Smith's complaint of jobs lost in the city schools. He responded: "Sure there's been some outsourcing of jobs. But this isn't a jobs program. This is an educational institution for our kids." This is the part where I would be tempted to hit the rewind button and then the play button several times on the remote. I have a hunch that if the employees remaining, the employees dumped, or the employees who received reductions in salaries could speak, they might say, "It was about jobs big time.

First there was the fabulous job opportunity for Alvarez and Marsal, a firm with no school experience, to the tune of 10 to 11 million dollars. Secondly, Sodexho, a French firm, received a whopping contract and job opportunity. Merci beaucoup! Thirdly, Aramark, a food service corporation, received a more than generous contract and job opportunity. Even outsourcing is about jobs; and as such, may be even more vulnerable or susceptible to kickbacks. Next, administrators who were doing a fine job for a modest compensation package were dismissed and replaced by school- or education-inexperienced, high-powered managers at greatly increased salaries. A month or two ago, a veteran administrator and friend with more than 30 years of service to the district said to me regarding the salary of one of the high positions: "It's ridiculous. What does she do? No one knows what she does." She was expressing what many are thinking.

Then there were the rumors surrounding a certain assistant superintendent and his hit list. In other words, someone was taking the opportunity to harm some while promoting others for important positions or jobs. Lastly, to prove how much it was about jobs, positions of some senior employees were eliminated. They had the experience, qualifications, and time in to bump down into other positions in their classification. But that did not happen, because at the last minute the same job titles were changed for employees with less time of service in order to protect their jobs from employees with more seniority. Evidently, Mr. Mayor, what transpired was big time about jobs and less about children. Somehow, the truth needs to be allowed the same space that so much of the spin has been given.

In the end, however, one raging truth pushed its way to the top of the mayoral debate, and that truth is that education matters and is a priority in the City of St. Louis. With that in mind, perhaps another truth needs to be given serious attention. If public school education is considered a high priority for St. Louis, it appears the upcoming election of members of the Board of Education is just as important, if not more so, than the election of a mayor.

The controversy and deep distrust engendered during the past year and a half make it incumbent upon us all to vote for men and women who have a proven track record of caring for children and their parents, for the school system, and for the employees who are key to the success of education. That's why I'm voting for Bill Purdy, Veronica O'Brien, and Peter Downs. These three have actively worked on behalf of all of the above with integrity and sincerity. The mayoral debate proved beyond a shadow of a doubt how important these candidates are to the City of St. Louis and its future because education is a priority.

Helen Louise Herndon
4414 South Grand Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63111
(314) 752-1874
Hloherndon@cs.com

Well, I am white, I live on the south side, and I WILL NOT support Mayor Slay. Haas and Smith handed out well deserved criticisms of the Mayor. Our schools are NOT better now, they are worse. Losing accreditation points and increasing class sizes could hardly be called moving toward "academic excellence" (the Mayor's term) in any circle. It seems to me that the large part of the Mayor's support comes from the majority in this city who do not have children in the public schools. I would hope these people pay attention to the issues such as misreported crime statistics, demolition of historic buildings, and misleading campaign statements. This is not a man who represents democratic values of equality, opportunity, and education for all. While I admire Bill Haas's heart and sentiment, Irene Smith is the candidate that I believe has the true leadership potential and democratic vision for the city. Now where do I get a yard sign?

Hi Dave, I generall don't get a chance to read your blog unless someone forwards your comments. Well, they did. You spoke of my voting record. Have you correlated my voting record? Just wondering. Good luck to you and your staff. Hope to visit with you one day.

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