Thank you for opening this Email. We want to make you aware of an important issue that could have a negative impact on neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis.

Some members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen are proposing chages in the City’s Neighborhood Stabilization Team (NST). We believe this will weaken the program. For those of you not familiar with NST, it is an innovative program that provides direct contact between the city and people in neighborhoods. The NST is made up of 24 Neighborhood Stabilization Officers (NSOs) who are each assigned to a cluster of neighborhoods in the city. All city neighborhoods are covered. NSOs insure access to city services, assist with organizing projects and utilize community oriented problem solving to address complex and chronic problems within our neighborhoods.

A number of Aldermen want to see the program moved under their control, in effect transferring the NSO duties to patronage workers. If these changes take place, the fundamental nature of the program would be altered in many ways. For example, NSOs would be assigned by Ward and not by neighborhood. This would be problematic because people in the city think of themselves as residents of a particular neighborhood and most community groups with which the NSOs work are organized by neighborhood.

The current rules prevent NSOs from engaging in any type of political activity. Under the changes proposed by some of the Aldermen, the NSOs would be subject to and respond to only the political process. The NST was originally structured to prevent such political influence. It has been and remains in the best interest of the city neighborhoods to keep NSOs protected from these political dicates. If NST comes under the control of the Aldermen, anyone who disagrees with the Alder(wo)man on a particular issue or supports a different candidate would likely not be able to utilize the service of the NSO.

The NST is a valuable asset because their highest priority is serving as a resource to the community and helping citizens improve the quality of life. NSOs are directly involved in the day to day life of the neighborhoods they work with and are accountable to the citizens they serve.

Additionally, under this proposal, a number of staff positions will be eliminated from Neighborhood Stabilization including that of the program’s director Anna Ginsburg. We have both worked closely with Anna. Her vision and leadership have shaped this program and kept it focused first and foremost on collaboration between city government and those who live and work in St. Louis neighborhoods.

Please help us maintain the integrity of this important program. Join us in speaking out in opposition to these changes:

1) Sign the attached statement and return it by June 1 to us by email or, if you prefer to send in a signed copy mail it to NST Friends, PO Box 4227, St. Louis MO, 63163.

2) Send a letter, or email or make a call to your Alder(wo)man, any Alder(wo)man with whom you wish to communicate and/or the entire Board of Aldermen. They can be reached at City Hall Room 230, 1200 Market St., St. Louis MO 63103. 314-622-3287. Email addresses are available at stlouis.missouri.org

3) Send a letter or email or make a call to Mayor, Comptroller and/or President of the Board of Aldermen, Mayor Francis Slay, City Hall Room 200, 1200 Market St. Louis, MO 63103; Comptroller Darlene Green, City Hall Room 212, St. Louis MO, 63103, President James Shrewsbury, City Hall Room ___ St. Louis MO. 63103.

4) Forward this email and the attached statement to anyone you think might be interested in taking action.

5) Distribute copies of the statement for signature

We will let you know about further development, including Aldermanic hearings as we learn about them.