After all of their years of operation in St. Louis, people still don't get it:

There is no "c" in "QuikTrip".

I also doubt that the Post-Dispatch or their RJ Matson gave anyone permission to use artwork from Matson's September 2nd political cartoon:
http://www.stltoday.com/rjmatson

I smell something fishy. I don't think it is legal for Bauer to own and operate two committees at the same time, a candidate committee with donor limits and a continuing committee/PAC without donor limits.

There's no arm's length between Bauer and the 24th Ward Democratic Club. Per the MEC, Bauer is the Deputy Treasurer and it is headquartered at his business address. The tartar sauce on the sticks, however, is that since 1996, per not-for-profit incorporation registration with SOS (aka SSO to Dustin Mitchell fans), Bauer has been President/Agent and it has been headquartered at his business address.

His business, campaign committee and ward org address only recently relocated from 16th Ward to 24th Ward, barely in 24, just outside of 23rd and 10th.

In a campaign phone message over the weekend, Bauer said that the effort to recall him was by "a small group of radicals from Clifton Heights".

I'm neither radical nor from Clifton Heights, nor are the dozens of others with Recall Bauer yard signs in Dogtown. Interesting, though, that he would rip on a neighborhood in his own ward to paint them as the enemy.

Radicals in Clifton Heights? What are they radical about--keeping their yards spotless?

This may be the only proof needed to show how important it is to recall Alderman Bauer. These terror tactics are being used to influence the uninformed. As a resident of the 24th ward I urge all to try and find a polling place and remove this tyrant and replace him with someone willing to work with the community, not ignore it for personal gains. I find it funny that there were no polling cards sent out, yet there were plenty of negative ads mailed. Good work Alderman.

A little legal mumbo jumbo about committees in this election:

In a strained intepretation of an ambiguous statute, the Missouri Ethics Commission has repeatedly ruled that a candidate is not permitted to run a "non-connected committee" (i.e., a PAC). A party committee is not a non-connected committee, but Bauer's 24th Ward group doesn't qualify as a party committee. But Bauer is probably OK here because of another technicality: he's not a "candidate" in this contest; the recall is a "ballot measure" in which there are no candidates (and incidentally, for which there are no limits whatsoever on donations). Bauer can run as many committees as he wants, UNLESS he has already become a "candidate" for some future election (2007 re-election or election to some other office), and I haven't looked him up on the MEC site yet to see whether or not that's the case.

And besides, I doubt that the law (as interpreted by the MEC) could stand up to constitutional scrutiny: it's a pretty blatant restriction on free speech.

But Bauer's still toast tomorrow.

I also question Howard's complaint that Bauer's committees are "just barely" in the 24 Ward. Isn't any block just as good as any other block in the ward? Are those who live near the boundaries second-class citizens?

Quick correction: A candidate is prohibited from operating a "continuing committee," which is how Missouri statutes refer to PACs. "Non-connected committee" is the federal term.

A little more legal mumbo jumbo. 130.011(3) RSMO ...The term "candidate" includes an elected officeholder who is the subject of a recall election...

Also, per MEC reports, Bauer's bids for Comptroller and Alderman benefited from contributions to his committees and other expenditures by Bauer's 24th Ward Club.

The issue isn't where a candidate lives within the political subdivision to which office is sought. Stuff happens from redistricting.

Yes, I think Bauer treats the residents of his south corners as second-class citizens.