Richard Baron, the HOPE VI baron himself, helped train tenant management groups like that created in Cochran Gardens.

So now the public housing tenants will actually fighting those who have previously and wish to continue helping them, when others wouldn't.

Considering how the new communities are privately managed, any tenants seeking to stay in the development area will be essentially burning their bridges by fighting HOPE VI plans.

Does anyone know if Griffin has taken a stance on the rampant land speculation in Ward 5, especially purchases by the mysterious Blairmont Associates LC (who now own the Clemens Mansion, lots adjacent to redevelopment projects in Old North St. Louis and the former Howard School site)?

The issue of HOPE VI is a complicated issue; as is the requirements that will enable people to move into the new units. On this aldermanic tip, April has relatively little to do with the selection of HOPE VI housing developers. She can hold up developments if they need blighting, LRA land, or aldermanic authorization, but on the HOPE VI's she is more or less just one person on an advisory committee. Generally, projects like Murphy Park predate her and move along with or without her. The 5th Ward plan did not include Cochran, and I think this was not just her choice.

That does not mean she does not support the redevelopment of HOPE VI sites. I have never heard her opposing them, and occasionally she has promoted boards showing the redevelopments at her affairs and parties.

I don't think she took a position on what proposal the HA should have accepted. I know Cochran TMC wanted to co-develop the project, but that is not what has happened. As far as I know, Cochran TMC plays no role in the project on their site and will play no management role in the buildings that will be built.

As for speculation, I think the situation in the 5th Ward and particularly ONSL is what you should expect when you have a lot of publicity, but little control over the redevelopment process. I think time will tell how late in general the speculators are in terms of tieing up property in mass; but their ownership of certain sites certainly give residents and creditable developer types headaches.

Plus, April has no influence over the numbers of existing residents and property owners in the 5th Ward who have been sitting on their property for years and not doing anything with them, nor has she used the sort of punitive measures she could have used to get some action on the properties--besides demolition. It seems that some of these folk were just ready for a sales offer and apparently this outfit got there first.

The Clemens house is particularly ironic because it changed hands a couple times before the current owner (Blairmont) bought it. It was during the last ownership period that alot of the value of the building's details were stolen. One wonders why someone like Baron, or the city, or Landmarks, or the Arch City Chronicle didn't buy it the last time, given how little it sold for.

April's campaign finance report do have her receiving money from the mysterious Blairmont Associates LC, as well as lots of other developer types, including John Steffen, RHCDA staff members, ONSL board members, Kennedy Associates associates, Salama Market owner, McGuire moving's Dan McGuire, Winghaven's Paul McKee, etc, etc. Does that count?

On the plus side, April's financial support for the ONSL North Market project--the market rate for sale, the affordable for sale and the new affordable rental property--has meant not only letters and advocacy but also bucks. The bucks that she committed to the market rate historical looking new housing--and that the mayor's office committed from their pot--is unprecedented among all of the new housing projects in the area and is something every new housing developer would covet.

Will

LOL. Jake's "city voters have shown" link goes to BOE page with the message: Sorry but that election doesn't seem to exist.

That pretty much sums up the fond memories for last year's charter reform debacle.

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