Great for Fred - Not Great for the Voters!

Give me a break - this is not Dynasty, just nasty. I hope Whaby and his Central Committee don't let this happen. This insiders taking care of insiders (spouses) is precisely what is wrong with this system.
You cannot tell me that there is not someone in the district qualified to be the state rep, whose name is not Kratky - Give me a break

I guess this means Fred is not running for Lt. Governor?

I'm glad that i'm not the only one who has a problem with this. The VOTERS decide who will be the Representative of their district--not the sitting Rep.

Good for Fred that he is moving on. But please, not another hand-me-down legislator!!! I hope the committeepeople don't pick another Kratky - enough is enough!

I think the election results from this past week show that St. Louis voters are tired of the same old faces, games, and rhetoric. How about a fresh face - and name - every once in a while?

I hope John Paul gets the nod. He would do a great job - great candidate.

Time to get some facts straight:

1) Michele Kratky is not a lobbyist, she is the vice president of legislative affairs for the St. Louis Association of Realtors.

2) The job Fred would take is chief executive officer not a "lobbyist".

3) The Kratky name is not synonomous with the Carhanans, the Slays, etc. If you have a problem with these so-called dynasties, are you going to tell me there are no Frisellas in politics (or trying to get into politics)?

Michele's spouse is not relevant to what type of candidate she will be. Believe it or not, she is not the same as Fred.

Is there a difference between voting for someone just because of his/her name and writing the candidate off just because of the name?

In my opinion, Michele is a NEW face and would be a great representative.

Actually, the Democratic nomination for the special election to choose Fred's successor is neither Fred's call, nor Wahby's central committee's, nor the people's. The nomination is made by the 65th District Democratic Legislative Committee, which consists of the committeemen and committeewomen whose wards are included (in whole or in part) in the 65th District. That's why committee people are being lobbied. Committee people who don't even live in the district can and will vote in the selection process if they meet the above requirements, but Wahby isn't one of them.

The Republican and Libertarian Parties have the right to nominate candidates from their parties the same way. The people's first involvement is at the special election, where they will choose from the candidate(s) nominated by the party committees and any independent candidates who collect enough signatures to get on the ballot. There's a 50-50 chance that it will be a Soviet style election with only one choice.

This is the same procedure that was used to produce the special election in the 94th District between Jane Bogetto and Moira Byrd.

I agree with Elaine. Michele's face is a lot better than Fred's face. (rimshot) But seriously, did any of the people who complained above about replacing Kratky with another Kratky complain about Jean Carnahan being named to replace the late Mel Carnahan after Mel's corpse unseated John Ashcroft?

First of all, if you don't want to vote for another Kratky - DON'T. That is your right. Just because Michele is related to Fred, that DOES NOT mean she would not or could not represent the 65th district as well an anyone else. I know, for a fact, that Michele would fight and work just as hard, if not harder, than anyone else. Open your eyes and stop judging people because of their name, sex, etc.

To all those who insinuated that my daughter, Michele, is somehow not good enouth to be a State Representative because her name is Kratky:

Michele is an intelligent woman who is VERY qualified to be a state representative. She has performed her job as Vice President of Legislative Affairs with the St. Louis Realators for more than five years and she has dealt with politicians from both parties and knows the ins and outs of getting her platforms to the forefront of governing bodies. Anyone who knows my daughter Michele, or any of my children, know that they will fight long and hard for what they believe in. Michele would make a GREAT State Representative and she should be considered as an individual not as just a token person. Casting a vote for a person is one of the greatest freedoms we have in this country and it should not be taken lightly. Nor should it be used as a forum for vendettas. Votes should be cast so that the best, most qualified, hard working and trustworthy person is elected. Michele is that type of person.

I can understand why people might be concerned about what could be perceived as "cronyism" or "nepotism."

But now that Fred is stepping down, don't let the red herring of appearances mislead you from the more important question: who is the best person to replace him?

Michele has brains, guts, and most importantly, integrity, which is just as good if not better than what one could say about any other viable candidate for this position. She would make a fantastic rep, and it it unfair to immediately dismiss her as Fred's wife before considering her abilities as an individual.

And, please, don't make the mistake that so-called "insiders" are necessarily opposed to change, or that the "novus homo" is the progressive or the "breath of fresh air."

Dig a little deeper into the isssues before you take digs at people.

Michele Kratky registered as a lobbyist in January of this year.

http://www.moethics.mo.gov/Ethics/Lobbying/LobElecReports_Display.aspx?LobID=L002336&MyYear=2007

What about jobless Jim Shrewsbury? Out of office, but not out of politics...sounds like a job for the elder stateman.