By Terry Artis
Here are the facts:
* St. Louis City's Police remain under state control (since the Civil War)
* Governor Nixon has appointed all of the Police Commissioners (except for the seat mandated by the City's Charter to be filled by the mayor)
* Governor Nixon signs a bill into law, which allows St. Louis City firefighters to live outside of city limits after seven years of service.
* Governor Nixon's administration has slowed the historic tax credit process in an attempt to get "more bang for the buck" in job creation.
From the outside looking in, it would appear to the average person that Governor Jeremiah "Jay" Nixon and the state's legislators have made the decision that the mayor of St. Louis, who is in his third term, clearly needs some oversight in the governance of the city.
There are those who feel that this external governance is long overdue. Since Slay's invasion into the St. Louis Public Schools, which many believe was to cause the purposeful demise of the district in the interest of making the case for charter schools, SLPS has been rendered in the worse condition of the district's history.
Slay's Assault on the School District includes:
*Appointment of poor candidates to the SLPS board, including Jim Buford, President/CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (previously referred to in this publication as Slay's 'homegrown negro').
* His invitation to the Roberti 'turn-around team' to pick the pockets of a district in need of (stability).
*His work with Governor Matt Blunt to strip the power away from the SLPS board elected by the people by using a "special advisory committee" comprised of Dr. Donald Suggs, Publisher of the St. Louis American Newspaper, Attorney Frankie Freeman and Dr. William Danforth (all of whom would clearly have attended segregated elementary and secondary schools) to recommend a state takeover. (Recently this committee met to tell the public that their first recommendation was to leave the district in the hands of the newly elected board and their THIRD recommendation was the state appointed board. This is news, considering that there had been no mention of this at any time prior to the recent announcement, making the information highly suspect).
These many transgressions and his treatment of Chief Sherman George, St. Louis' First Black Fire Chief, has caused most (including myself), to be of the absolute opinion that the mayor of St. Louis is in desperate need of guidance.
Enter Governor Jeremiah "Jay" Nixon. Governor Nixon appears to be acutely aware that in order for Missouri to rise, St. Louis will HAVE to be uplifted. While it is said by the Slay people that the Governor is playing politics, he is playing them quite well.
The Governor's appointment of three (exceptional Blacks) to the Board of Police Commissioners has in some ways negated the desperate need for local control. Two of the new appointees replaced a liquor distributor and a restaurateur. The restaurateur left under the cloud of scandal surrounding his interference with police procedure on behalf of his nephew. So, regardless of how things may be spun in other media, many feel that the police department is in much better hands now.
Governor Nixon's administration has slowed the process of awarding historical tax credits to developers, which effects St. Louis developers to a higher degree than other Missouri cities. While developers complain, the Governor's administration sees a need for more careful review in the process saying that too many of the proposed projects generate too few jobs for the money spent. The administration would like to see more bang for the buck.
Governor Nixon's "state takeover of St. Louis" is most interesting because he and Slay are (supposedly) both Democrats. (Many question this in Slay's case, because of his association with Republicans and their ideals.) Nevertheless, the Governor's actions are making life hard for Slay and many view this fact very favorably saying, "Keep up the good work, U.S. Senator Jeremiah J. Nixon." (foreshadowing)
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