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Political Briefs

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, August 14, 2006 at 8:35 AM

TALENT WON'T TELL - The Secretary of State's office last week approved for the November ballot a measure that would raise the minimum wage in Missouri to $6.50 ($1.35 higher than the federal minimum wage). Gov. Matt Blunt is against it, candidate for U.S. Senate Claire McCaskill says she supports it, but her opponent, incumbent Jim Talent won't say whether he favors it or is against it.

We do know that Talent did support a bump in the federal minimum wage -- but only if it was linked to another tax cut for businesses and America's most wealthy individuals. We also know (thanks to the Associated Press) that one of the groups opposing the ballot measure is the National Federation of Independent Business, which Talent briefly lobbied for in Washington after he lost his 2000 campaign for Governor and left the U.S. House.

THE CASE OF PERCY V. SLAY - Percy Green will have his day in court Wednesday. The jury trial is expected to last only a few days as the legendary activist makes his case against the City of St. Louis and Mayor Francis Slay for his 2001 termination as director of the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) Certification program. Green contends that the mayor wanted to weaken the office for political reasons.

"The purpose of the certification program was to prevent white, male-owned businesses from setting up 'front' companies to get city contracts that should go to legitimate minority- or woman-owned businesses," wrote Green in an email. "A weak (or non-existent) certification program benefits Slay because his major political contributors are owners of businesses that stand to profit from doing business with illegitimate 'front' companies."

The trial is set for August 16, at 9:00 a.m. in the new Thomas Eagleton Federal Courthouse, 111 South 10th St., in Judge Jean C. Hamilton's Courtroom, #16 North.

Labels: Mayor, U.S._Senate_Race

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8 Comments:

Anonymous said...

If there is any justice in this world, Percy Green will LOSE his lawsuit. Green lost his job for ONE REASON: he was INCOMPETENT. Instead of using the federal guidelines for certifying businesses, or even the City's guidelines, Green made up his own rules, applying them however he saw fit, resulting in inconsistent, indefensible results. Because of his incompetence, the City was sued for denying certification to qualified businesses--all due to Green's making up and applying his own rules. (And the City lost!) Green made the City's program a national laughing stock.

His incompetence as a manager led to most of his staff's asking to be re-assigned. He refused to take direction from ANYONE--not the Mayor, not his direct supervisor, the executive director of SLDC.

The purpose of the City's certification program was NOT to prevent white, male-owned businesses from setting up front companies; rather, the City's program was designed to identify qualified minority and women-owned businesses and assist them in gaining their fair share of City and City-assisted contracts. Green blocked certification of women-owned businesses because he thought they should not be certified (a position not supported by the City's regulations). He blocked minority-owned businesses from certification because they failed to have enough minority employees to suit Green. (The City's rules focus on ownership and control of the business--not on workforce composition, however laudable a goal.)

Green may be a "legend," but he was a complete failure as director of M/WBE Certification.

8/14/2006 10:14 AM

Green will lose this battle. Mayor Slay controls the judges and the rulings that come out of court in the City of St. Louis. Mayor Slay will call the judge to remind them to rule against Percy Green and the hearing will be a formality. The fact of whether Percy Green is competent or not does not make any damn difference. Mayor Slay runs St. Louis and any decision that comes out of the court system against him.

Mayor Slay will be in his current position forever, hell he may retire from this position in his late 60's. So goes the hope for anybody that thinks that they will ever run against him and win.

Mayor Slay will take any idiot that thinks that they can beat him out of the mayoral race before it begins. This should put an end to these silly rumors about anyone that will be aspiring to the position of Mayor in the future. Don't bank on it, and don't let the Mayor hear any talk of this anymore!

8/14/2006 12:34 PM

The Judge in this case is a federal judge who I believe was there before Mayor Slay became Mayor. Therefore, she does not owe her appointment to Mayor Slay making it impossible to believe that Slay will call her up and tell her anything.

Sometimes we give Slay way too much power!

8/14/2006 12:49 PM

For crying out loud, the freaking Mayor of St. Louis doesn't appoint FEDERAL judges anyways.

The Mayor doesn't even appoint circuit judges. He appoints the folks who rule over the circus that is Muni Court. You know, traffic tickets and the like.

I'm not saying the guy has no power, but let's get real here.

8/14/2006 3:07 PM

Anon #2, are you referring to to Mike McMillan as an idiot?

8/14/2006 8:41 PM

Mayor Slay has been good in some regards and not so good in others. To assume that anyone can be Mayor as long as they want to is not a wise assumption. Schoemehl seemed very powerful at the beginning of his second term but eventually lost the Democratic Primary for Governor to Carnahan and lost the City of St. Louis in the process during that race. Being Mayor generally calls for making enemies along the way and Slay's list is growing with time.

In regard to Anon #2 and Anon #5's question, McMillan has chosen his ascension very carefully and will not oppose his ally. They have a good relationship on some issues politically and development issues overall. Slay may decide to seek another office himself. Only time will tell what will happen to either of them or whoever else there is in the running. Mokwa, Shrewsbury and Daly have also been mentioned for Mayor as possible candidates. Shrewsbury is definitely not in Slay's camp at all. He has sided with Darlene Green against Slay on several occasions. Shrewsbury may try and cut a deal with the northsiade against Slay to try and beat him in 2009. Anything can happen in the political arena. Who would have thought $3,000,000.00 in favor of Home Rule could be outdone by less than $100,000.00 against it when this Mayor and Bosley were for it?????

8/15/2006 12:08 AM

I support Percy. Slay needs just go one and try to be a judge. Percy will not have a fair trail as we have no judges that are stand for anything. Not to mention don't seem to know the law. Has anyone thought about recalling Slay?

8/15/2006 1:35 AM

Mayor Slay will not be recalled. Mayor Slay would whipp the sleeves off Mike Mc Millan. Mike Mc Millan would not run against Mayor Slay because he is afraid to, he doesn't want a real fight against a real opponent regardless of all the money he holds in his war chest.

Mayor Slay will be the Mayor as long as he wants to be, and Mike Mc Millan will do what the hell Mayor Slay tell him to. Mike Mc Millan will know when to run for higher office, when South St. Louis tells him he can! The South St. Louis machine controls Mike Mc Millan and we control his destiny, let's get that straight!! MIKE, YOU TELL THE PEOPLE ON YOUR TEAM HOW IT GOES NOW, DON'T YOU FORGET!!!!!

The only way that Mayor Slay would be defeated is if we decided in South St. Louis that we didn't want to vote for Slay anymore. That will not happen and we don't want to go back to any PIANO KEYS or WEAK POLICE OFFICIALS that can't handle the Mayor's office.

We will control the outcome of any race citywide in South St. Louis and will always continue to control every race. We control any political race we want to in South St. Louis, and will pick the next Senator to replace Maida Coleman. The North St. Louis strategy for winning is to submit three candidates for THE SAME POLITICAL SEAT, and that is why we won with Jeff Smith (Senator of the 4th District-get used to it folks!).

Don't get emotional about the facts, because these facts are true. It is not our fault that North St. Louis can't come together to elect a DOGCATCHER citywide if they wanted to, and Tom Villa will be the next Senator to replace Maida Coleman. South St. Louis controls politics for the City of St. Louis, always has and always will-plain and simple!!!!!!!

Unlike North St. Louis, we learned our lesson from the Tony Ribaudo, Tom Villa, Freeman Bosley, Jr., and Steve Roberts mayoral race, and we will not make that mistake again.

In case you forgot, remember O.L. Shelton and Charles Q. Troupe = Senator Pat Dougherty, and Yaphett El-Amin + Amber Boykins + Kenny Jones = Senator Jeff Smith! Whose fault is that North Side crybabies!!!!!!!!!

8/15/2006 9:09 AM

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