By Antonio D. French
Filed Monday, December 18, 2006 at 10:20 PM
Tensions were high at tonight's meeting of the executive committee of the 6th Ward Democratic Organization. The group gathered to discuss a complaint by Committeeman and Aldermanic candidate Patrick Cacchione about a large group of new members his opponent and fellow committee member, Kacie Starr Triplett, brought into the organization last month. Labels: Alderman_Races
The importance of the meeting was its possible affect on who is allowed to vote in the January ward endorsement meeting. Triplett said she recently registered more than a hundred new members in the organization ahead of the deadline to do so, but Cacchione is seeking to have many of those new members removed, citing procedural problems. But the problem is, as far as anyone can tell, the organization has no rules or by-laws, making it difficult to argue than any have been broken.
"This is an attempt by the current committeman, Mr. Cacchione, to change the rules at the last minute and guarantee the endorsement for himself," Triplett wrote on her website (1) yesterday.
Triplett arrived at tonight's meeting, at Pestalozzi Place restaurant in south St. Louis, with several supporters, including State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed and Darryl Piggee, chief of staff for Congressman Lacy Clay. Reporters from PUB DEF, the Arch City Chronicle and Urban Review STL were also in attendance.
A visibly angry ward president Mary Entrup, wife of Alderman Lewis Reed, and Committeewoman Bev Buchheit admonished Triplett for inviting people to the "private" meeting. Entrup and Cacchione even snapped at Nasheed for listening in on the conversation.
About an hour into the meeting, Reed entered the restaurant with campaign manager Bob Rice. Reed also had words with Nasheed before sitting down at the meeting table just long enough to criticize Triplett for raising the issue of race in her defense of her supporters' memberships.
In a statement published on her campaign's blog over the weekend, Triplett said "It appears there is an attempt underway to remove over 100 members from our organization. Unfortunately, it is no coincidence that a vast majority of these members are African-American."
Reed could be heard telling both Triplett and Nasheed that race had nothing to do with the committee's actions. He defended the other members, all of whom besides he and Triplett are white, as being fair-minded and far from racist. He left shortly after.
In the end, due to the unexpected audience of onlookers, the committee voted to table the discussion and pick it up later this week at a private meeting at the home of Reed and Entrup.
"I have been instructed to not bring any members who would be affected by this action," Triplett wrote on her blog tonight.
"I want [6th Ward residents] to know that at I am committed to keeping our organization fair, open, and inclusive. I will always stand up for what I believe is right."
(1) Editor's Note: Triplett's website was built and is hosted by me, Antonio D. French.
23 Comments:
Sounds like the 6th ward will replace the schoo; board in entertainment.
12/18/2006 11:11 PM
Sounds like Reed really is a pawn for the white establishment. Like Harmon, do all pawns live in Compton Heights?
12/19/2006 8:53 AM
How can a virtually all-white organization claim to be a legitimate voice for a majority Black ward?
12/19/2006 9:57 AM
I do not understand the "Sunshine" reference. Missouri's Sunshine Law covers meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governmental bodies, not political action committees.
12/19/2006 9:59 AM
Reed is an idiot. Why would you involve yourself publicly in this dispute? Do you see Carnahan involved? Or how about Maida, Wright-Jones or Oxford? These are all other elected officials for that area. They are staying the hell away, yet this guy, who has his own election to worry about, comes to this meeting, chews out the African American candidate, and an African American state rep from the northside (that he may very well need support from) and then proceeds to defend the political machine for trying to eliminate people from participating in the ward organization. Because the ward systems hardly carry any clout in the political system anymore, Reed would have done better to have kept his mouth closed, muzzled his wife and let Cacchione and Triplett nitro themselves.
12/19/2006 10:00 AM
Now, Reed is chewing out Nasheed. Before this, Reed got the endorsement of Local 73, the "white firefighters' union," but not FIRE. And for starters, Reed hired Bob Rice of the Schoemehl-allied Rice family to run his campaign. How long are northsiders going to believe that Reed is their guy instead of Slay's?
12/19/2006 10:12 AM
Howard, "Sunshine" simply means public scrutiny -- which is the same thing it means in the title of the state law you reference.
12/19/2006 11:19 AM
Anonymous #4:
You must have failed to realize that Mary Entrup is the President of the 6th Ward Democratic Organization. I certainly wouldn't want the President of the organization to remain silent on an issue the deeply effects the organization, such as membership.
12/19/2006 12:34 PM
It is obvious that Lewis Reed is involved in what is going on because he is the current Alderman of the 6th ward and on the executive board of the ward committee, unlike those other elected officials. And anyone that knows Mary knows that she isn't one to be muzzled. She's an independent, and free-thinking individual.
12/19/2006 12:57 PM
I am not a fan of Cacchione. If I lived in the 6th Ward, I would be volunteering for and voting for one of the other candidates, likely Triplett. But I think this endorsement controversy business is all a bit silly. Public scrutiny of how PACs come to decide support or opposition of candidates or issues does not happen very often and why this time is different I am not certain. I think we'd all be better off if the time spent dwelling on how this or any other PAC decided endorsements was instead spent on analyzing where PACs, party committees, and candidates got their monies and how it was spent.
I lean more toward a conspiracy theory that this kind of controversy is drummed up by Civic Progress to divert attention away from them. Granted, it is a really tough call in the question of who has the most impact on elections- Civic Progress or a ward organization.
12/19/2006 12:58 PM
Antonio "LIL ANT" French (street nickname given to him by his REAL BRO FROM THE WEST END) is a pro at escalating tensions anywhere. He is behind Kacie Triplett as stated by him, but this will increase the need for Kacie Triplett to turn out the black vote in the 6th Ward now.
The 6th Ward people will probably label her as a troublemaker now, and she will have a hard time getting votes from anyone other than people of color.
The last time these tensions got hot in the 6th Ward was over a basketball court in a park over there yonda!
The 6th Ward does not like controversy or anybody that brings it to the Ward. They want everything calm, cool, and collected.
My advice, Kacie spin this situation around to a positive note, because if you win the battle the media (get your members in for an endorsement) it may cause you to lose the war (the election)!!!!!
The votes are what count in an election, not the endorsements. Hit the doors and keep wearing out your shoes, that is what wins!!!!
12/19/2006 1:07 PM
its so funny that all this is about whats goin on in a ward group. how much power do they have anyway?!?! whats more important is that these folks vote on election day. if this is so important to her, she better get these folks to vote on election day when it really counts!
12/19/2006 1:23 PM
To anon #3
from what i understand the 6th ward democratic group dont claim to be a "voice for the majority black ward". their a voice for the 6th ward democrats (black and white) and reed isnt a pawn for slay. i bet SHREWSBERRY voted with slay as much as reed.
12/19/2006 1:50 PM
Reed is Mayor Slay's choice. Clear, cut and simple. I don't care if Shrewsbury has voted more with Slay. At the end of the day, Francis wants Reed in there more than he wants Shrewsbury.
Reed diminished his hopes for electibility by getting involved in a petty ward catfight. His wife was front and center, and like most men, he should have let his wife scratch and claw without he himself getting involved!
Now he looks like he doesn't care about people (black people) being able to participate in the ward organization, and he has to use his time explaining his position, playing kiss-up to Triplett supporters; instead of making fundraising calls and soliciting endorsements.
12/19/2006 2:23 PM
Anonymous #4:
Everybody should remember that Lewis Reed is a member of the executive committee and has worked to bridge racial divides within the ward and our city for years. Therefor he has a vested interest in making sure that this issue is handled appropriately and delicately.
Lewis Reed does not run away from tough decisions. That is exactly the reason I support Lewis Reed for President of the Board of Aldermen. While he has never made it a habit to hide when it comes to tough issues, his opponent has always avoided making the tough decisions. The current President ducks making those tough decisions that must be made to move St. Louis forward, and in doing so makes no decisions keeping St. Louis stagnate.
The President of the Board of Aldermen needs to move St. Louis forward by providing the type of leadership Lewis Reed has provided in the 6th ward. And, leadership starts with involment.
12/19/2006 2:48 PM
Escalating tensions is most often used to describe a state of fear, state of pre-violence or increased violence, involving one or more countries or entity within Africa-Eurasia. Using the term to describe local political matters is very sad.
12/19/2006 2:51 PM
How has Mr. Reed worked to build the racial divide in the 6th Ward? Clearly his work is not reflected in the makeup of the 6th Ward executive committee.
12/19/2006 3:27 PM
To me, this wreaks of Jim Shrewsbury. Finding two of his supporters in Darryl Piggee and Jamilah Nasheed trying to cause trouble for Lewis Reed and race baiting the 6th Ward is right up his alley. This 6th Ward race and the President of the Board of Aldermen race are about vision and integrity. So far the only ones with integrity seem to be Lewis Reed and Christian Saller. If Kacie wants to win the 6th Ward she need to show that she can work with everyone, not just the haters.
12/19/2006 3:28 PM
Actually Shrewsbury is doing the smart thing and keeping his mouth zipped. If Reed was smart he would have pulled Triplett to the side and got her straight BEFORE the executive committee meeting. The last thing he wants to have is her talking about race in the ward. That makes folk uncomfortable. But instead, he brought it public, and also bought it public to Nasheed and Pigee; two people who don't play nice.
12/19/2006 3:43 PM
To say that Triplett is in a camp of race baiters seems to me the furthest from the truth. Her work with past Congressmen dictates that she can work with people of all races, cultures and genders.
12/19/2006 4:09 PM
You can't be serious- "This reaks of Jim Shrewsbury"?!?! Let me guess, he met with Cacchione and convinced him to throw out a hundred new members of the 6th Ward organization just so that a newly elected State Represenative and Lacy Clay's Chief of Staff could cause trouble for Lewis Reed... right, that seems very plausible.
12/19/2006 6:44 PM
BOOT CHEIT OUT!!!!!!
Where the hell is the Committeewoman in this matter? She is not running for office right now and should take leadership in this matter. If she can't take leadership in this matter, then she should resign her position.
The ward organizations are run by the committeepeople, and not the president of the ward organization.
Tell Mary Entrup to sit her ass down, because her judgeship ends in the courtroom. She is f@cking up the election for her husband, imagine that- a judge not using good judgement! She is also overstepping her boundaries, not obeying the law, and is in gotdamn violation of ward ordinances for a meeting. She needs a mandatory minimum sentence to think about her trangressions!
I'm sorry, strike that from the court, but the committeewoman needs to take control of this shiot!
The 6th ward needs a politically experienced committeewoman that will balance out the ward's diversity. This will end all the racial tension cries, but the new committeewoman needs to be strong and hear and respect the concerns of the diverse 6th ward. A strong committeewoman would have stated that the meeting was private and shut all that other bullcrap down!
The committeewoman of the 6th ward is weak and needs to go now!!!!!!!
12/20/2006 7:14 AM
And there other ways of getting a new 6th ward committeeman too than electing him alderman.
12/20/2006 2:15 PM
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