By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 11:00 AM
PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE Labels: BOA_President_Race, Breaking_News
Last night the issue of race finally came to the forefront of the race for President of the Board of Aldermen.
At a 24th Ward endorsement meeting attended by both incumbent Jim Shrewsbury and challenger Lewis Reed, ward organization president John Corbett asked the candidates about race.
"It seems to me, along with all the crime, the schools and the tax base, the number one problem we really have is racial polarization," said Corbett. He asked what practical ideas the candidates have to address this issue.
Shrewsbury told the southside organization's all-white membership that as Board President he has balanced the aldermanic committees racially and has good relationships with the city's comptroller and fire chief, both of whom are black.
Reed, who is seeking to become the first African-American to unseat a white citywide elected official since Freeman Bosley, Jr. defeated Circuit Clerk Joe Roddy, Sr. in 1982, said that the city's political leadership should lead by example.
He challenged Shrewsbury not to use race baiting in his campaign, which he charged has already occured through the use of "push polling" and a whisper campaign to make Reed's interracial marriage an issue.
Shrewsbury denied paying for a "push poll" which was reported by the Arch City Chronicle in December to include at least two questions about Reed's race.
"I have not done that, I've never done it, and I never will do it," he said.
Editor's Note: Reed is a client of A.D. French & Associates
18 Comments:
Since we have no proof of this "whisper campaign," I might as well come up with my own baseless conjecture. This is politics, right?
Reed's campaign HQ and the ACC are tenants of Pyramid. Shrewsbury opposed S. Grand McDonald's Deal as well as Jennifer Florida. ACC posts information about alleged poll with absolutely no sources. All in Reed camp play classic race card. Progressives and African Americans loose confidence in Shrewsbury because Jim is racist.
Again, this is about the issues!
If we want to talk about the North Side then how about Blairmont? Jim is against the Forest Park Deal yet will he stand against wide scale speculation? Will Jim fine these speculators as they are in gross violation? Will Lewis do this as well? Who will step up to save our greatest asset: historical housing?
Divisive accusations with no proof are simply distractions from debate and actually taking a position critical issues.
1/25/2007 11:51 AM
Doug, you're an idiot and know about as much about what's going as... Jim Shrewsbury.
There is a whisper campaign and I can attest to it. I can't tell you how many times someone has "whispered" to me the "relevant fact" of Lewis Reed's race or the race of his wife or the mixed race of his kids. Jim Shrewsbury is and always has been a dirty campaigner especially when it comes to running against blacks. Just ask Virvus Jones.
So shut up about things you don't know about. I for one am sick of reading your ignorant posts and your plagiarized contributions. You don't live in old north, you don't live in the 15th ward, and you don't have a clue about what people that do live in those places really want (and no, Michael Allen is not an elected representative and neither is Steve "All I do is complain" Patterson.)
It's time to get beyond race but that takes KNOWLEDGEABLE people leading the discussion and men like Jim Shrewsbury being called out for what they really are.
1/25/2007 12:47 PM
Thank you Travis Reems. Get me my coffee.
1/25/2007 12:57 PM
Two things:
1) "lose" is not spelled "loose"
2) "historical housing" is not our greatest asset; people are.
If Shrewsbury starts going around claiming that "historical housing" is our "greatest asset", he will surely lose, but he's too smart for that.
On the other hand, if he's one of the only holdouts on BJC expansion efforts, how does that help him?.
Maybe he's counting on the vote of every "No To BJC" petition signer to win this election?
1/25/2007 1:20 PM
Didn't Jim's poll mention Lewis would be the first black president of the board of alderman? Why not leave his race out of the poll.
1/25/2007 1:48 PM
Now Lewis and his friends want to say that Shrewsbury's camp is using divisive race politics in the campaign. Oh Lewis, I thought race wasn't a factor in St. Louis? Everyone gets along so great in St. Louis that we all sing kumbaya around the fire pit.
Lewis this is St. Louis. Not Joliet. When running citywide, people are going to talk about your wife, and your kids. They are also going to talk about this being your second marriage to a white woman as well.
Nothing you can do about that. Quit having your campaign team whine about things being unfair. Thats the way it is. You have to work doubly hard as a black man running for a city wide office in a racially polarized city. Get your head out of the ground and WORK if you want to win. Not whine.
1/25/2007 1:51 PM
For all of you trivia buffs, the first Black President of the Board of Aldermen was Eugene "Tink" Bradley, who became "acting" President of the Board of Aldermen upon the appointment of then-President Paul Simon to the Missouri Court of Appeals in 1980. While Tink was ultimately defeated for a full term in his own right by Tom Zych in a racially divisive campaign, he was indeed the first President of the BOA who was also and incidentally African American.
Reed aspires to be the first ELECTED President of the BOA who is also and incidentally African American. By the way - Tink Bradley was one of the old guard who was well liked and respected by his colleagues on the Board, who included over the years, such stalwarts as Red Villa, Sam Kennedy, Louie Buckowitz and Dick Gephardt to name but a few.
SIDE NOTE TO ANONYMOUS ON YOUR COMMENTS TO DICK DOUGWORTH - YOU GO GIRL! RIGHT ON! ABOUT TIME SOMEONE STRAIGHTENED THAT BOY OUT!
1/25/2007 2:09 PM
And furthermore, if REED is in the pocket of Pyramid, where does that put screwsbury, who against all good sense and public sentiment, voted in favor of a city guarantee for the Saint Louis Center TIF bonds -- against the wishes of his comrade in arms, Darlene Green. You got to believe there was a little somthin somethin there for southside jimbo to make such a bad fiscal decision.
1/25/2007 2:13 PM
OK, If you think Reed is for the people you are dead wrong. Reed is all about handing the city over to developers, most of whom are rich white men! BJC? Take what you want. Some rich white catholic guy wants to disenfranchise black people from their property (Blairmont)? Why not, development is progress, no matter the means.
1/25/2007 2:24 PM
If people are our greatest asset, well then we seem to be in short supply. The way to attract people back to the City is via our unique assets, one being historical housing. These include lofts Downtown, but also single and multifamily buildings as well as mixed use storefronts. In short, we need to maximize our assets and limit our liabilities, the greatest liability arguably being the SLPS. This is nothing new.
Why would someone move to the City for suburban style housing when they have to pay the earnings tax, and either pay private tuition or send them to charter schools? From a cost standpoint it might be better to have that same house in an inner core suburb and take advantage of our assets without paying for them.
This is why Blairmont is an issue. Go walk the streets at night in Old North and tell me its not alarming. You won't be a victim of crime as depopulation has taken its toll. Go see the rampant decay and neglect of once beautiful architecture. Talk to the residents who remain and see if "us vs. them" is really how you feel.
Ward boundaries are insignificant as the activities of one neighborhood affect the City as a whole. Party or factional politics shouldn't be a factor either. This is about the most basic role of government which is protecting the general welfare of its people. We, the people, enter into a social contract with government so that they protect our livelihood and property from the misconduct of others. This is why we have government and why we pay taxes. We expect services and regulation to be provided as the community cannot do it alone. When government prefers inaction, or ceases to wield powers of coercion and influence, this is the result.
If I am wrong and people are our greatest asset, well then we are alienating our existing residents while losing a opportunity to attract more.
How is this good policy?
1/25/2007 3:13 PM
Anonymous #1:
You are great at using other people's names but don't leave one of your own.
You call for knowledgeable people to lead "the discussion" yet you won't show the basic leadership trait of putting a name behind fighting words!
Thanks for demonstrating the same problem you bemoan: a lack of real leadership in the race for president of the board of aldermen.
Anyone can snipe anonymously on behalf of a candidate. (Although the more effective candidates get a sniper with a big name, like Callow.) At least Doug has issues, which is more than we can say about the candidates' supporters whom I have met.
1/25/2007 3:22 PM
Folks, please cease the name-calling and personal attacks. With all there is to talk about on the issues, I'm pretty sure no one care what anyone else thinks about any other private citizen.
Play nice or I'll pull this thing over.
1/25/2007 3:46 PM
Just a footnote here about mr. shrewsbury, His wife works at an all black highschool in the city, so I dont feel he's a racist.
1/25/2007 4:26 PM
Correction...
Shrewsbury has stated publicly that his wife is retired (read healthy, taxpayer funded pension), from the city schools.
So, no, she's not teaching in an "all black high school", but she is getting a nice retirement.
Right before a state takeover.
1/25/2007 8:41 PM
Ive seen her within the last month working in that highschool! Im not sure why he's puting that out there.
1/25/2007 11:24 PM
Shrewsbury is not racist and neither is Reed. Both are doing what has always been done in St. Louis politics. Historically when running against a candidate from a different race use of the "them vs. us" talk comes into play.
I don't care who you are, what you stand for, etc. History shows that candidates do this when faced with a heated election between candidates of a different race. When you talk to your base, you try to identify with your base as much as possible; you seek commonalities, race is usually used.
Lewis does it in North St. Louis when making phone calls for financial support. Talking about how Shrewsbury has done the African American community dirty, and Jim does it in South St. Louis a la push polling, phone calls to his supporters and leaking information to outside sources about Lewis and his past.
This race between Reed & Shrewsbury highlights the deep race divisions in St. Louis, but also just demonstrates how nasty political campaigns get. This is a tight race and its going to get nastier before it gets prettier.
1/25/2007 11:39 PM
As a city resident, and voter, for ten years, I had no idea what race Lewis Reed's wife, or if he had a wife, is until I read it here.
Mr. French may have done Mr. Shrewsbury a great service by letting the info out. I hope it matters to no one, but I am not stupid. There are some people to whom this matters, and some of them vote, and the Mr. French's client may end up the worse for this.
This is a little too 'Inside Baseball' for me.
1/26/2007 9:10 AM
Hello city folk! I would never move back to the city after seeing how stupid you city folk are, you all bicker and fight politics day and night, The hell with that. The racial divide is so strong in the city that the whites dont believe the city is the worst in the nation, but I bet the blacks to. WHAT THE HELL ARE YHALL DOING IN THEM PARTS. Then the last posting person assumes that a man just lost votes because his wife is white? what the hell! You can have the city, aint nothin there anyway, bad schools, stupid people, AIDS, blacks, policitians
1/26/2007 10:39 AM
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