Now that the new Localite is out and election season seems to be in full swing, it is time to start dissecting those advertisments.
First up, the empty mayor: MT Schneider.
His March localite ad seems to be as empty as his time in office. The ad, like the candidate, lacks substance or any campaign issues. It just shows he and his wife and talking about what a great time they are having as Mayor and First Lady of Overland.
I guess if MT Schneider hasn't done anything AND isn't planning on doing anything, his ad should reflect that (and it does).
4 comments:
Or perhaps the Mayor's record speaks for itself.
Since his election:
We gained true professional management at city hall including a City Administrator an Engineer as Public Works Director, both of which were hired via East/West Gateway and not through the cronyism of past administrations.
We've been somewhat fiscally conservative which has worked out well as sales tax and property tax revenues fall during the current financial crisis. We might have done better soliciting federal grants and the like but that's simply conjecture.
We have a Mayor who is involved in local organizations like the Overland Neighborhood Watch, the Overland Business Association, and M.A.D.D. just to name a few.
We have a Mayor who is actively involved in the Municipal League and the St. Louis County Economic Development Council. I don't believe any previous administration took these important organizations seriously in the past.
We have a Mayor who has during his tenure, has favored what he felt is right over local politics when they conflicted. The City Administrator is one such example.
I don't agree with the Mayor on every issue (though in all honesty don't even agree with myself on every issue), and I would have preferred it if he vetoed the repeal of the responsible contractors ordinance, but overall I believe Overland is definitely better off now then it was before he took office.
That's why I've chosen to support the Mayor's re-election.
In my personal view, he's earned it.
Ha! Ha! (One can only asume you are kidding)
The professional management at city hall came despite Schneider fighting this.
And, yes, tax revenues are down. And MT Mayor did nothing to change that. What did he do to actively recruit good businesses to our area? Why won't he embrace Conlon's proposal for a comprehensive neighborhood stabilization plan so that property tax revenues do not fall?
Why didn't he work with Congressman Clay to keep the record center and it's thousands of jobs in Overland? BRAC recommended to move this to Kentucky. Clay fought to keep it in his district. It could have easily been built on the old Mrs Allison's site, adjacent to their current facilities. Instead, we will have one more huge parcel of "nothing" on Page.
While I do remember Mayor Schneider expressing some concerns about the powers granted a City Administrator in the ordinance back when he was a Councilperson, he ultimately didn't support changing the Ordinance. Additionally, I don't remember him ever opposing hiring a City Administrator.
The Mayor took office at the end of August 2007. He had a heck of a mess to clean up thanks to his predecessor.
3 months later on November 26th, 2007 a representative from East-West Gateway spoke to the council about what they do.
One Council meeting later on December 10th, 2007 We entered into a contract with East-West Gateway to find qualified candidates for the City Administrator position
January 14th, 2008 the Mayor reported to the Council that the hiring process was going well and that the city had received 20+ applications for the position.
January 28th, 2008 the Mayor reported that the hiring process was going well and he expected the City to be hiring an City Administrator by the end of Feb.
March 10th, 2008 the ordinance was passed to hire Jason McConachie as City Administrator.
As someone who has watched the process friends have had to go through when pursuing Government jobs the above seems rather speedy to me. At no time do I recall the Mayor opposing, attempting to derail, or even slowing down this process.
So, were is the evidence of his supposed opposition?
As for his work with Businesses, he is far more active with local and regional business organizations than any past Overland Mayor in my memory. He makes himself available to businesses and takes the opportunity to promote business in Overland every time I see him. I'm not sure what else we can expect a mayor to do.
Opening a business in Overland remains difficult due to code enforcement and the way Public Works runs. This problem continues under professional management. However, the issue is often businesses failing to research the property and determine if it is up to code before entering into an agreement to buy or lease it.
As for Councilperson Conlon's proposal, I've not seen it, nor have I spoken with the Mayor or anyone on the Council about it so I'll reserve judgment on that one.
I don't know if the Mayor spoke with Congressman Clay about the issue or not, in the absence of proof to the contrary I'll assume he at least made the attempt based on past performance.
As for Rep. Clay, I personally believe he decided to try to move the center out of Overland from the start. Saving it for his district was good politics and good for the area as well, but I have to wonder what motivated the relocation.
Honestly, how could it possibly be cheaper to open a new records center and move into it over simply staying where it was at? It's possible, but it seems unlikely.
What has all the "joining" done to benefit Overland?
He can join every group that ever exists (the 2 or 3 he hasn't) but if he isn't working for Overland its useless.
He isn't a leader, he is the Party Man in Cheif.
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