StL $6 Million to Stadium October 23, 2015

(AP) – St. Louis city will pay $6 million a year toward a new riverfront football stadium and rebate an undetermined portion of game-day taxes to the team, according to a newspaper report Friday that cited draft measures by the city’s governing board.
The yearly $6 million is the same amount that now covers debt payments on the current Edward Jones Dome, covering roughly $70 million of the $150 million that Mayor Francis Slay’s office has committed to the billion-dollar project’s construction and planning, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1PLIFoZ ) reported.
The second half of the money will not be paid by the city but by the public authority that owns the Jones Dome, according to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen legislation. That would be done largely by leveraging a recently announced $158 million naming rights deal involving the proposed stadium.
It’s unclear if St. Louis will have an NFL team when the stadium is finished. Rams owner Stan Kroenke is seeking to move to Los Angeles.
Slay’s chief of staff, Mary Ellen Ponder, said Friday that she anticipates the measure will be introduced at next Friday’s board meeting, though she cautioned that the legislation obtained by the newspaper is a draft, with important holes still being negotiated.

Sanders Says County Wom’t Defend Same Sex Lawsuit, not County’s Law June 30, 2014

Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders says the county will not spend money to defend a same sex lawsuit against its Recorder of Deeds.
Two same-sex couples are going to court saying they were denied the marriage licenses in Jackson County because Missouri’s constitution bans same-sex marriages..
“It’s not the county’s obligation to defend state statues,” Sanders said in an interview KMBC TV. Sanders called the suit a “direct challenge to the state of Missouri’s ban against same-sex marriage”.
Last week, the St. Louis office of the ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of two same-sex couples in Jackson County. Sanders says he agrees with the ACLU suit.
“To me it (the constitutional ban against same-sex marriage in Missouri) is clearly unconstitutional,” Sanders said
Last week, the city of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds defied the state ban, issuing marriage permits to four same sex couples there.
Sanders said the Jackson Co. Recorder of Deeds cannot recognize same sex marriages or issue license to a same sex couple.
Sanders says it is up to the Missouri Attorney General, Chris Koster, to defend a state law.
Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Koster’s office says they had nothing to say about Sanders’ decision.
In 2004, 71% of Missouri voters approved amending the state constitution to ban same sex marriage. Sanders, and other supporters of same sex marriages, say times have changed in the decade since then.
The County Executive says if Missourians were to vote again on the measure, the result might be a victory for same sex marriage in the state.
Sanders points to the eight states that have had their same-sex marriage bans struck down by the federal courts as proof of the shifting tide of the law.
Sanders, an attorney, says he hopes the US Supreme Court takes up one of the same sex challenges.
”This needs to go as quickly as possible to the Supreme Court to have this issue decided. Not just in Missouri, but around the country,” he said.

Local Control of KC Cops Set Back November 12, 2013

The bid to restore local control of the Kansas City Police Department sustained a setback Monday.
A panel looking panel considering the issue voted 13-12, with five members absent, to retain local control of the police force.
A final decision will be made by the City Council. The state legislature would also have to any change in the governance of thePolice Board.
Kansas City’s police force is the only one in the nation not supervised by local authorities.
The group, however, did vote to expand the size of the police board. It voted in favor of adding two more gubernatorial appointees to the board, raising its membership from four to six member appointed by the Governor.
Earlier this year, Police Chief Darryl Forte announced his support of state control of the Board. The Police Dept.’s representatives on the panel also voted for local control.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James appointed the panel to look after the issue after the city of St. Louis regained local control of its police force following a statewide vote.
In a statement Monday evening, Kansas City Mayor James said he looks forward to working with the Council and the Legislature to “develop a structure that works for everyone”

Citizens Association Opposes Local Control of KC Police October 23, 2013

The Kansas City Political club, The Citizens Associations is opposing local control of the Kansas City Police Department, saying the proposed remedy is ” throwing the baby out with the bath water”.
A panel appointed by Kansas City Mayor Sly James is considering whether or not to put the proposal on the ballot.
Earlier this year, Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte came out against the plan, too.
The Citizens Association resolution says improvements can be made in the department.
It notes the city spends 46% of its general fund on the department and city spending on the police could be improved.
“The citizens of Kansas City would be well served by improving the financial accountability of the board of police commissioners for spending city funds as determined by the city council and in manners that better husband law enforcement financial resources, the resolution states.
The resolution also says since state control started 74 years ago, the Police Department has largely free of major scandals.
It goes on to note that a number of local officials, including five members of the City Council have been convicted in corruptions scandal and sent to jail.
Kansas City is the only police department in the nation controlled by the state, not by local officials.
Last year, St. Louis voted to end state control. The City of St. Louis now governs it’s police force.

Ron Paul Forces Strong in Jackson County & StL in More Missouri Caucus Voting March 25, 2012

The Ron Paul presidential campaign is claiming victory after Saturday Missouri GOP presidential caucuses in Jackson County and the City of St. Louis.
Many counties had their Republican caucuses on March 17, but those two jurisdictions moved them one week later. Jackson County Republicans made the move to avoid a conflict with the area’s many St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The AP reports,”Party officials said Ron Paul supporters picked all 36 of the St. Louis delegates and about two-thirds of Jackson County’s 179 delegates. The remaining Jackson County delegates support Mitt Romney.”
A statement from Paul’s campaign says the results in Jackson County show “the effectiveness of his delegate-attainment strategy and the viability of his candidacy.”
More AP: “There is no declared winner yet because state party rules do not require delegates to be bound to any particular candidate. Instead, the 2,123 people picked in the local caucuses will advance to April 21 congressional district conventions and the June 2 state convention. It’s at those meetings that the bulk of Missouri’s 52 delegates will be bound to presidential candidates.”
“The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that about 300 people attended the caucus at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Across the state, about 1,000 registered voters showed up at the Jackson County caucus at Lee’s Summit High School, said Jackson County GOP Treasurer Richard Plackemeier”.
“Jackson County GOP Committeewoman Erin Dunn said Paul and Romney supporters worked together to develop a brokered slate because neither side had a majority. Dunn, herself a Paul supporter who was picked as one of the delegates, said she was generally pleased with how the situation played out in both caucus locations.”
“Ron Paul people are very dedicated and very well-educated about the process,” she said. “That is the whole strategy, be educated about the process, know the rules, follow the rules and win based on that.”
“Although Rick Santorum won Missouri’s presidential primary in February, that election didn’t count toward awarding any delegates to the Republican National Convention. Instead, the state party opted for caucuses to avoid getting penalized by the national Republican Party for holding its primary earlier than specified under party rules.”