Ex Aldermean Newsletter 32

EX ALDERMAN NEWSLETTER 32

August 23, 2011

By John Hoffmann

NEW DEER LOVER SIGNS SPROUTING UP: On Tuesday August 16 yard signs began popping up around town. No one was quite sure what they said because the printing on the signs was so small they were impossible to read while driving by. Leave it to the passionate deer people (also known by the passionate people in favor of reducing the number of deer in Town as the “deer whackos”) they put up protest signs that no one can read.

The sad thing is that anytime the people in favor of immediate lethal deer management puts up signs they are stolen, usually within 24 hours of going up. In the past it appeared that only one group taking sides on this issue believes in the first amendment and freedom of speech and expression.

The organization listed on the bottom in small lettering is a group with a website not yet on the internet of SafeResponsibleDeerManagement.org. The signs claim Jamie and Mary Jo Cannon are treasurers of the organization.

The Cannons live at 991 Mason Ridge Lane.

1 WORK SESSION ON DEER MANAGEMENT: The crowd at the Board of Aldermen meeting was mostly the deer lovers and mostly from Principia. Two people spoke who live in the subsidized housing on the grounds of Principia. The both spoke against killing deer and made references why deer should not be shot on the Principia campus.

Clearly they were at the wrong meeting. They should be addressing the trustees and board of directors of Principia. Those are the people who very intelligently gave the city permission plus actually gave the city money to kill deer on the campus. The reason, of course, is that the Christian Science school does not believe in medical treatments. The ticks carried by deer carry some serious diseases starting with Lymes Disease.

The two people speaking before the regular meeting, Craig Fredrickson and the wife of Al Gerber’s campaign manager, Penny Swank need to wake up and take there their fight about stopping the shooting of deer on the Principia campus where it belongs to the people who run Principia.

CAPT HOELZER REPORT REHASH: The work session started at 7:30. Deer management was the last on the agenda. Police Capt. Gary Hoelzer gave a recap on his earlier report. He stated that currently there are an estimated 660 deer on the 10 square miles in Town and Country west of I-270 or 66 deer per square mile. He stated that experts recommend somewhere between 10-and-20 deer per square mile. In other words we have six times too many deer. Capt. Hoelzer stated he recommends the continued use of sharpshooting to reduce the number to 30 deer per square mile for starters.

FONS TO BAMBI’S DEFENSE or WHEN IS A DEER THAT IS KILLED BY A CAR NOT A DEER KILLED BY A CAR: The dimmest bulb in the package on the Board of Aldermen began arguing with Capt. Hoelzer over deer-car accident rates. Steves Fons believes that deer found on the side of the road dead from traumatic injuries should be not considered nor counted by the police as evidence of a deer-car accident. Fons said only if a driver makes an official report should it be considered an accident.

Fons accused Hoelzer of using deer management results of cities in Ohio and New Jersey unfair because the cities can’t be like Town and Country with large lots and open areas. Hoelzer challenged him by telling him to go to Google Earth and check out the cities he used in his report. Even Alderman Fred Meyland-Smith mentioned he was familiar with the city in New Jersey mentioned by Hoelzer and it is very much like Town and Country. I have been saying this for over three years now…Steve Fons is a DOPE.

2 GERBER TRYING TO SAVE ONE DEER AT A TIME BY KILLING TREES: We reported about Al Gerber’s spreadsheet on non-lethal t ways to reduce the deer population that is cost effective. He mentioned that the Conservation meeting that he didn’t quite understand all the numbers but he had plenty of paper.

At the work session Gerber was carrying a thick folder with his spread sheets. He was trying to ask Hoelzer a question at the end of the session but was skillful ignored by Mayor Dalton.

DALTON EARNED HIS PAY: During the meeting Mayor Dalton spoke of meeting with Gerber for an hour on the deer issue and with Burni Perez before the meeting.

HOELZER NEEDS A PAY RAISE: At the end of the work session Dalton asked for Capt. Hoelzer to meet with the city attorney Steve Garrett and draft an ordinance for deer management. Dalton added that he planned to include funds for Deer management in the 2012 budget. (There will be no deer control this fall as in the last two years.)

Gerber ask what he should do with his work on deer management. He was told that Capt. Hoelzer was the city’s point man and to meet with him.

HERE IS WHAT WE ARE FORGETTING…John Copeland is police chief in title only. His day to day job is that of city administrator. Likewise Hoezler’s day to day job is running the police department. It is a police department that has seen a reduction in civilian staff and in commission officers in the last two years due to a lack of revenue, meaning more police work for everyone else.

The mayor and board of alderman need to let “the staff” (Hoelzer and Garrett) draft the bill and keep the aldermen, especially Gerber, away from them.

FINANCES; Before the deer stuff the work session started with a report from the auditor on the city’s audit follow by a statement from Finance Director Betty Cotner.

The auditor pointed out that 2010 did not end in a predicted deficit but saw $411,000 on the plus side. Mayor/Cigarette Lobbyist Jon Dalton took great pride in telling everyone in the room how it showed how the city is well run.

3 When Betty Cotner spoke she pointed out that if it were not for two large one-time only unbudgeted windfalls (money from the cell phone utility tax court case and a special payment by Maryville ref the purchase of the Marriott Hotel) the city would have see a large deficit.

For 2011 Betty is forecasting the year will end with a $676,000 deficit, which will be a little better than the $876,000 deficit she had predicted.

She said currently she sees 2012 as a break-even year. She did add that long term projections for revenue versus spending show a “downward trend” with the city using reserves to balance future budgets.

“We need to be proactive instead of reactive,” said Cotner. To me that is a nice way to say we need to stop all wasteful spending and start balancing budgets.

Architectural Review: Steve Garrett gave a talk that was almost double talk on the Architectural Review process. He mentioned that AR does not regulate architectural style, even though it used words like “similar style” of nearby houses.

“People find a new home is so big it is realigning their homes to serf quarters. I don’t think the Architectural Review Board is broke. I think is needs to be tinkered with,” said Garrett.

Mayor Dalton then said he wants to appoint an Architectural Review Task Force. Just what we don’t need…another Task Force! Dalton said he wants Aldermen Tim Welby, Fred Mey-Land Smith and Phil Behnen on it. He later added that he also wanted Jim Klingler from the P&Z Board on the Task Force and Jamie Cannon (The guy behind the deer signs).

DUMB AND DUMBER: At the beginning of the regular pre-meeting work session Mayor Dalton asked if there were any changes or corrections to the minutes. Al Gerber then said he wanted to be added with Tim Welby as voting against the “Ugly House” project by Pulte Homes next to the Target store.

If you remember at the last meeting there was much debate if the planned homes were too ugly for Town and Country. Dalton called for a voice vote on the matter. I reported the voice vote almost sounded like a tie, but Dalton instead of asking for a roll call vote, said, “The ayes have it, resolution passes.” Any of the aldermen could have asked for a roll call vote and made every alderman be on the record. No one did.

4 Apparently the next day Tim Welby sent an email to the city clerk saying he wanted the minutes to show he voted against it. Well it was too late, but the city clerk put that in the minutes and now Gerber wanted to join Welby. Dalton spent at least five minutes explaining to two elected officials that they could not change the minutes as they needed to ask for a roll call vote two weeks earlier when the vote occurred.

TOWN AND COUNTRY IN THE CNN/FORTUNE/MONEY TOP 25: At the same time Webster Groves and Ballwin were listed in CNN/Fortune/Money’s top 100 places to raise a family, T&C was listed as 14 in the Top-Earning towns in American. This list is very subjective as there are numerous towns across the US with higher median family incomes than Town and Country’s $185,555, that didn’t make the list. The editors apparently mixed in some regional picks.

In census reports on median income (last available was the 2000) Ladue is well ahead of Town and Country. City-Data.com lists the top 100 cities for median income and the only Missouri city or town on the list is Clarkson Valley.

CNN/Fortune/Money puts Great Falls, Virginia at the top of median income list. City- data.com lists Hidden Hills, California on top. In 2009 Bloomberg/Businessweek listed Town and Country the 26th most expensive place to live. Let’s face there are a lot more expensive places to live, starting with Ladue. I think the name, “Town and Country, just sounds like the most expensive.

On the Top-100 charity donations by zip code, Utah has an amazing 41 listings. Missouri only has one…the 64112 zip code area of Kansas City, which includes the Country Club Plaza, Ward Parkway and Brookside neighborhoods. So we are at the top of list in making money, but not even on the list for giving it away.

Here is what the CNN/fortune/Money people said about T&C:

14. Town and Country, MO 14 of 25

Population: 10,655 Median family income: $185,555 Median home price: $524,000

A classic post-war suburb, Town and Country is for folks who want a little modernity with their luxury. Kid-friendly cul-de-sacs, big oak trees and delightful two-lane streets attract new residents to this St. Louis suburb. Homes range from humble one-stories to $3 million charmers with acreage for horses to graze.

5 Commercial ventures are pushed to the periphery of the city leaving vast swaths of residential space and undeveloped tracts in the middle. There's even room to hit the links at the Bellerive Country Club, which hosts a professional-class golf course.

WHY BOTHER HAVING A POLICE COMMISSION? In June the Town and Country Police Commission meeting was cancelled because there wasn’t a quorum. In July and August the meetings were simply cancelled long before the actual meeting date. This leads to the constant question…why bother to have a Police Commission? The answer is…to have some place for Mayor Dalton to appoint political supporters even if they don’t want to show up.

TOWN AND COUNTRY SHOULD LEARN A LESSON FROM THE INDIANA STATE FAIR: I was happy to see the National Weather Service set the record very straight after the disaster at the Indiana State Fair. Fair officials and the State Police unit assigned to the fair made the usual statements how the six deaths and numerous injuries of fair goers after the collapse of a concert stage were unforeseen acts of God.

The NWS went on the offensive last week after Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels described the high winds that toppled the stage as a “fluke.” In fact as early as 1 o’clock the NWS predicted 60-MPH or stronger winds would hit the fairgrounds between 8pm and 9pm. At 8:39 the NWS issued a severe thunderstorm warning for fairgoers. The concert staff ignored those warnings and instead of having the crowd seek shelter, they reminded the crowd the show would go on. 10 minutes later the predicted winds struck and six people are dead,

This June Town and Country officials did not have a large crowd waiting for the Fire and Ice fireworks to be launch, seek shelter. At the time there was visible lightning and thunder could be heard. Instead they began shooting off fireworks while it was still light. A number of people in attendance had better sense than city officials. They gathered up their family and left. While as close as Maryland Heights was experiencing severe thunderstorms, T&C lucked out. The fireworks went off, but in reality the City dodged a bullet when leaders refused to put safety first.

GO TO CHURCH WITH WILD, COOL & SWINGING! 6 A benefit performance for the children of 31-year-old police dispatcher Lisa O’Brien, who died suddenly on July 18, will be held at the Parkway United Church of Christ in Town and Country on Friday August 26, 2011 8pm.

A St. Louis favorite, The Wild, Cool and Swinging Orchestra, a Las Vegas Style Revue Band, take audiences back to 1960 on the Las Vegas Strip. Led by trumpeter Jim Manley and vocalist Charlie B the Wild, Cool and Swinging Band guarantees a fun time.

Special Guest performers include Dean Christopher, actor, song stylist and comedian who regularly sold out the Finale Nightclub with his Rat Pack and More shows and who is a headline performer on Celebrity Cruise Ships.

7 Plus St. Louis area big band vocalist Valerie Tichacek

The concert begins at 8 o’clock on Friday August 26, 2011.

Admission for this 2 hour event is just $15. All proceeds go to the Lisa O’Brien family administered by the Town and Country Police Charity Fund.

The Parkway United Church of Christ is located at

2841 N. Ballas Road Town and Country 63131…between Highway 40 and Clayton Road.

8 AN EASIER FUNDRAISER: This concert will be a lot of fun. It will also be a lot of work. Hopefully with a large turnout we can raise $3,000. Here is another way to raise $3,000 without a lot of effort. Each alderperson can take their monthly paycheck ($420 a month…after taxes the checks are about $385) flip it over on the back and endorse it to the “T&C Police Charity Fund Lisa O’Brien.”

CARTOONS:

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