This Letter to the Editor is from Cindy Erickson, Regional CEO of the American Red Cross. This time of year generally brings out the best in people, and we have certainly seen that here at the American Red Cross. Because Service to the Armed Forces is a key mission area for the Red Cross, during the month of November, we asked the community to help send holiday greetings to service members around the world, their families and veterans in homes and hospitals. While a holiday card might sound like a small thing, we hear every year that it means a great deal to those who are away from their …

Much has been reported lately about a certain associate circuit judge in St. Louis County (in the St. Louis Post Dispatch) who received low marks from attorneys and fellow judges. Perhaps the voting public needs to learn about all judicial decisions that these men and women hand down so that they can make more informed decisions at the polls. I am not interested in whether or not a lawyer has a positive or negative opinion of a judge that may have ruled for or against them in court. What I am interested in is the ability of judges to hold criminals accountable for the crimes they commit …

In University City the City Council governs the city not the mayor. According to our City Charter: “…all powers of the city shall be vested in an elective council,” "hereinafter referred to as "the council," which shall … determine policies …” “The council shall consist of seven [equal] members, each of whom shall be elected for a term of four years.” The mayor has no separate powers or authority other than presiding at council meetings, ceremonial occasions and in the event of martial law. The Council is comprised of 7 equal members. The Council Rules have been established and amended over …

Please take just a moment to listen to the short audio clip that I have uploaded for your review.   First, there was a new round in the continuing assault on the status of the free surface parking lot just north of Delmar (running between Kingsland and Leland).  As you know, the Mayor and her allies want to develop garages and condominiums on the Lot.  Now, because the LSBD seemed to have garnered some support for our position, Lynn Ricci, former Council Member, and ally of the Mayor and her administration, is attacking the Merchants and Property Owners (The Loop) as being a financial drain …

Editor's Note: The following is a letter from the Loop Special Business District. It was written by the organization's president, Jessica Bueler, and was mailed to Loop business owners. Mayor Shelley Welsch published her latest blog on July 8. Please take the time to review her blog here. Many University City business owners, property owners, and residents are outraged by the Blog’s divisive tone and reckless disregard for the truth.  We deserve more from our civic leadership. Mayor Welsch ran for office promising “transparency” but her campaign promises have proven to be inconsistent with …

Editor's Note: Rep. Ellinger read his letter Monday at the University City City Council meeting. We lost another child last week - young Destinee Clemons from Plymouth Avenue in the northeast quadrant of the city. Like you I am saddened and angry. In checking with the City I have confirmed there have been three shooting deaths of young people in the northeast part of University City in the past three months. This must stop.  I intend to ask the city to take immediate emergency steps to increase visible police patrols in the area north of Olive to Page, and from Pennsylvania east. I am not …

At the May 14 meeting of the City Council of University City it was obvious that city officials still don't have answers to many questions about the proposed Loop Trolley, a project that could have a significant impact on both the Loop and the city.    The Cross County MetroLink Extension Project should serve as a warning for what can happen with these projects. Though not on the same scale, it demonstrates how so many things can go wrong. The extension, from Forest Park to Shrewsbury, started at a cost of around $325 million and then went to around $550 million when the tunnels and other …

The "Streetcar Named No Desire To Nowhere," which will radically change our City Scape, must be put to a vote of the  University City electorate. The last radical change to this same City Scape was under our 1962 Urban Renewal Bond Issue voted by the people, not once but twice, because all the T's were not crossed properly and all the I's were not dotted correctly the first time — and it passed both times. And what was the radical change that came to this very section of Delmar? — the street bed was narrowed and the sidewalks widened and today the restaurants, shops and pedestrians are still …

The matter of political signs being removed on election day (April 3) from certain polling places in University City has caused City Manager Lehman Walker to say changes are needed in the city's sign ordinances, which is not the case. It seems the city manager is trying to provide cover for his order to illegally remove the signs.  It isn't necessary and it's a moot issue from the city's standpoint as signs at polling places on election day are governed directly by state law. Every city or governmental entity must sign an agreement acknowledging as such if a tax-supported public building is …

Friends and neighbors,  Congratulations to Terry Crow on his re-election to the City Council. He and his supporters  ran a good race. I particularly want to congratulate him, and them, on keeping the First Ward election from becoming nasty or personal. I also want to congratulate Arthur Sharpe on his re-election to the Council and Paulette Carr on her Second Ward election.   Early yesterday, I received a request from a supporter that if I was elected I would ensure that the Council always acted with transparency and that I would always act with humility in dealing with the concerns of …

I write to make you aware of a deceptive undercurrent stirring. Our City Manager Lehman Walker inherited 30+ years mis-management. He has had a gargantuin job in righting this ship. And it appears prior administration is angered that, in the process, a bright light fell on their malfeasance (You only need to look at the State Audit, the independent CPA audit, and the report from the financial consultants). So they have made a concerted effort to use their membership in a small organization called International City Managers Assocation [ICMA] as a weapon to discredit Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker, …

Council: I prepared a rebuttal (below my name) to the ICMA witch hunt. I've tried to be straight up in my analysis. Yes, I support Lehamn as city manager. But I go my own way issue by issue. He wants a new police station. I definitely do not. You get the idea. At the end of the day, I took a close look at the ICMA claims and had a WTF moment. The ICMA is a club and they have the right to mis-apply their written rules and to sanction members as they see fit. But their ethics are not our ethics. Lehman Walker was critical of the Feier administration. This played a part in his leaving U City for…

The Mayor and City Manager have made a mockery of the Council and our city governance. The U City Charter, Article 1, Sec 2, Form of Government states “The municipal government provided by this Chapter shall be known as a "Council manager government." Pursuant to the provisions of this Charter and subject only to the limitations imposed hereby and by the constitution of Missouri, all powers of the city shall be vested in an elective council, hereinafter referred to as "the council," which shall enact local legislation, adopt budgets, determine policies and appoint the city manager, who shall …

Councilmember Arthur Sharpe Jr. will run for re-election to for City Council for Ward 3, according to the latest edition of the 3rd Ward Circular. The 3rd Ward newsletter also highlight's a new program in the University City School District which works to strengthen teacher/parent partnerships.

Hello 1st ward Constituents and other concerned citizens of University City!             Thank you for your continued interest in the decisions of our city government, decisions which affect the quality of life of each of us and our neighbors.  Since my last e-mail update, some notable events have occurred at City Hall that I'd like to share with you today.                       New fire station: Construction of a new fire station was approved by the Council on a 6-1 vote. While I have serious concerns about the cost and location, I am also convinced that this is the right time for this, so I…

The following (with links included by Patch) was submitted by Rep. Rory Ellinger, a longtime University City resident who represents Pagedale, University City and Wellston in St. Louis County (District 72) in the Missouri House of Representatives. All of my adult life, I have been dedicated to public service. People have come to know me as their neighbor, 12 year member of the University City School Board, a lawyer, a soccer coach and a member of numerous municipal and state commissions, particularly those dealing with health care and criminal justice. After my election to State …

Hello 1st Ward Citizens: Many of you saw me at the recent U City in Bloom Garden tour (which Tom and I volunteered for and underwrote), and you asked why you hadn't gotten an e-mail update from me lately. I guess I now know that people were reading them! I wasn't sure of that, but I plan to correct the fact that I haven't sent anything in a while. Following are a few things that have been going on at city hall that affect the quality of our lives here in U. City. As always, I invite you to contact me with your thoughts, feelings, and insights about any or all of these issues. Jackson Avenue …

The City Council is proposing a change in the ward boundary lines of University City. The council is expected to vote on the redistricting on Monday, October 10. University City resident Paulette Carr has compiled a history of how the wards of University City have looked over time... from 1948 to the present. U City Patch is providing a link to the story on Carr's website UCityCitizen. Click here to read Carr's story. Editors’s Note: The Community Forum column is for University City residents to voice their opinions on happenings in U City. The views expressed are not those of University City…

The summer is ending and as we head into the veto session of the legislature I wanted to share some of my recent activities. We all know the challenges our state is facing fiscally. And with the devastation of the spring tornadoes in Joplin, St. Louis and elsewhere, recovery will tap the budget even more.Recently I wrote a letter to the editor of the Post-Dispatch (bit.ly/Post-Dispatch) suggesting we should consider raising our extremely low tax on cigarettes to raise funds for disaster recovery.At 17 cents/pack our rate is one of the lowest in the country. We also have a very high rate of …

Recently two ideas are being lauded and supported by many legislators, such as the need to make the rainy day fund workable by expanding the payback period from three to ten years and the collection of sales tax from online purchases.Another revenue generator is to raise the cigarette tax by 17 cents, which could raise millions annually. All of these measures can be taken up and passed by the Missouri General Assembly and signed by our Governor at the upcoming special session in September. We can call it the “Tornado, Flood Relief and Energy Fund,” as the funds are sorely needed in those …