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Politics & Government

A Time to Reflect

This is an excerpt from Mayor Shelley Welsch's personal website. To hear more about what the mayor has in store for U City go to http://www.ucitymo.com.

Hi,

What is it about anniversaries? Why do certain days make you stop and think about days of the past? Is this an ingrained human trait, born of millennia of our forefathers and mothers building their lives around the changing of the seasons and the moon? Or a more recent response to the “Hallmark” approach to life, where someone is always trying to convince us to buy something even if they have to come up with a reason why we need it? Or is it a human coping mechanism, a way we’ve developed to organize our brains so we have the concentration and energy needed to continue to focus on the here- and-now so we can get something done? Think about the past, decide what worked and didn’t work, and then file it away? I’m not sure.

What I am sure of is that a year ago on April 22nd I was sworn into office as University City’s Mayor. This has caused me to look back over the past year to determine for myself if I have made the progress I had hoped for when I walked the streets of U City during the campaign. And it has made me reflect on the surprises of the past year.

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My primary goal when taking office was to work with the City Council and staff to bring our finances into order. We are doing that. City Manager Lehman Walker, who returned to the City in August of 2010, has presented a draft budget for fiscal year 2012 that is balanced and, if all the revenues come in as expected, should produce a surplus. This comes after four years of out-of-balance budgets that were “balanced” only by using more than three million dollars in telecom settlements. Those budgets were “balanced” while not making the tough decisions on how to reconfigure the City’s operations to ensure we were living within our means.

That’s changing under the current Administration. I hope Council and staff can continue to work together to bring our expenses in line with our revenue for the long term; that we can decide upon a long-term strategic plan on how to move this City forward to serve all our citizens and build for growth; and that “surplus” revenues and unexpected windfalls can be used for value-added programs and services for our residents.

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I said I would support the findings of the State Audit of the City of University City. I have reiterated that support since that audit was released. You can check out the details of that audit at:
http://www.ucitymo.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1744 .

I also talked about my goal to build a greater sense of community in this great City. I believe this is happening in a number of areas where people from throughout University City are getting to know each other while working on issues of common interest. For instance:

• The Mayor’s Task Force on Seniors & Youth: This group is taking an inventory of programs, services and opportunities available in our community for seniors and for youth – these are called asset inventories. Next, the group will survey each group to get a sense of what our seniors want, need and desire to make their lives more fulfilling and, separately, what our youth want, need and desire. No later than next February, but perhaps sooner, the task force members will make recommendations to me and our Council about what University City should do to support and provide for these two important constituencies in our town.
• The Mayor’s Task Force on University City’s Bike and Walkability: This task force is working on a Pedestrian and Bike Master Plan for University City, with the support of a grant from Trailnet. The goal is to make it safer for residents to bike and walk throughout our community, and to encourage more of us to do so. The DRAFT Master Plan will be presented to the community for the first time on May 18th at 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Centennial Commons. For more information on that meeting contact Lynette Hicks at lhicks@ucitymo.org. The final recommendations of this group will be provided no later than February of 2012.
• The Mayor’s Task Force on Year-Round Aquatics: This task force will meet for the first time on May 5th at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. This group is charged with looking at options for providing year-round swimming availability for our residents’ health and recreational benefits. At this time residents can swim at the outdoor pool in Heman Park during the summer months, and at the School District-owned Natatorium the rest of the year. The School District continues to consider the long-term viability of that facility, considering the costs involved in maintaining it. This task force will look at all options and provide suggestions and recommendations no later than next February.
• A group of volunteers that call themselves Celebrate U City! took on the job of organizing a community carnival, something I’d spoken about during the campaign without knowing that we’d had such a carnival in University City thirty years ago. Fair U City 2011 will be held in Heman Park on Memorial Day weekend – Sunday, May 29th from 1p-9p and Monday, May 30th, from 11a-7p. The events kick off with a community parade on Sunday at 12noon. Monday’s festivities start after the Memorial Day Run. Organizers will have twelve rides, food booths, carnival booths, community booths. Restored hot rods will be on display. Entertainment will be provided throughout the day. Mark your calendars now to take part. For more information contact carnival@ucitymo.org or 314-505-8696. Or you can check out the website at ucitymo.com/fair. They need volunteer help. And you can take part in the parade, or have a booth at the carnival. Check it out.

• University City resident Diane Davenport and I will be working on a music event that I hope will be ready to go next winter. A working title is U City Notes. This idea came about when I traveled the City and heard church choirs and school choirs, local bands and other musicians. I thought it would be great to have an event where U City musicians of all ages and skill levels, amateur and professional, had the opportunity to perform for their neighbors. I really hope it can be designed so that ALL the musicians could perform together for at least a couple of pieces – so that younger musicians would have the chance to work with older, and see the possibilities that exist for them in the field of music. Want to help with this? Let me know at mayor@ucitymo.org or 314-505-8606.
• And, I am working with two former U City residents, Mike and Rob Silverman, on the idea of having a U City Jazz Festival. More on that to come. Let me know if you would like to help with that.

One of the goals I talked about during my campaign was to work with local businesses to establish a Chamber of Commerce.  I am pleased to say that is happening.  I convened two meetings of residents who had expressed an interest in getting a Chamber up and running. Volunteers from those meetings took the reins are are now directing this effort.  If and when a Chamber is formally established it will be an organization separate from the City, as is common and appropriate.

If you are interested in becoming part of the University City Chamber of Commerce group, please contact Raymond Lai at rlai@ucitymo.org. Mr. Lai is our new Deputy Director of Planning, Zoning and Economic Development.  He will ensure that your name is added to the Chamber YAHOO Group notification list.

During the campaign I also talked about working to ensure that the City of University City is part of larger community conversations. I’m making some progress there.

• I am trying to encourage a regional conversation on how to provide recreational opportunities for St. Louis-area youth, hundreds of whom sometimes choose to visit the Loop at the same time on nice weekends. As has always been the case, kids need something to do. There are not a lot of jobs out there for them now. So what are other options? The Seniors/Youth task force is looking at this for U City. Will the work they are doing here in U City be replicable in the larger community? We shall see.
• I’ve been much involved in working with other B cities to oppose proposed changes in the way sales taxes are distributed in St. Louis County. And, I am now a member of a task force that is working to review the current sales tax distribution system. The task force may suggest changes in the current law that would protect the interests of both A & B cities.

My disappointments? I had hoped to establish a We Are U City lecture series to present University City residents who have interesting personal stories to tell – as a way to bring the history of our community, and with their stories the history of our world, alive. I’ve not had the time to do that yet. Hope I can get to it in the coming year.

The surprises of this first year?

• How grateful residents are when you return a phone call or agree to meet with them. I’ve realized there has been a sense of disconnect with our City Hall. I’m working to change that.
• That most of the phone calls I received in the first six months in office were about picking up trash or trimming trees.
• The vitriol that some members of the community display towards public servants – from the Office of the Mayor on down and the lack of care they take in their public comments. This impacts the whole community and, potentially, the future governance of our community. I’ve met one woman who would be a great member of our School Board, but would not consider running because “I don’t want to be treated like that.” That’s a shame.
• That some people don’t understand you can’t raise a family on our salaries – I make $400/month. Councilmembers make $250/month.
• How much fun this job is even with the challenges we are facing as a City, and that I have faced personally as Mayor. I love going to the office and being out in the community. What a great job this is.

Let me know if you have any thoughts/comments or if you want to get involved in any of the initiatives detailed above. You can always reach me at mayor@ucitymo.org or 314-505-8606. And my office door is always open. Please, drop on by. I look forward to meeting with you.

Mayor Shelley Welsch

The mayor's blog is NOT affiliated with the official University City website. That is at www.ucitymo.org. The mayor's personal website is NOT trying to replicate what's on the City's website. 

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