Politics & Government
U City Resident Responds to Criticism from St. Louis County Council
In June, the council approved $250,000 for a convention for the American Society of Association Executives. Dubbed the "Super Bowl of conventions," the gathering is aimed at attracting major conferences to the St. Louis area.
At Tuesday's meeting of the St. Louis County Council in Clayton, University City resident Tom Sullivan
Sullivan had criticized the council for allocating funds for a convention for the American Society of Association Executives. Stenger said the convention was meant “to showcase St. Louis as a destination spot for conventions, which are, as we all know, it’s (one of the) bread and butter of the region.”
During the public forum portion of the council meeting on Tuesday, Sullivan said all he was doing was asking questions about the event. For one thing, he said, he wanted to know why the event cost so much.
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“Even if you assume that a party is a good idea, maybe you could put a party on for a mere $50,000,” Sullivan said. “But nobody came up with estimates, even the people at the (Convention and Visitors Bureau).”
Sullivan added that no matter how much money is sent to the CVC, the results just aren’t there.
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“Of course, don’t forget that St. Louis County sent $180 million for the dome that was supposed to revitalize downtown and bring in all sorts of conventions,” said Sullivan, referring to the Edward Jones Dome. “Huge amount of money is being sent to downtown St. Louis, and it’s hard to see any results.”