Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The ad launched Tuesday on the second anniversary of the Tucson shooting. University City Mayor Shelley Welsch is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Two years after the Tucson mass shooting in which six were killed and former Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot, Mayors Against Illegal Guns today released a new television ad featuring Roxanna Green, mother of Christina-Taylor Green, the nine year-old girl murdered that day. The 30-second spot opens with a scene from the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in which 20 children were killed. In the ad, Green demands that elected officials in Washington D.C. take immediate action to reduce gun violence in America. The ad can be viewed with this story or by clicking here. “How many more children must die before Washington does something to end our gunviolence problem?” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and New York …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The national group of mayors, led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, sent a letter to President Obama today.
University City Mayor Shelley Welsch joined other mayors across the country today in sending a letter to President Barack Obama regarding the shooting in Newtown, CT and the need to change gun legislation in the United States. Welsch and St. Louis City Mayor Francis Slay are the only local mayors to join the coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The group, which includes more than 750 mayors nationwide, is led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Welsch and Slay joined the organization years ago. The letter read, in part, "As mayors, we are charged with keeping our communities safe. But too many of us have sat with mothers and fathers of children killed with guns. Twenty-four children enrolled in …
Monday, November 26, 2012
An open letter from Mayor Shelley Welsch to members of University City's city council.
TO: Members of Council FROM: Mayor Shelley Welsch DATE: November 26, 2012 RE: Suggested Citizens’ Task Force on Crime Awareness and Prevention As we are all aware, the City of University City has recently seen an increase in violent crime in our community, while the rates of other types of crime have continued to decrease. Earlier this year, after the tragic shooting of Destinee Clemons, I said that I wanted to look into the possibility of having town hall meetings throughout the community, in all three wards, to discuss the situation. I felt there would be some benefit to bringing residents together to talk about their concerns about crime following the extensive publicity on that murder. Police Chief Charles Adams, however, discouraged …
Friday, September 21, 2012
New facility at Vernon and Westgate is expected to be completed next year.
The City of University City held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the new fire house at 863 Westgate Avenue. The new engine house, which has a construction schedule of 300 days, is estimated to cost $3.3 million. University City Fire Department Chief Don Miner noted the collaboration that came together to make the project a reality. The department received a grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Assistance to Firefighters Station Construction Grants. Miner thanked several people for helping the project get off the ground, including Mayor Shelley Welsch, former Mayor Joe Adams, City Manager Lehman Walker and the members of the current and former city council that believed in the project. Chris Gibbons, who donated …
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Thoughts on open government in University City.
Forty years after Missouri became one of the first states with a Sunshine Law ensuring that government meetings are open and accessible to the public, I am concerned that the spirit of the Sunshine Law is not being honored here in University City. First some background and then some examples. The Missouri Sunshine Law mandates that a tentative agenda for every public meeting be posted at least 24 hours in advance of the start of the meeting. This agenda is tentative because, as I have been told, those drafting the legislation understood that not all the business a public body needs or wants to handle at a meeting is, necessarily, known 24 hours in advance. The agendas of our City Council regular sessions always list a beginning item called…
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
University City's attorney says the city council did not violate open records laws by voting on a Loop traffic study in July.
The University City City Council voted again Monday to approve an RFP (request for proposal) on a traffic and parking study for the Delmar Loop area. The council approved the measure 5-0 July 23. It decided to vote again on the measure after Ward 2 Councilwoman Paulette Carr questioned whether the vote was in violation of Missouri's Sunshine Laws. Even though City Attorney Paul Martin found no violation of the open records law in the first vote, the council voted again to seek proposals for the studies. Carr questioned the vote at the council's Aug. 13 meeting, saying that the RFP was not on the agenda prior to the meeting. Council Member Michael Glickert brought it up in a study session prior to the meeting and again during council member…
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Ward 2 Council member Paulette Carr responds to Mayor Shelley Welsch's column.
In University City the City Council governs the city not the mayor. According to our City Charter: 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 time to set the standards for how the Council shall conduct the business of the office. These rules do not supersede the Charter, but must conform to the laws of the State of Missouri and the Charter of the City of University City. When these rules conflict with or violate the Charter the Council must consider whether and how to change them. That is the process that is now taking place. Among several …
Friday, August 10, 2012
The University City mayor's blog on proposed changes to city council rules.
The actions of the City Council of University City are directed by the City Charter, City ordinances, and Council Rules of Order and Procedure. The current Council Rules of Order and Procedure have been under discussion since about 2007 – with each Council reviewing, updating, adopting and then reviewing again. It’s an on-going process. On Monday, Aug. 13 the City Council will discuss in study session the revisions to the Rules of Order and Procedure suggested by our newest Councilmember, Paulette Carr. I have strong concerns about two suggested revisions –because I believe these suggested changes are not in the best interest of the City or residents. If adopted, the new rules would limit the opportunities for University City residents to …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The FAQs were requested after the July 16 trolley meeting.
A special University City City Council meeting on the Loop Trolley July 16 answered several questions about the plans for the trolley's path and how it would operate. It also brought up several more. In order to help clear up confusion about the proposal and any changes that may have occurred since the Trolley was first proposed, Mayor Shelley Welsch asked City Manager Lehman Walker to compile a list of frequently asked questions about the trolley. The information is from the Loop Trolley Company. The full list is available on the city's web site. Because of the number of questions, Patch will run the information in segments. Project Development, Schedule Look for Part 2 on Friday.
Mayor Shelley Welsch's latest blog post.
Recently, sustainability has been on my mind, perhaps because: With all this on my mind, I thought perhaps I should recap what our community has been doing recently to become more sustainable. We’ve done a lot but, of course, there is always more to do. So, a short history of sustainability in University City: One of my personal goals as Mayor of University City is to make our community one of the most sustainable, if not the most sustainable, in the St. Louis region. I want to work with Council to ensure that we continue on the path of sustainability set by our involved residents, committed staff members and previous administrations. I will do all I can to continue the work that has already been done, and develop and support new ideas to …
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Douglas Andrews
5:57 am on Thursday, December 20, 2012
So the Mayor jumps on the bandwagon.....just in time for the spotlight of the media moment....1000 miles away? By my count, since her election, there have been more than 20 shootings, numerous murders, and countless gun-crimes in U.City as reported in the post- dispatch as well as this Patch website itself.... The 3rd ward itself has been asking help for years! Please?!?! Way to grab the hot … more ›