This Week in Gardening & Nature

February Gardening Tips & Tasks, Pests & Problems from Missouri Botanical Garden. Now is the time to sow larkspur, sweet pea, snapdragon, Shirley poppy seeds!

February Garden To Do List from P. Allen Smith

Thru February 26 Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Tickets

Thru Sunday- Audubon Society Bows for Birds Challenge. Where: Missouri Botanical Garden, Forest Park, Lafayette Park, Bellerive Park, Powder Valley Conservation… Prizes include Tickets for Big Muddy Adventures, Alpine Shop, Cardinals Baseball…

Seed St. Louis Seed Starting Class on YouTube

Start cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, parsley seeds indoors this week. Plan your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar

4 pm Wednesday Grow Native! Webinar: Meaningful Design and Stewardship of Native Landscapes With Missouri Conservation Department Native Landscape Specialists. Register

6 pm Thursday Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Jump Starting the Growing Season. Register

10 am Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept Nature Hike: Ellis Island has Eagles and Swans and Geese, Oh My. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, meet at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, East of Hwy 67, West Alton. 12 Tickets remaining. Register

6 pm Feb 6th Missouri Department of Conservation Virtual Class: Invasive Species- Identify and Manage Exotic Invasive Plants. Learn how to identify and manage exotic invasive plants. 33 Tickets remaining. Register

Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update

Feb 11th Eagle Days at Audubon Center at Riverlands, West Alton (Not Chain of Rocks Bridge). Register

11 am Feb 14th For Kids, 3-6 Year Olds. Missouri Conservation Dept program at Tower Grove Park, Stupp Center. Conservation Kids: You and Me under the Canopy- Making Tracks. Register

1 pm Feb 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Online Class- Native Plants: Plant Romance. “All registrants for this event must be between 14 and 120 years of age by 2/14/2023.” Register

4 pm Feb 15th Grow Native Zoom Master Class: Practical Magic for Pondscapes. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

Hey, teachers & parents 6 pm February 15th Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: School Garden Design. Start planning now for September-May 2023-2024 school gardens. Register

Volunteers Wanted 9 am Feb 25th for Forest ReLeaf Pruning at Penrose Park. Register

10 am March 1st Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

7:30 am to Noon March 10th Grow Native’s Native By Design: Community Conservation Conference at Lewis & Clark Community College, Edwardsville IL. Register

9 am to Noon April 1st Seed St. Louis Spring Plant Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. $4 seedling 6-packs: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Bok Choy, Collards, Dinosaur Kale, Lettuce. More Info

Native Plant Sales Return: 8 am to 4 pm April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 20, 27 Missouri Wildflower Nursery @ Kirkwood Farmer’s Market. Order in advance– by Tuesday prior to market day- or buy what they bring to Market

Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.

Familiar But Better Than Twitter- Monday Pre-Registration Deadline

Spoutible.com is what Twitter could’ve been if Twitter cared more about its users than profit.- Christopher Bouzy, founder of Spoutible and founder of Bot Sentinel, a company specializing in identifying and understanding disinformation and targeted attacks on social media platforms.

Spoutible is the new social media platform that prioritizes the protection of its users from abuse and disinformation.

By using advanced moderation tools, privacy and security features, fact-checking tools, and transparency and accountability features, Spoutible will strive to create a safe and trustworthy environment for users.

Spoutible’s mission is to build a better and more informed social media platform where people can connect, share ideas, and stay informed without fear of abuse or disinformation.

Main advantages of Spoutible: 1. Safety & Security. 2. Diversity. 3. Users come before profits. 4. Spoutible will develop and deploy new features faster than all of the competitors. 5. Spoutible is committed to news outlets and journalists.

Deadline to Pre-Register for Spoutible is Today, Monday, January 30th. After today, there will be a one week wait to register while the rest of us (over 150,000 pre-registered) grab our account name of choice and give the platform a test run.

Tomorrow/Tuesday is the Spoutible Pre-Launch Q&A

Wednesday is Spoutible’s launch.

Please join me over on Spoutible.

Some Details You Might Want To Know

Spout Character Limit: 300 but links do not count

Chronological Timeline: You will see spouts from people you follow as soon as they are spouted. You will control what you see in your feed.

Verified Notable Accounts: On launch day, some accounts will be verified, aka blue checkmark, but Spoutible will open the verification process to everyone shortly after.

Edit Button: Users can edit spouts for up to 7 minutes and are allowed one edit. These limits are employed to mitigate abuse.

Images: You can post up to 10 images in a spout.

Alt Text: There will be a blue bar prompt for Alt Text when images are added.

Quoted Spouts: You can quote spouts from other users.

Pinned Spouts: You can pin your spouts to your profile, but you can also pin other users’ spouts to your profile.

Delete Replies: You can delete abusive replies to your spouts. We have safeguards in place to prevent users from abusing the delete replies feature.

Enhanced Blocking: Enhanced blocking allows users to control their Spoutible experience and protect themselves from unwanted interactions. Accounts you have blocked will not be permitted to reply to someone who has replied to you.

Anti-Abuse Features: They have developed additional anti-abuse features to protect our users from targeted harassment and abuse.

Private Messages: Users can send and receive private messages, and private messages are encrypted.

Dark Mode: You can change the Spoutible user interface to a darker theme.

Bot Sentinel Rating: Every profile and spout will display the user’s Bot Sentinel rating.

The App: The app will come in a couple of of weeks. Meanwhile, you can access the web version from you cell phone and it will adapt to your device. It’s amazing what has been accomplished in two months, but there are only so many hours in the day.

Cost: All of the above for FREE. There will be an optional subscription fee later to raise revenue to pay for growth of the platform but you will never pay for any of the above. Subscribers might get no ads and things like that but you will never have to pay for the experience you begin with.

Where’s Bosley’s Money?

UPDATED

Found the money. Alder Brandon Bosley’s campaign is using a political action committee not yet filed with Missouri Ethics Commission.

Literature and yard signs promoting his candidacy have been printed and are in use with a “Paid for by the 14th Ward Democratic Organization.”

But the only 14th Ward organization active in MEC database is the one serving pre-ward reduction 14th Ward in Bevo, Princeton Heights, and Southampton neighborhoods.

Money has been spent or debt created on Bosley’s behalf without reporting it to MEC in a timely fashion. The Treasurer is Linda Primer, who is also the Deputy Treasurer for Citizens for Brandon Bosley. There is no arms length between the two entities. Definitely collaboration between the two.

Lots more details below.

Original Post

New 14th Ward Profile is updated with 40 Days Before Alder Election reports.

3rd Ward Alder Brandon Bosley did not make a January Report or a 40 Days Out Report. His October 2022 Report was Limited Activity. His last report with any activity was April 2021 when he had $100 on hand. It’s not the sign of someone running a legit campaign.

January Reports were optional and 40 Days Out Reports were due only if committee 1) accepted contributions (money or in-kind) or 2) had expenses (paid or incurred).

The Bosley Family political action committee- 3rd Ward Regular Democratic Organization- hasn’t reported activity since April 2021 when it had $20.21 on hand.

Alder Bosley’s mother and Treasurer- 3rd Ward Committeewoman Lucinda Frazier- registered a new 14th Ward Democratic Organization as a nonprofit with Missouri Secretary of State, but not MEC. Very curious.

Alder Bosley’s Deputy Treasurer- Linda Primer- is also Treasurer for 3rd Ward Regular Democratic Organization and Civil PAC, as well as Deputy Treasurer for Bosley’s sister- State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley

Civil PAC hasn’t reported any activity since July 2022. It paid the 3rd Ward organization $2,500 for a lit drop in 2020. State Rep. Bosley last reported activity in December 2022, including $800 to political consultant Tim Person.

Some of Person’s previous clients include Jack Coatar’s disastrous run for Board President, former Mayor Lyda Krewson, former Board President Lewis Reed, former County Executive candidate Mark Montovani, former State Rep. Wiley Price, Heartland Action PAC, and Civil PAC.

Tim Person isn’t just a political consultant. He is Human Resources Director for St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler. Person replaced a Recorder employee of many years who was fired by Butler without cause the day he was sworn into office. She and other employees, also fired for not working for his election, sued and taxpayers paid out a six figure settlement.

We’re also talking about the same Michael Butler who chairs the Missouri Democratic Party (also sued by former employee and Party donors had to pay a settlement) and hired Person to do fundraising. Same Michael Butler who owns an all you can drink for one price bar, same bar State Rep. Bosley has worked at or still does. Same bar she held a re-election fundraiser at last year.

Butler also serves on the Board for Communities First, a nonprofit founded by Lucinda Frazier (Alder Bosley’s mother), who is also Butler’s Chief of Staff. The nonprofit’s address is used by State Rep. Bosley on her campaign finance reports and her last candidate filing at Secretary of State. It’s also been used as a default address for 3rd Ward/Bosley Family related campaign workers.

It’s a good guess that Person will be trying to help elect Alder Bosley to the new 14th Ward seat, if Bosley is actively running. It’s also a good guess that money to help that effort might come via Civil PAC.

More intrigue- State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, one of four candidates for the 14th Ward seat, is a former employee of Michael Butler’s Recorder of Deeds office and he donated $2,600 last year to Communities First.

St. Louis, biggest small town in America.

Former Statewide Dem Candidates With MEC Accounts

All of these Missouri Ethics Commission accounts say they are candidates running statewide in 8/6/2024 Primary Election.

Former House Speaker Steve Gaw, Candidate for Secretary of State and US House

Fourteen year after his last campaign, Steve Gaw still has a candidate committee. His last report, other than Limited Activity, was October 2012 Amended: $43,627.80 on hand, $0 debt.

Gaw was Speaker of the Missouri House from Moberly 1996-2001, the first Speaker after Bob Griffin. Griffin resigned in 1996 and was convicted of Federal corruption charges in 1998.

Gaw ran for Secretary of State in 2000, losing to Matt Blunt, 45.1% to 51.4%,, the only Republican to win statewide that year.

In 2008, Gaw ran for 9th District U.S. House but came in second in a four candidate Democratic Primary. Judy Baker, then lost in the General Election to Blaine Luetkemeyer, 47.5% to 50%.

Former State Auditor Susan Montee

10 years after her last campaign, Susan Montee still has a candidate committee. Her October 2022 Report shows $0 raised, $0 spent, $1,938.93 on hand, $500,000 debt.

Montee began her political career serving as both as an elected St. Joseph City Councilwoman (unpaid) and elected Buchanan County Auditor.

In 2006, she ran and won a term as State Auditor, beating Republican Sandra Thomas, 52.8% to 43.4%. This was the election that State Auditor Claire McCaskill beat Republican U.S. Senator Jim Talent, 50% to 47%. McCaskill resigned as State Auditor and then Republican Governor Matt Blunt appointed Montee to the fill the less than a week remaining in McCaskill’s term.

In 2010, Montee lost re-election to Republican Tom Schweich, 45.5% to 50.8%, and soon after became Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party.

The following year, Montee resigned as Party Chair to run for Missouri Lieutenant Governor. In the Democratic Primary, she faced seven candidates and won with 44.9%. The other candidates were former Columbia State Rep. Judy Baker with 15.8%, perennial St. Louis candidate Bill Haas with 12%, Springfield State Rep. Sara Lampe with 8.9%, St. Joseph government surplus business owner Dennis Weisenburger with 5.5%, former Kansas City State Rep. Jackie Townes McGee with 5.3%, former Presiding Commissioner of Saline County Becky Lee Plattner with 3.8%, former St. Louis State Rep. Fred Kratky with 3.8%.

In the General Election for Lieutenant Governor, she lost to incumbent Republican Peter Kinder, 45.5% to 49.3%.

Former AG Chris Koster, Republican turned Democrat

Six years after his last campaign, Chris Koster still has a candidate committee. His last report, January 2023, showed $0 raised, $1,914 (all a donation to Central Institute for the Deaf), $35,192.61 on hand, $0 debt.

He was elected Cass County Prosecutor in 1994, 1996, 2000, as a Republican. He successfully prosecuted the first internet serial killer. In 2004, he was elected as Republican to the Missouri Senate to represent Cass, Johnson, Bates, Vernon Counties and chaired the Senate Republican Caucus.

In 2007, Koster left the Republican Party and became a Democrat. In 2008, he won the Democratic Primary for Attorney despite his former wife, Rebecca Bowman Nassikas, donating $200,000 to a PAC running TV ads against him.
He then beat GOP State Senator Mike Gibbons in the General Election, 52.83% to 47.17%.

In 2013, in his second term as Attorney General, Koster began running for Missouri Governor and in 2016 lost to Eric Greitens, 45.40% to 51.29%.

Koster’s October Report shows $15,000 donated to Missouri Botanical Gardens and Mizzou Law School Foundation. He appears to be slowly spending down the account with donations to nonprofits. He is currently Secretary and General Counsel for Centene.

Former Secretary of State Candidate Yinka Faleti

Two years after running for Secretary of State, Yinka Faleti still has a candidate committee. He filed Limited Activity for January 2023. His October 2022 Report shows $462 raised, spent $876, $21,254.66 on hand, $0 debt. He sold his campaign’s email list to Korede Inc, Ronke Faleti’s, his wife, business, for $412 according to the report.

Faleti ran unopposed in the 2020 Democratic Primary. He lost to Republican Jay Ashcroft, 36.4% to 60.5%.

This Week In Gardening & Nature

Photo of white Amaryllis bloom growing as houseplant in Missouri

Sunday thru February 26 Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Tickets

Thru Feb 5th- Audubon Society Bows for Birds Challenge. Where: Missouri Botanical Garden, Forest Park, Lafayette Park, Bellerive Park, Powder Valley Conservation… Prizes include Tickets for Big Muddy Adventures, Alpine Shop, Cardinals Baseball…

Start broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, leek, onion seeds indoors this week. Plan your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar

6 pm Thursday Seed St. Louis Webinar: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register

10 am Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept Online Class- Native Plants: Winter Beauty. Register

10 am Saturday Seed Swap at Old Six Mile Historical Society, Granite City, Illinois

7 pm Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: An Evening with Raptors. Register

4 pm Feb 1st Grow Native! Webinar: Meaningful Design and Stewardship of Native Landscapes With Missouri Conservation Department Native Landscape Specialists. Register

6 pm Feb 2nd Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Jump Starting the Growing Season. Register

10 am Feb 4th Missouri Conservation Dept Nature Hike: Ellis Island has Eagles and Swans and Geese, Oh My. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, meet at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, East of Hwy 67, West Alton. 20 Tickets remaining. Register

6 pm Feb 6th Missouri Department of Conservation Virtual Class: Invasive Species- Identify and Manage Exotic Invasive Plants. Learn how to identify and manage exotic invasive plants. Register

Feb 11th Eagle Days at Audubon Center at Riverlands, West Alton (Not Chain of Rocks Bridge). Register

11 am Feb 14th For Kids, 3-6 Year Olds. Missouri Conservation Dept program at Tower Grove Park, Stupp Center. Conservation Kids: You and Me under the Canopy- Making Tracks. Register

4 pm Feb 15th Grow Native Zoom Master Class: Practical Magic for Pondscapes. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update

Volunteers Wanted 9 am Feb 25th for Forest ReLeaf Pruning at Penrose Park. Register

10 am March 1st Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.

New Ward Profiles Updated

New Ward Profiles have been updated for any candidate for Alder, elected officials and former elected officials (state legislature, City citywide and Alders, citywide County officers, School Board), ward organizations, party committeepeople, who filed January Reports with Missouri Ethics Commission. January Reports were optional.

The next filing are Or 40 Days Before Election Reports, due January 26th. They are required only if committee 1) accepted contributions (money or in-kind), 2) had expenses (paid or incurred), or 3) donated to another committee. The closing date for this report is January 21st.

4 Day Workweek Comes to St. Louis City Hall

Updated with Board of Alders Vote.

Some St. Louis City employees are about to get a very cushy gig- $72,000 a year for 32 hours of work (counting lunch and breaks), plus a $5,000 expense account (you can donate to your church or ward nonprofit if you want), health insurance, pension, paid holidays. You can mostly work remotely and it’s OK to also work at as a bank vice president, a public relations consultant, an attorney, or own a business. Unlike other City employees, no timesheet will be required for the hours worked, the honor system will be in use.

What position do you apply for to get this great deal? Alder. Sorry. No applications will be taken for another two years.

The full Board of Alders voted Friday (January 20th) to increase their salaries and enshrine their elected office as a position requiring some of their time but not all of their time. The vote was 17 Yes, 8 No, 1 Abstention, 2 Absent.

Board Bill 119, as amended by BOA Personnel Committee, was on the Perfection Calendar, the first of two votes toward making it law. It will likely be approved- Third Reading vote- nest Friday (January 27th).

The ordinance will take affect after the April 4th General Election when City voters will elect fourteen Alders to new redistricted wards under ward reduction.

The ballot for March 7th Primary includes 11 of 14 wards with one or more current Alders running for the office. To be clear, Alders are voting for their own pay raise.

Under City Charter, “The mayor shall devote his entire time to the duties of his office.”

Voters should add similar language City Charter by amendment for both Board President and Alders.

Friday’s vote by New Ward

New 1st Ward
Yes: 12th Ward Alder Bill Stephens (not running), former librarian
No: 13th Ward Alder Anne Schweitzer (running), campaign consultant at Public Eye

New 2nd Ward
Yes: 14th Ward Alder Carol Howard (not running), former St. Louis Public Schools principal
No: 16th Ward Alder Tom Oldenburg (running), vice president for US Bancorp Community Development Corp

New 3rd Ward
No: 11th Ward Alder Jimmy Lappe (not running), Director of Data & Research, Missouri Jobs With Justice
Abstain: 25th Ward Alder Shane Cohn (running), owner of 4664 Tennessee LLC

New 4th Ward
No: 23rd Ward Alder Joe Vaccaro (running), former car wash owner; 24th Ward Alder Bret Narayan (running), attorney

New 5th Ward
No: 10th Ward Alder Joe Vollmer (running), owner of Milo’s Bocce Garden, co-owner TLJ Investments (funeral home), owner of TLSJ (commercial real estate), landlord

New 6th Ward
Yes: Board President/former 15th Ward Alder Megan Green (running), Adjunct Professor at Washington University and owner of MEG Consulting; 8th Ward Alder Annie Rice (not running), attorney

New 7th Ward
Yes: 6th Ward Alder Christine Ingrassia (not running), paddle guide for Big Muddy Adventures

New 8th Ward
Yes: 7th Ward Alder Jack Coatar (not running), attorney at Spencer Fane’s Litigation, Governmental Affairs, and Real Estate Practice; 20th Ward Alder Cara Spencer (running), senior vice president for Community and Economic Development at St. Louis Bank
No: 9th Ward Alder Dan Guenther (not running),

New 9th Ward
Yes: 28th Ward Alder Michael Gras (running), attorney and assistant prosecutor for Florissant Mo
Absent: 17th Ward Alder Tina Pihl (running), landlord

New 10th Ward
Yes: 26th Ward Alder Shameem Clark Hubbard (running), stylist and former salon owner

New 11th Ward
Yes: 21st Ward Alder Laura Keys (running), clinical data coordinator for Biomedical Systems and landlord
Absent: 19th Ward Alder Marlene Davis (not running)

New 12th Ward
Yes: 1st Ward Alder Sharon Tyus (running), attorney; 4th Ward Alder Dwinderlin Evans (not running), landlord
No: 18th Ward Alder Jesse Todd (not running), retired

New 13th Ward
Yes: 2nd Ward Alder Lisa Middlebrook (running), manager of Hope Home Healthy Care; 22nd Ward Alder Norma Walker (running), owner of Belt Loop Trucking and landlord; Pam Boyd (running), dietary manager at The Valley Stonebridge Community

New 14th Ward
Yes: 3rd Ward Alder Brandon Bosley (running), owner/developer of New Black Wall Street 314, hip hop/rap artist/producer at Bawsomemusic, owner of Focused on Family Entertainment; 5th Ward Alder James Page (running), executive director for Downtown St. Louis Neighborhood Association, retired from U.S. Post Office

Further reading: St. Louis aldermen tee up a 100% pay increase for next session by Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Photo of lemon balm coming back from winter pruning

Start broccoli, brussels sprout seeds indoors this week. Plan your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar

Some of you received orchid plants as gifts recently or picked one up from the discount stand/table at a big box. Here’s some tips from P. Allen Smith on caring for orchid plants.

A cool Berries of North America video

6 pm Tuesday Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Glade Ecology and Restoration. Register. More info on Glades

Noon Wednesday Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Wonderful Woodpeckers. Register

4 pm Wednesday Grow Native! Online Master Class: Gardening on the Shady Side. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation ie members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

Noon Thursday Deep Roots Kansas City’s Virtual Event: Native Plants at Noon. Register

4 pm Jan 23rd Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Event: Homemade Suet Bird Feeders. Register

6 pm Jan 26th Seed St. Louis Webinar: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register

5 pm Jan 24th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Introduction to the Great Backyard Bird Count (Feb 17-20) 27 Tickets remaining. Register. More on GBBC

7 pm Jan 27th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: An Evening with Raptors. Register

January 28–February 26 Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Tickets

4 pm Feb 1st Grow Native! Webinar: Meaningful Design and Stewardship of Native Landscapes With Missouri Conservation Department Native Landscape Specialists. Register

6 pm Feb 2nd Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Jump Starting the Growing Season. Register

6 pm Feb 6th Missouri Department of Conservation Virtual Class: Invasive Species- Identify and Manage Exotic Invasive Plants. Learn how to identify and manage exotic invasive plants. Register

Feb 11th Eagle Days at Audubon Center at Riverlands, West Alton (Not Chain of Rocks Bridge). Register

Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update

10 am March 1st Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.

Who will lobby for less transparency now?

Special Tax District lobbyist Bill Kuehling terminated his lobbyist registration at Missouri Ethics Commission last month. Kuehling was first hired by St. Louis City’s Senior Citizens’ Services Fund Board while working at Thompson Coburn. He helped create the Senior Fund’s special property tax.

After he left the firm, the Senior Fund Board hired him to lobby the Missouri General Assembly to eliminate the statutory requirement that the Fund’s budget be approved by the Board of Alders.

Kuehling was successful in 2021 with an amendment added to House Bill 271 to remove oversight of the City’s Senior Fund. Senior Funds in all other counties must be approved by their county council or county commission.

The Senior Fund Board later honored State Rep. Donna Baringer and accused rapist State Senator Steve Roberts for handling the change.

Tax districts in St. Louis City- such as Senior Fund and Metropolitan Parks & Recreation (dba Great Rivers Greenway)- go on the ballot with promises to voters that Board of Alders have oversight over their budgets. Then they hire lobbyists to work with legislators to change state laws they are governed by, make them independent of local government.

Maybe Alex Kuehling at Rosenblum Goldenhersh will follow in his father’s footsteps and become a lobbyist as well as corporate welfare attorney.

Alex wrote the Fiscal Note for Board Bill 165 to create special tax districts for the hot mess known as Jefferson Arms. The sales and uses taxes created by Jefferson Arms Community Improvement District and the Jefferson Arms Transportation Development District are pledged to the redevelopment’s TIF.

Why are developers via their agents allowed to prepare the Fiscal Notes for their corporate welfare? A government office prepares the Fiscal Notes for legislation everywhere else.

For State legislation, the Missouri General Assembly’s Oversight Division prepares Fiscal Notes.

But Ordinance 70404 (Board Bill 63 sponsored by Alder Antonio French et al) requiring Fiscal Notes by the Board of Alders was poorly written or intentionally vague. Unlike the State’s Fiscal Note law, the City’s law does not specifically say who can shall and shall not write the document. Foxes are left to guard the henhouse.

ICYMI (Krewson and Keaveny) Because I Sure Did

Another run by Lyda?

Former St. Louis City Mayor Lyda Krewson still has an active MEC account. Per her January 2023 Report, she has $337,460.92 on hand. Under expenses, she’s also still a client of Kelley Group, which recently ran the losing Board President campaign for Alder Jack Coatar.

Krewson’s MEC account says she is running for citywide office in the 8/6/2024 Primary Election. Citywide offices on that ballot include City Treasurer, City Sheriff, and City Circuit Attorney.

Krewson has been added to the New 9th Ward Profile page under Former Public Officials.

Lots of campaign money in New 10th Ward

It turns out former State Senator Joe Keaveny is sitting on $168,641.65. His MEC account says he is running statewide in 8/6/2024 Primary Election.

Keaveny’s replaced former State Senator Jeff Smith in 2009 after Smith resigned after pleading guilty to two congressional campaign related felonies. He was last on a ballot in 2014.

Keaveny has been added to the New 10th Ward Profile under Former Public Officials. Additional campaign finance information has also been added to the bios for State Senator Karla May and State Rep. Del Taylor on same page.

Mayor Tishaura Jones, Comptroller Darlene Green, and Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner all reside in New 10th Ward.

Also

St. Louis City War Chests has been revised to account for Krewson and Keaveny, who are now #2 and #4 on the list. The numbering has also been fixed. Keep those tips, addition s, corrections coming.

January 2023 Reports to MEC are starting to trickle in. They are optional reports, not mandatory. New Ward Profiles will be updated with new campaign finance info as they get filed and I have time (or an interest) to do so.