Tag: Board of Aldermen

Downtown Alders Get More Money From Nexus PAC

Man with giant green money bag

And by money, most likely developer money.

This is another update to Sinquefields Donate to Nexus PAC. Again about contributions to and from Nexus PAC, the legal money laundry for Nexus Group lobbyists.

Campaign reports this year for Nexus PAC have had some surprises.

February 24, 2026, Nexus PAC received $10,000 from DeepRun Inc owned by developer P. Joseph McKee III, Paric owner and son of deadbeat developer Paul McKee. Who this money was earmarked for remains a mystery to me.

You can see all the PAC’s donors and contributions to electeds in St. Louis City and across Missouri here in the ongoing list on this blog.

Nexus PAC donated to a federal candidate, $1,000 to the Gentleman from AIPAC, Congressman Wesley Bell; a county elected in the City, $500 to Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler, who allegedly isn’t even running anymore; and $500 to Lebanon City Council candidate Jaret Scharnhorst, former staffer for State Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman.

Legally laundering money to state legislators across Missouri and St. Louis City Alders who rubberstamp developments and incentives, now that’s what we’ve come to expect from Nexus PAC.

The PAC donated to nine state legislators in January 2026. That money might have come from the $10,000 given to the PAC from Shelter Insurance, Columbia, in January.

As for Alders, on February 13 and 23, 2026, developer McCormack Baron Salazar made two $1,000 donations to Nexus PAC.

March 19th, Nexus PAC gave $500 to St. Louis City Alder Jami Cox Antwi and five days later $500 to St. Louis City Alder Rasheen Aldridge, both Alders for Downtown.

April 9th, the City’s Industrial Development Authority approved $32 Million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds for a McCormack Baron Salazar project in Aldridge’s ward with his support.

All just coincidence.

School Privatizers Want Another STL Sales Tax for Child Care

Man with giant green money bag

Some people would like to raise the sales tax in City of St. Louis for early childhood education (ECE) in the City. Again. Don’t be fooled. Again.

Unlike in Boliver, where there is a $3 Million expansion underway for their ECE center on the public schools campus, this sales tax campaign is not for St. Louis Public Schools ECE. Again. It’s not for free ECE. Again.

Instead, it’s another sketchy way to publicly fund charter schools, church day care, for profit child care, and a jobs creator for the nonprofit industrial complex. A lot of staffing positions with important titles will be created using the bloated bureaucracy role model of City’s Mental Health Board.

Like MHB, which manages the current ECE tax fund called Community Children’s Services Fund, that pays for ECE consultants, not ECE, the new tax would be managed by another mayoral appointed board independent from the City of St. Louis, unaccountable to the Board of Alders, or anyone else really.

Read the proposal here, not just the ballot language, read the whole thing.

Note that Stephen Westbrooks, Mayor Cara Spencer’s new director of St. Louis Development Corporation, City corporate welfare umbrella agency, and a charter school supporter, is one of the ballot issue petitioners.

Note that the proposed sales tax is enabled by 67.547 RSMO and is a county sales tax, not a municipal sales tax. That’s because Best Start for Kids also wants a tax in St. Louis County. I don’t have any idea how the campaign it’s going in the County. I do know that when MAGA eventually bankrupts St. Louis City, sells off assets, forces annexation of City into County, the folks running this scam will still be well funded.

Best Start for Kids campaign makes a lot of promises not backed up with the petition they are circulating. Again. It’s not about funding free ECE at public schools.

“Increase wages and benefits for early educators” and “Improve quality of care” are just campaign sales pitches. There is no guarantee that will happen. AND there is no sunset provision so that later down the road voters could decide to end the experiment and start over.

Best Start for Kids filed with Missouri Ethics Commission last August as a ballot issue campaign committee for November 3rd, 2026, election in the City.

A lot of preachers think their churches are getting a piece of the pie but most of the money is coming from school privatizers.

The committee filed Limited Activity for August and October 2025 reports but then received $10,000 on November 10th from Robert Fox. He is the husband of Maxine Clark, founder of Build A Bear (a corporate welfare recipient) and queen mother of school privatization in St. Louis based at her Delmar Divine development.

Fox’s contribution appeared in the January 2026 Report with others including:

$5,000 (11/17/2025) Tony Thompson, Kwame Building Group CEO, St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioner, and charter school supporter

$5,000 (12/02/2025) Laura Horwitz, JF Roblee Foundation and Board member for WePower, the main proponent for Best Start for Kids sales tax hike campaign

$1,000 (12/07/2025) Hank Webber, part of the group seeking a Midtown Infrastructure TIF, former Vice Chancellor for Washington University, former chair of Cortex, charter school advocate, and Board member of Maxine Clark’s Delmar Divine. He also serves on

Starting in January, Best Starts for Kids started receiving donations requiring “48 Hour Report of Contribution Received Over $5000” and which will not appear on a quarterly Report until April. These contributions include:

$8,000 (01/21/2026) Anne Miller, education consultant, a charter school founder (North Side Community School)

$50,000 (01/30/2026) Missouri Action for Kids, same address as Kids Win Missouri (which receives public funding)

$25,000 (02/03/2026) Elizabeth Mannen Berges, Mannen Financial Group, and Jim Berges, former President of Emerson Electric. Berges Family Foundation supports the Opportunity Trust, St. Louis Police Foundation, Greater St. Louis, and charter schools.

$10,000 (02/10/2026) Child Care Aware of Missouri, a child care referral nonprofit and member of Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Missouri

$17,500 (03/05/2026) + $30,000 (03/12/2026) + $12,000 (03/20/2026) WePower, school privatization nonprofit, driving force behind the previous Proposition R for a St. Louis sales tax to fund early childhood education consultants, the fund managed by St. Louis Mental Health Board.

WePower is represented by a stable of lobbyists including David Sweeney, everyone’s friend at Board of Alders, and Nexus Group. WePower is located in Cortex Innovation District.

In 2020, The City’s Board of Alders passed an ordinance to send voters a tax hike to fund ECE. The BOA vote was 25-0 with two absent and one vacancy.

Unfortunately, it did not really fund ECE as in subsidizing costs to parents. It was money for training and marketing consultants and creating a large staff to award grants.

Like Alders, not many bothered to read the proposal. It was approved 56.26% (72,745) to 43.74% (56,554).

Proponents of the previous ballot issue like to say the issue drove voters to the polls but it was a Presidential and statewide office and ballot issues election. 6,170 fewer ballots were cast for Proposition R than the total votes cast for US President in that 66% turnout election.

Deputy Treasurer for Best Start for Kids is Mike Pridmore, who serves as treasurer or deputy treasurer for numerous campaign accounts including Mayor Spencer, City and State ballot issues, and political action committees (legal money laundries in Missouri).

There was previously a Best Starts for Kids, STL committee, not run by Pridmore, for a 2024 St. Louis County Charter Amendment to increase sales tax by for early childhood education. That ballot measure did not end up on the ballot.

Board President Megan Green and Alders Pam Boyd, Shameem Clark-Hubbard, Tom Oldenburg, and Daniela Velázquez have endorsed the ballot issue.

Board President Green unsuccessfully tried to organize a charter school before she was an Alder.

Saida Cornejo-Zuniga worked briefly as Legislative Assistant to Alder Velázquez before taking a position at WePower.

Rodney Hubbard, Alder Clark-Hubbard’s husband, is a lobbyist for Steven R. Carroll & Associates, which is lobbyist for St. Louis Public Schools, tho Hubbard is not registered to represent that client.

During the 2024-2025 session of the Board of Alders, Alder Clark-Hubbard sponsored Board Bill 7 for a second sales tax ballot issue, an additional one-half of one percent to go to the Mental Health Board’s Early Childhood Education Fund.

Board Bill 7 was very oddly assigned to the Transportation and Commerce Committee.

The St. Louis City Board of Education unanimously opposed the measure, saying the bill “directs taxpayer dollars to non-public entities with no oversight or accountability measures in place.”

Debate was cut off an hour into the hearing and Board Bill 7 advanced no further.

The major proponent for that bill was WePower, which seemed to be complaining that their previous tax hike that they wrote and won was flawed, basically the same argument this time.

We’ll talk later about how irresponsible it is for anyone to propose a new sales tax in Missouri as MAGA General Assmbly and Governor pushes to eliminate income tax and replace with sales taxes.

Will St. Louis Cancel Contract with Murder for Hire Defendant?

Fail Stamp

Updated again January 14th.

Also see St. Louis Hires Murder Suspect’s Company for Demo Contract and St. Louis Electeds Repped in Decision to Contract with Accused Murderer

Thursday afternoon, January 8th, a new meeting notice appeared on the City of St. Louis Public Meetings Calendar. It caught the attention of more than a few people.

The notice was for a meeting a week later. 10:30 am Thursday, January 15th, there was to be a “Special” meeting (meaning not a regular weekly or monthly meeting), Zoom only, of the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) Board. 

The meeting was changed to 12:30 pm Thursday, January 15th, at 12:19 pm Wednesday, January 14th.

The LCRA Board was the second City entity to approve a $3,692,000 contract with S. Shafer Excavating Inc for environmental remediation and demolition services at 4690 and 4700 Goodfellow Blvd, a 16.45-acre former ammunition plant site.

LCRA spent less than ten minutes on the contract at their December 16th meeting. The Illinois company is owned and run by Sammy J. Shafer Jr., whose murder-for-hire trial is set for April in Madison County. It’s alleged that Shafer Jr. was the mastermind and paid for the murder of Portia Rowland, who had planned to marry his wife, Sarah, after their divorce.

The contract killing never came up in the LCRA meeting.

We don’t know if the murder case came up at the meeting of the first City entity to approve, recommend, the contract with S. Shafer Excavating. There are no Minutes or video available online for the December 9th meeting of the City’s Substantial Awards Selection Committee.

It was there that the contract for services on the Goodfellow site was discussed, mostly in closed session, and Shafer’s company recommended. Members of the Substantial Awards Selection Committee include representatives of Mayor Cara Spencer, Comptroller Donna Baringer, and Board of Alders President Megan Green.

The Meeting Notice for Thursday’s meeting had no agenda posted as of 10:30 am Wednesday, January 14th.

Had the meeting time not been changed and Agenda added, the meeting would have been in violation of Executive Order 60 requiring Notice with Agenda be posted at least 24 hours advance.

Thursday’s LCRA Meeting Materials page has two files: one is labeled “hidden” and has a link back to the Meetings Materials page; the other is the Agenda and Minutes from last meeting.

The Minutes include information on the vote at last meeting to award the contract to S. Shaffer Excavating.

The S. Shafer Excavating contract is not on Thursday’s Agenda. However, the combination of a “hidden” file on the Meeting Materials page and the listed statutory citations for Closed, Executive Session suggests the contract might come up.

“A) Proceedings involving legal actions, causes of actions or litigation or confidential
or privileged communications with attorneys or auditors as provided by Section
610.021 (1) RSMo. and/or Section 610.021 (18) RSMo.”

“C) Proceedings to regarding sealed bids and proposals and related documents or
documents related to a negotiated contract as provided by Section 610.021 (12)
RSMo.”

But what about accountability? Who is to blame for no background check on Shafer Excavating? Is it an isolated instance at St. Louis Development Corporation, LCRA’s boss, or is this a systemwide failure on contracts?

What was the role of the Substantial Awards Selection Committee, which includes the offices of the three most powerful positions in City government, in this mess? None of them have come forward to say it was a mistake and they’ll do better. I suppose it does take time to find a scapegoat.

And where are St. Louis City Alders on this?

Silence is complicity.

How is the lack of a background check on potential contractors being fixed? Will there be a committee appointed to study the situation and issue a report absolving elected and mayoral appointed officials and identifying a scapegoat? It would not be the first.

More Data Center $ for Greater St. Louis PAC

Man with giant green money bag

How Much Does A St. Louis City Alder Seat Cost? has been updated to reflect new donations to 21st Century St. Louis PAC, the legal money laundry of Greater St. Louis.

Two 48 Hour Reports totalling $40,000 by Jerald Kent, Chairman and CEO of Tierpoint and Cequel 3, data center developers, were made in December.

Transparency Fail. The August 11, 2025, contribution to 21st Century St. Louis PAC should have been reported by 48 Hour Report in August and then also in the PAC’s October Report. It was not reported until December 22nd. This should result in fines from Missouri Ethics Commission for failure to disclose in a timely manner.

In September, St. Louis City Mayor Cara Spencer issued Executive Order 92 on data centers, probably written by a lobbyist.

In October, the St. Louis City Board of Alders passed Resolution 111 on data centers that was not worth the paper it is printed on.

Greater St. Louis is the successor organization from the merger and rebranding of Civic Progress, Downtown STL, St. Louis Regional Chamber, Arch to Park, and AllianceSTL.

Tierpoint lists three data centers in the St. Louis area among their many facilities, including two in Downtown at 1111 Olive and 2300 Locust.

The Locust data center counts Greater St. Louis, Ameren electric company, and St. Louis Development Corporation, the City’s corporater welfare agency, among its partners.

1111 Olive was a 2010 TIF redevelopment and part of State Auditor Nicole Galloway’s 2020 audit on deficiencies in Tax Increment Financing in St. Louis.

Unlike Missouri MAGA Governor Mike Kehoe, who wants to get rid of the State’s income tax, Tierpoint notes the state is a “Strategic Location” “With a low corporate income tax rate… recognized for its low costs and pro-business environment” and “The state incentivizes the building and expansion of data centers with sales and use tax exemptions.”

Plans to redevelop St. Louis Armory into a data center met public opposition and the developer has failed to answer all questions raised.

How Much Does A St. Louis City Alder Seat Cost?

Man with giant green money bag

Updated 12/27/2025 to reflect additional December 2025 donations by Jerald Kent, Chairman and CEO of Tierpoint and Cequel 3 data centers.

I have no idea how much candidates for St. Louis City Alder and Board President raised and spent in 2023 or 2025. I could go thru campaign finance reports filed at Missouri Ethics Commission. But those figures would be highly problematic because of independent spending by political action committees (PACs), legal money laundries in Missouri.

What I can tell you about is the St. Louis City-based PAC, that now has an agenda before the Board of Alders and City economic development boards, that spent a lot of money electing the Board of Alders in recent years. A LOT.

Civic Progress Action Committee, the PAC for Civic Progress, and its successor 21st Century St. Louis PAC, the PAC for Greater St. Louis, have a 24 year history online at MEC. It’s a history showing dramatic changes in purpose and how they operate– two different eras, different goals.

Civic Progress Action Committee was run for many years by Walter L. Metcalfe, Jr. and Alfred E. Kerth, III. Civic Progress was a rich white man’s club, the captains of industry. Their PAC was noblesse oblige politics.

Civic Progress Action Committee paid for lunch meetings at private clubs including St. Louis Club and The Bogey Club. It paid for administrative services from FleishmanHillard, Bryan Cave, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RubinBrown, and Civic Progress Inc. It invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Euro Dollar Bonds. Nothing like that shows up in 21st Century St. Louis PAC’s reports.

Civic Progress Action Committee hired lobbyists to monitor and testify at hearings: 35 checks, $5,000 each to Nexus Group from February 2018 to December 2020; 33 checks, $5,000 to $10,000 each to Dentons, previous employers of Nexus Group, from January 2015 to February 2018. Lobbyist Dick Wiles, a Jefferson City fixture for decades, once represented Civic Progress as well.

Greater St. Louis has 15 lobbyists, both at the State Capitol and at City Hall. They are not paid by 21st Century St. Louis PAC. At City Hall and at economic development board meetings (corporate welfare) the organization is served by attorney David Sweeney, former Clerk of the Board of Alders and considered a “friend” by most Alders and other elected officials at City Hall. Sweeney also lobbies for many developers. Generally, Alders rubberstamp projects that Sweeney represents.

One thing that Civic Progress Action Committee did not do was consort with City Alders, donate to candidates, or make Independent Expenditures to elect candidates. That all changed when Civic Progress merged with several organizations to become Greater St. Louis and Jason Hall, its CEO, took over Civic Progress Action on August 3, 2022. Good luck finding a news article on this merger that is objective, not mostly propaganda.

In 2023, 21st Century St. Louis PAC helped elect two Alders representing the City’s central corridor and lesser amounts on eight other successful candidates, 12 of 15 votes on the Board including Board President Megan Green. In 2025, the PAC helped elect 8 of 8 Alder seats on regular and special election ballots, a majority of votes on the Board.

In 2023, 21st Century St. Louis PAC’s $42,936.02 in direct expenditures and contributions were pivotable to helping nine-year Washington University employee Michael Browning defeat two incumbent Alders-  Tina “Sweet-T” Pihl and Michael Gras- to become Alder of the City’s Central West End’s new 9th Ward, a product of consolidating wards from 28 to 14 and subsequent redistricting. Another $40,936.03 went to the re-election of 14th Ward Alder Rasheen Aldridge, one of two Downtown Alders.

In 2025, 21st Century St. Louis PAC spent $13,936.68 on Alder Browning, who had neither a primary nor general election opponent, and $26,379.91 electing banker Jami Cox Antwi as Downtown’s second Alder, the 8th Ward seat vacated by the election of Alder Cara Spencer to Mayor.

Another $16,183.60 went to the re-election of 1st Ward Alder Anne Schweitzer; $16,533.44 to help re-elect 7th Ward Alder Alisha Sonnier; and $13,978.68 to re-elect 11th Ward Alder Laura Keys; plus, smaller amounts for another four Alders.

Browning and Aldridge have sponsored millions and millions of dollars in corporate welfare for developers in the City’s central corridor (Central West End to Downtown)- property tax abatements (which reduce revenue to public schools), sales tax exemotions, developer-controlled special taxes, and more. Antwi is the Board’s newest member but will predictably follow in the footsteps of Spencer and, before that, Alder Phyllis Young, in sponsoring millions in corporate welfar for Downtown developers. That’s why Greater St. Louis invests money in Alder elections. And the sky’s the limit on how much.

Most of the money spent by 21st Century St. Louis PAC was by Direct Expenditure. In Missouri, these are funds to support or oppose a candidate or ballot measure without giving directly to a candidate or committee, money for mailings, robo calls, digital advertising, etc.

Direct Expenditures are a way around campaign finance contribution limits. A PAC can donate the legal limit, for Alders that’s $2,600, then spend as much as it wants in Direct Expenditures. 21st Century St. Louis PAC did exactly that.

Direct Expenditures are also only reported by the PAC making them. They do not show up on beneficiary candidate or ballot committee reports. You have to know who the players are in an election and track their reports available online at Missouri Ethics Commission. The spending may attract news media attention for statewide candidates and ballot issues but rarely local elections.

January 2023 to October 2025
21st Century St. Louis PAC
Direct Expenditures Benefiting St. Louis City Candidates
06/30/2025 $11,627.82 Alder Jami Cox Antwi
06/13/2025 $12,152.03 Alder Jami Cox Antwi
03/24/2025 $14,183.60 Alder Anne Schweitzer
03/24/2025 $13,933.44 Alder Alisha Sonnier
03/24/2025 $13,836.68 Alder Michael Browning
03/24/2025 $13,718.68 Alder Laura Keys
03/29/2023 $6,686.28 former Alder Joe Vollmer
03/29/2023 $6,686.27 former Alder Joe Vaccaro
03/27/2023 $11,140.06 Alder Michael Browning
03/27/2023 $11,140.07 Alder Rasheen Aldridge
03/22/2023 $11,235.48 Alder Michael Browning
03/22/2023 $11,235.48 Alder Rasheen Aldridge
03/20/2023 $15,960.48 Alder Michael Browning
03/20/2023 $15,960.48 Alder Rasheen Aldridge

January 2023 to October 2025
21st Century St. Louis PAC
Contributions to St. Louis City Electeds and Failed Candidates
05/28/2025 $2,600 Alder Jami Cox Antwi
03/26/2025 $2,600 Alder Laura Keys
02/13/2025 $2,600 Alder Anne Schweitzer
02/13/2025 $2,600 Alder Matt DeVoti
02/13/2025 $2,600 Alder Alisha Sonnier
12/17/2024 $2,600 Alder Pam Boyd
12/17/2024 $2,600 Alder Shane Cohn
12/17/2024 $2,600 Alder Laura Keys
10/09/2024 $2,600 Alder Michael Browning
12/14/2023 $2,600 Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore
03/10/2023 $2,600 failed Alder candidate J.P. Mitchom
03/10/2023 $2,600 Alder Rasheen Aldridge
03/10/2023 $2,600 Alder Michael Browning
03/10/2023 $2,600 Alder Tom Oldenburg
03/10/2023 $2,600 Board President Megan Green
03/10/2023 $2,600 Alder Shane Cohn
03/10/2023 $2,600 Alder Daniela Velazquez
03/10/2023 $2,600 Alder Pam Boyd
03/10/2023 $2,600 former Alder Joe Vollmer
03/10/2023 $2,600 Alder Laura Keys
03/10/2023 $2,600 former Alder, now Mayor Cara Spencer
02/21/2023 $2,600 Alder Shane Cohn
02/21/2023 $2,600 Alder Daniela Velazquez
02/21/2023 $2,600 former Alder, now Mayor Cara Spencer
02/21/2023 $2,600 former Alder Joe Vollmer
02/21/2023 $2,600 Alder Michael Browning
02/21/2023 $2,600 former Alder Mike Gras
02/21/2023 $2,600 Alder Laura Keys
02/21/2023 $2,600 Alder Pam Boyd
02/21/2023 $2,600 former Mayor Tishaura Jones
02/21/2023 $2,600 former Comptroller Darlene Green
02/21/2023 $2,600 Board President Megan Green
02/21/2023 $2,600 Alder Tom Oldenburg
02/21/2023 $2,600 former Alder James Page
02/21/2023 $2,600 Alder Rasheen Aldridge

Who funded the 21st Century St. Louis PAC’s efforts in St. Louis City Alder campaigns in 2023 and 2025?

January 2023 to December 2025
21st Century St. Louis PAC Funders

12/16/2025 $20,000 Jerald Kent (Tierpoint and Cequel 3, data center)
08/11/2025 $20,000 Jerald Kent (Tierpoint and Cequel 3, data center)
07/29/2025 $7,372.44 STL Regional Chamber PAC*
02/27/2025 $5,000 Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (law firm)
02/23/2025 $5,000 David Peacock (Advantage Solutions)
02/03/2025 $5,000 David Peacock (Advantage Solutions)
12/02/2024 $10,000 John Tracy (Dot Family Holdings)
11/12/2024 $25,000 Andrew Taylor (Enterprise Mobility)
10/23/2024 $5,000 Commerce Bancshares
10/10/2024 $10,000 Ameren (utility, strong interest in data centers)
10/07/2024 $20,000 Lodging Hospitality Management (developer, hotelier)
08/23/2024 $4,500 Jerome Schlichter (attorney)
08/23/2024 $4,500 Susan Schlichter (retired)
08/20/2024 $5,000 Michael Konzen (PGAV)
08/14/2024 $10,000 John Tracy (Dot Family Holdings)
08/13/2024 $10,000 Thompson Coburn (law firm)
08/12/2024 $20,000 Jerald Kent (Tierpoint and Cequel 3, data center)
08/16/2024 $5,000 Schnuck Markets
09/05/2023 $10,000 John Tracy (Dot Family Holdings)
03/29/2023 $4,000 Lodging Hospitality Management (developer, hotelier)
03/29/2023 $4,000 Susan Schlichter (retired)
03/27/2023 $10,000 Thompson Coburn (law firm)
03/27/2023 $5,000 Spire PAC (utility)
03/24/2023 $2,500 Commerce Bancshares
03/21/2023 $5,000 900 N Tucker LLC (developer,Old Post-Dispatch Bldg, data center, Interco Plaza)
03/20/2023 $10,000 Jerald Kent (Tierpoint and Cequel 3, data center)
03/20/2023 $3,000 Edward L. Dowd Jr. Living Trust (attorney)
03/17/2023 $20,000 First Bank
03/16/2023 $10,000 Post Holdings (consumer packaged foods)
03/14/2023 $5,000 Bryan Cave Missouri PAC (law firm)
02/24/2023 $5,000 900 N Tucker LLC (developer, Old Post-Dispatch Bldg, data center, Interco Plaza)
02/17/2023 $5,000 Schnuck Markets
02/14/2023 $5,000 Commerce Bancshares PAC
02/09/2023 $5,000 Jerome Schlichter (attorney)
02/07/2023 $25,000 Andrew Taylor (Enterprise Holdings)
02/08/2023 $10,000 Jerald Kent (Tierpoint, data center)
02/06/2023 $5,000 Lodging Hospitality Management (developer, hotelier)
02/02/2023 $5,000 Robert Hermann Jr (Busch Family, Hermann Companies)
02/01/2023 $5,000 Thompson Coburn (law firm)

Notice how much the source of funds changed after the merger.

January 2015 to December 2020
Civic Progress Action Committee Funders
12/21/2020 $12,000 SSM Health St. Louis
11/17/2020 $4,500 Caleres Inc
10/13/2020 $7,500 Nestle Purina PetCare
10/13/2020 $7,500 BJC Healthcare
09/30/2020 $4,500 Stifel Financial
09/26/2020 $7,500 Edward Jones
09/23/2020 $4,500 Maritz
08/27/2020 $7,500 Ameren Missouri
06/25/2020 $4,500 Coin Acceptors Inc
06/22/2020 $4,500 Schnucks Markets
06/10/2020 $4,500 Harbour Group Industries
06/05/2020 $13,000 RGA Reinsurance
05/29/2020 $4,500 Cequel III
05/18/2020 $4,500 Graybar Electric
05/11/2020 $4,500 Spire Missouri
03/31/2020 $13,000 Anheuser-Busch
02/11/2020 $13,000 Centene Management
02/10/2020 $4,500 Commerce Bancshares
02/06/2020 $13,000 Emerson Electric
01/31/2020 $4,500 Hunter Engineering
01/29/2020 $13,000 Enterprise Holdings Inc PAC
12/13/2019 $75,000 Civic Progress Inc
03/20/2019 $4,500 Caleres
02/26/2019 $4,500 Maritz
02/08/2019 $7,500 Mercy
01/25/2019 $13,000 Centene Management
01/25/2019 $13,000 Enterprise Holdings Inc PAC
01/16/2019 $4,500 Schnucks Markets
01/02/2019 $7,500 Ameren Missouri
12/14/2028 $4,500 Hunter Engineering
11/05/2018 $25,000 Civic Progress
11/02/2018 $4,500 Cequel III
10/23/2018 $4,500 Maritz
05/31/2018 $4,500 Graybar Electric
05/21/2018 $4,500 BJC HealthCare
05/16/2018 $4,500 Harbour Group Industries
05/07/2018 $13,000 Anheuser-Busch
05/03/2018 $4,500 Coin Acceptors
05/03/2018 Southwestern Bell Telephone dba AT&T
05/01/2018 $7,500 RGA Reinsurance
05/01/2018 $13,000 Express Scripts
03/29/2018 $4,500 Caleres Inc
02/08/2028 $7,500 Edward Jones
01/26/2018 $4,500 Mercy St. Louis
01/24/2018 $4,500 Harbour Group Industries
01/24/2018 $13,000 Enterprise Holdings Inc. PAC
01/24/2018 $7,500 Centene Management
01/09/2018 $13,000 Emerson Electric
01/17/2018 $4,500 Spire Missouri
01/05/2018 $4,500 Commerce Bancshares
09/13/2017 $4,500 Southwestern Bell Telephone dba AT&T
07/01/2017 $4,500 Commerce Bank
06/20/2017 $13,000 Monsanto
06/12/2017 $13,000 Anheuser-Busch
05/22/2017 $13,000 Enterprise Holdings Inc. PAC
05/17/2017 $7,500 RGA Reinsurance
05/02/2017 $4,500 Mercy
04/28/2017 $4,500 Maritz
04/11/2017 $4,500 Caleres Inc
04/06/2017 $4,500 Coin Acceptors Inc
03/30/2017 $4,500 Stifel Financial
02/02/2017 $7,500 World Wide Technology Holding Co
01/30/2017 $4,500 Schnuck Markets
01/25/2017 $7,500 Centene Management
01/25/2017 $7,500 Edward Jones
12/22/2016 $13,000 Emerson Electric
12/22/2016 $4,500 Hunter Engineering
12/20/2016 $4,500 BJC Healthcare
12/20/2016 $175,000 Civic Progress
12/19/2016 $4,500 The Laclede Group
11/07/2016 $2,000 Committee for Bond Initiatives
09/07/2016 $13,000 Anheuser-Busch
08/16/2016 $4,500 Harbour Group Industries
06/30/2016 $4,500 Graybar Electric
06/20/2016 $4,500 BJC Healthcare
06/20/2016 $4,500 Mercy
06/10/2016 $7,500 RGA Reinsurance
05/31/2016 $13,000 Express Scripts
05/31/2016 $4,500 Commerce Bancshares
05/31/2016 $4,500 Coin Acceptors
04/27/2016 $4,500 Cequel III
03/31/2016 $4,500 Stifel Financial
03/14/2016 $13,000 Enterprise Holdings PAC
02/29/2016 $4,500 The Laclede Group
02/09/2016 $4,500 Caleres
02/09/2016 $4,500 Schnuck Markets
02/02/2016 $7,500 Centenne Management
02/02/2016 $7,500 US Bank
02/02/2016 $13,000 Monsanto
01/26/2016 $4,500 Civic Progress
01/22/2016 $13,000 Emerson Electric
01/20/2916 $7,500 Ameren
01/12/2016 $4,500 Hunter Engineering
01/11/2016 $7,500 Edward Jones
12/22/2016 $13,000 Anheuser-Busch
05/28/2015 $4,500 Harbour Group Industries
05/28/2015 $4,500 Coin Acceptors
05/28/2015 $4,500 Maritz
05/15/2015 $4,500 Commerce Bancshares
05/15/2015 $4,500 Mercy
05/08/2015 $7,500 Nestle Purina PetCare
04/02/2015 $7,500 Energizer Holdings
03/12/2015 $7,500 Edward Jones
03/12/2015 $4,500 TKG Management
03/02/2015 $7,500 Peabody Investments
02/25/2015 $4,500 Schnuck Markets
02/25/2015 $4,500 Southwestern Bell Telephone dba AT&T Missouri
02/06/2015 $4,500 Brown Shoe
01/23/2015 $4,500 Graybar Electric
01/23/2015 $4,500 World Wide Technology Holding Co
01/23/2015 $7,500 Centene Management
01/19/2015 $4,500 UniGroup
01/15/2015 $7,500 US Bank
01/08/2015 $4,500 PF Services, Inc., 670 Mason Ridge Center
01/08/2015 $4,500 Hunter Engineering
01/08/2015 $13,000 Emerson Electric
01/08/2015 $7,500 Ameren

Civic Progress Action Committee paid for ballot issue campaigns affecting City of St. Louis- school bonds, Charter reform, Metropolitan Sewer District, sales tax for police, as well as statewide ballot issues. In 2012, as example, $68,600 was spent on Citizens for a Healthy Missouri’s ballot issue for a cigarette tax increase, defeated 51% to 49%. It will be interesting to see if Greater St. Louis continues that legacy.

January 2015 to December 2022
Civic Progress Action Committee & Civic Progress Inc
Contributions & Direct Expenditures to Ballot Issues
03/14/2022 $25,000 Local Jobs for STL
08/13/2021 $20,000 Invest in St. Louis Community College
03/19/2021 $25,000 Yes on Prop E – Earnings Tax STL
10/06/2017 $125,000 Citizens For A Safer St. Louis
03/29/2017 $10,000 Reduce & Reform STL
04/05/2017 $10,000 direct expenditure for Proposition S
02/24/2016 $100,000 Friends of St. Louis Public Schools
04/05/2016 $100,000 direct expenditure for Proposition 1
11/23/2015 $20,000 Campaign for Clean Water STL

In 2024, 21st Century St. Louis PAC endorsed MAGA candidate Mike Kehoe for Missouri Governor. In June 2025, the PAC donated $5,000 to the Missouri House Republican Campaign Committee. In May, 2025 Governor Kehoe and Missouri General Assembly took away local control of St. Louis City’s Police Department, overturned the will of Missouri voters who had approved local control.

*STL Regional Chamber PAC was part of the merger that created 21st Century St. Louis PAC. It was short lived on its own. Other than ordering checks, it spent no funds. The money transferred came from $7,500 in contributions in 2021 from Missouri American Water Employees PAC and Anheuser Busch, the only contributions the PAC had received.

Sinquefields Donate to Nexus PAC. Again

Man with giant green money bag

Update Posts
04/10/2026 Downtown Alders Get More Money From Nexus PAC
01/14/2026 More Developer Money to Nexus PAC
01/10/2026 Nexus PAC Update. Money to Bosley Charity Intrigue.
11/28/2025 Nexus PAC Update

Free market, anti tax, school privatization evangelists and high roller campaign contributors Rex and Jeannne Sinquefield made a $25,000 donation this week to Nexus PAC (not their first), the legal campaign money laundry for Nexus Group, a prominent lobbying shop in Missouri.

Some of Nexus Group’s current and past clients include various school privatization organizations (that’s probably what the Sinquefield money is for), Airbnb Inc, and developers.

But wait. There’s more.

The Treasurer for Nexus PAC is attorney Matthew McBride. McBride also sits on a number of economic development boards for the City of St. Louis. He chairs the St. Louis City Port Authority Commission and also serves on the City’s St. Louis Development Corporation Board, Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board, Land Clearance for Redevlopment Authority, Planned Industrial Expansion Authority.

Preservation Square redeveloper McCormack Baron Salazar is a donor to Nexus PAC but McBride failed to abstain or recuse himself on economic development board votes relating to Preservation Square.

These are powerful entities that authorize corporate welfare for developments. Sometimes these boards act on their own and sometimes what they adopt then goes on to the Board of Alders for approval. Sometimes these boards grant more incentives after Alders have acted, a breathtaking lack of transparency.

Clear to a lot of us who follow the corporate welfare sausage making machine in St. Louis, the treasurer of a PAC that legally launders money from developers, someone who writes campaign checks to City elected officials, should not be appointed to boards, let alone boards with elected officials as members, with millions of dollars in incentives for developers on the table.

But here we are. No one at City Hall seems to see a problem with all this conflict of interest.

The only thing that makes sense, sadly, in all this is Rex Sinquefield donating a lot of money to a PAC for lobbyists who not only represent school privatization interests but also developers who seek tax abatement, which is taking money away from public school kids who Sinquefield despises.

2023-January 2026 Nexus PAC Funders
03/06/2026 $1,000 McCormack Baron Salazar (developer)
02/24/2026 $10,000 DeepRun Inc (developer, owned by Paric’s P. Joseph McKee III, Paul McKee’s son)
02/13/2026 $1,000 McCormack Baron Salazar (developer)
01/17/2026 $2,000 Shelter Mutual Insurance, Columbia MO
01/14/2026 $4,000 Shelter Mutual Insurance, Columbia MO
01/12/2026 $10,000 Paric Holdings (developer)
01/09/2026 $4,000 Shelter Mutual Insurance, Columbia MO
01/05/2026 $9,400 Pharmaceutical Care Management Assn (Washington DC)
10/07/2025 $10,000 McCormack Baron Salazar (developer)
09/29/2025 $10,000 OHM KCI JA LLC (airport concessions)
09/23/2025 $25,000 Rex and Jeannne Sinquefield
07/29/2025 $20,000 Nexus Group
05/21/2025 $5,000 McCormack Baron Salazar (developer)
03/28/2025 $10,000 Paric Holdings (developer)
02/24/2025 $2,500 OHM KCI JA LLC (airport concessions)
10/29/2024 $40,000 Paric Holdings (developer)
09/30/2024 $16,000 Rex and Jeannne Sinquefield
09/12/2024 $1,000 Invenergy Transmission
09/12/2024 $2,000 Invenergy Transmission
08/12/2024 $6,000 Invenergy Transmission
07/31/2024 $1,000 Invenergy Transmission
07/19/2024 $10,000 Nexus Group
02/07/2024 $2,000 Shelter Insurance, Columbia MO
02/01/2024 $4,000 Shelter Insurance, Columbia MO
01/25/2024 $4,000 Shelter Insurance, Columbia MO
12/18/2023 $6,000 Invenergy Transmission
12/11/2023 $10,000 Paric Holdings (developer)
12/05/2023 $2,000 Nexus Group
11/28/2023 $10,000 Nexus Group
11/13/2023 $15,000 Rex and Jeannne Sinquefield
09/26/2023 $10,000 Paric Holdings (developer)
06/16/2023 $10,000 Paric Holdings (developer)
05/05/2023 $10,000 Paric Holdings (developer)
03/20/2023 $2,000 McCormack Baron Salazar (developer)
02/09/2023 $2,000 Shelter Insurance, Columbia MO
01/27/2023 $4,000 Shelter Insurance, Columbia MO
01/25/2023 $4,000 Shelter Insurance, Columbia MO

2023-January 2026 Nexus PAC Contributions to St. Louis City Electeds
03/24/2026 $500 St. Louis City Alder Rasheen Aldridge
03/19/2026 $500 St. Louis City Alder Jami Cox Antwi
03/11/2026 $1,000 Congressman Wesley Bell
02/25/2026 $500 Recorder of Deeds Mike Butler
01/05/2026 $500 St. Louis City State Rep Marty Joe Murray
10/02/2025 $1,000 Communities First (charity run by Lucinda Frazier, mother of St. Louis City State Rep LaKeySha Bosley and former Alder Brandon Bosley, charity is same address as both their campaign accounts)
10/02/2025 $500 St. Louis City State Rep Nick Kimble
09/30/2025 $2,500 Progress PAC, St. Louis City Board President Megan Green
09/29/2025 $1,600 St. Louis City Comptroller Donna Baringer
06/26/2025 $1,000 St. Louis City Comptroller Donna Baringer
06/17/2025 $2,500 Progress PAC, St. Louis City Board President Megan Green
05/07/2025 $2,500 Progress PAC, St. Louis City Board President Megan Green
04/02/2025 $500 St. Louis City Alder Shane Cohn
03/31/2025 $5,000 A Brighter Future for St Louis PAC, St. Louis City Mayor Cara Spencer
02/28/2025 $2,500 314 Forward PAC, former St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura Jones
02/25/2025 $5,000 Progress PAC, St. Louis City Board President Megan Green
01/23/2025 $500 St. Louis City Treasurer Adam Layne
01/16/2025 $1000 St. Louis City Alder Anne Schweitzer
10/29/2024 $5,000 Progress PAC, St. Louis City Board President Megan Green
10/29/2024 $2,000 St. Louis City Board Prez Megan Green
10/29/2024 $1,000 St. Louis City Alder Shane Cohn
10/29/2024 $1,000 St. Louis City Alder Daniela Velazquez
10/07/2024 $500 St. Louis City State Rep Marty Joe Murray
10/07/2024 $2,400 accused rapist and St. Louis City State Senator Steven Roberts Jr
12/27/2023 $1000 St. Louis City Alder Daniela Velazquez
12/04/2023 $5,000 STL Democratic Coalition, appears to be connected to accused rapist and St. Louis City State Senator Steven Roberts Jr, former State Rep Wiley Price, former Sheriff Vernon Betts; $60,893.08 on hand
04/07/2023 $500 St. Louis City Alder Pam Boyd
03/24/2023 $500 St. Louis City Alder Laura Keys
03/05/2023 $500 St. Louis City Alder Rasheen Aldridge
02/23/2023 $500 St. Louis City Alder Shameem Clark-Hubbard

2023-January 2026 Nexus PAC Contributions to candidates and PACs elsewhere in Missouri and other states
03/17/2026 $500 Lebanon City Councilman Jaret Scharnhorst (former staffer for State Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman)
03/06/2026 $500 St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith
02/16/2026 $500 St. Louis County Councilwoman Lisa Clancy
01/16/2026 $5,000 STLCO PAC
01/12/2026 $500 St. Louis County State Rep Marla Smith
01/09/2026 $1,000 Heartland United PAC (Kansas City)
01/05/2026 $400 MAGA St. Charles County State Rep Nick Schroer
01/05/2026 $500 MAGA Pike Lincoln Values Fund
01/05/2026 $500 MAGA St. Louis County State Rep Philip Oehlerking
01/05/2026 $500 MAGA St. Louis County State Rep Brad Christ
01/05/2026 $1,000 MAGA Greene County State Rep Alex Riley
01/05/2026 $1,000 MAGA Bates County State Rep Dane Diehl
01/05/2026 $1,000 MAGA St. Louis County State Senator David Gregory
01/05/2026 $2,000 MAGA Jackson/Cass Counties State Rep Jon Patterson
01/05/2026 $2,400 MAGA Greene County State Senator Curtis Trent
12/18/2025 $2,000 MAGA Hannibal State Rep Chad Perkins
11/12/2025 $750 MAGA Jackson County State Rep Mike Steinmeyer
11/12/2025 $1,400 St. Louis County State Senator Tracy McCreery
11/05/2025 $1,000 Columbia, South Carolina, City Councilman Sam Johnson
10/22/2025 $500 MAGA Cass County State Rep Sherri Gallick
10/02/2025 $2,000 MAGA Jackson County State Rep Ron Fowler
10/02/2025 $500 MAGA Springfield State Rep Bill Owen
09/30/2025 $2,000 St. Louis County State Senator Brian Williams
09/30/2025 $500 St. Louis County State Rep Raychel Proudie
09/29/2025 $1,000 Atlanta GA Mayor Andre Dickens
09/04/2025 $2,000 MAGA Warren County State Rep Jeff Myers
08/27/2025 $2,400 Conservative Solutions for Missouri PAC, MAGA Jefferson County State Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman (now owns a $1.9M home in Central West End, St. Louis City)
08/27/2025 $2,400 Boone County State Senator Steve Webber
08/27/2025 $2,400 MAGA Scott County State Senator Jamie Burger
08/27/2025 $2,400 MAGA Cole County State Senator Jake Vogel
08/27/2025 $2,400 MAGA St. Francois County State Senator Mike Henderson 
08/27/2025 $2,400 MAGA 1776 PAC
08/27/2025 $2,400 MAGA  Pettis County State Rep Brad Pollitt, now candidate for State Senate
08/27/2025 $1,000 Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick, former State Rep
08/27/2025 $1,000 MAGA Lake of the Ozarks State Rep Jeff Vernetti ( also a developer)
08/27/2025 $1,000 MAGA Mid-Missouri Conservative PAC
08/27/2025 $1,000 MAGA Dunklin County State Rep Cameron Bunting Parker
08/27/2025 $1,000 MAGA St. Charles County State Rep Travis Wilson
08/27/2025 $1,000 MAGA Butler County State Rep Hardy Billington
08/27/2025 $500 MAGA St. Charles County State Rep Dave Hinman
08/27/2025 $500 MAGA St. Charles County State Rep Terri Violet
08/27/2025 $500 MAGA Cass County State Rep Bill Irwin
08/27/2025 $500 MAGA Clay County State Rep  Mark Meirath
08/27/2025 $500 MAGA Jefferson County State Rep Cecelie Williams
08/27/2025 $500 MAGA St. Charles County State Rep Scott Miller
03/31/2025 $1,250 Kansas City Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, candidate for KC Mayor
01/09/2025 $2,400 MAGA Jefferson County State Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman
11/22/2024 $500 MAGA Lake of the Ozarks State Rep. Jeff Vernetti (also a developer)
10/29/2024 $2,825 MAGA Governor Mike Kehoe
10/18/2024 $2,000 MAGA St. Louis County State Rep Brad Christ
10/07/2024 $2,500 Homefront PAC, Boone County State Senator Steve Webber
10/07/2024 $2,400 MAGA Linvingston County State Senator Rusty Black
10/07/2024 $2,000 Great Northwest PAC (MAGA Livingston County State Senator Rusty Black)
10/07/2024 $2,400 St. Louis County State Senator Doug Beck
10/07/2024 $2,000 DougPAC, St. Louis County State Senator Doug Beck
09/26/2024 $500 Jesus Oset, failed MAGA candidate for Boone County Circuit Judge
09/18/2025 $250 St. Louis County State Rep Mark Boyco
09/18/2025 $500 St. Louis City State Rep Nick Kimble
09/11/2024 $2,000 Kansas City State Rep Ashley Aune
09/03/2024 $2,400 MAGA Stone County MAGA State Senator Brad Hudson
09/03/2024 $2,400 MAGA St. Charles County State Senator Adam Schnelting
08/12/2024 $500 152 Freedom PAC (could not find this in MEC database, address is a UPS store in Poplar Bluff, probably related to MAGA State Rep Hardy Billington)
08/09/2024 $1,000 MAGA Jasper County State Rep Lane Roberts
08/09/2024 $1,000 MAGA Hannibal State Rep Louis Riggs
08/09/2024 $1,000 MAGA Jefferson County State Rep Renee Reuter
08/09/2024 $1,000 MAGA Kansas City State Rep Sean Pouche
08/09/2024 $1,000 MAGA Lincoln County State Rep Doyle Justus
08/09/2024 $1,000 MAGA Clay & Platte Counties State Rep Josh Hurlbert
08/09/2024 $1,000 MAGA Jasper & Newton Counties State Rep Bob Bromley
07/23/2024 $2,400 MAGA Ozark County former State Rep Travis Smith
07/19/2024 $825 MAGA Jasper County former State Rep Cody Smith
07/19/2024 $1,500 America Forward
07/10/2024 $1,000 MAGA Reynolds County former State Rep Chris Dodson Dinkins
07/10/2024 $1,000 MAGA Scott County State Senator Jamie Burger
07/10/2024 $1,000 MAGA Newton & McDonald Counties State Rep Dirk Deaton
07/10/2024 $2,400 Jackson County Leadership PAC, MAGA State Senator Mike Cierpiot
07/10/2024 $2,400 MAGA St. Francoise County State Senator Mike Henderson
07/10/2024 $2,400 Kansas City State Senator Patty Lewis
07/10/2024 $500 MAGA St. Charles County State Rep Travis Wilson
07/10/2024 $500 MAGA Jefferson County State Rep David Casteel
07/10/2024 $500 MAGA Warren County State Rep Jeff Meyers
07/10/2024 $500 Kansas City State Rep Wick Thomas
07/08/2024 $1,000 North County Solidarity PAC (Walton Family- Elbert, Rochelle)
12/23/2023 $2,500 MAGA former Attorney General Andrew Bailey
12/04/2023 $5,000 DougPAC, St. Louis County State Senator Doug Beck
12/04/2023 $5,000 B PAC, St. Louis County State Senator Brian Williams
11/16/2023 $500 MAGA Greene, Christian and Webster Counties State Rep Darin Chappell
11/16/2023 $1,000 Kansas City Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, candidate for KC Mayor
11/16/2023 $1,000 St. Louis County State Senator Tracy McCreery
11/16/2023 $1000 MAGA Warren County State Rep Jeff Meyers
11/16/2023 $1000 MAGA St. Louis County former State Rep John Diehl
11/16/2023 $2,400 Clay County State Senator Maggie Nurrenbern
11/16/2023 $2,000 Eastside Forward PAC, Kansas City State Senator Barbara Anne Washington
11/16/2023 $2,000 MAGA St. Charles County State Senator Nick Schroer
11/16/2023 $2,000 MAGA Clay and Ray Counties former State Rep Doug Richey
11/16/2023 $2,000 MAGA Saline County State Senator Kurtis Gregory
11/16/2023 $2,500 Missouri United, former St. Louis County MAGA State Rep Dean Plocher
11/16/2023 $2,500 Lincoln PAC, MAGA Springfield State Senator Lincoln Hough
11/16/2023 $2,825 MAGA Buchanan and Platte Counties State Senator Tony Luetkemeyer
10/09/2023 $500 MAGA St. Charles State Rep Travis Wilson
10/06/2023 $1,000 Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s campaign for Mayor of Houston
09/28/2023 $2,500 Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s campaign for Mayor of Houston
09/14/2023 $2,500 MAGA Springfield State Senator Lincoln Hough
09/06/2023 $1,000 MAGA former Independence State Rep Robert Sauls
09/06/2023 $1000 MAGA Hannibal State Rep Louis Riggs
09/06/2023 $1000 MAGA Kansas City State Rep Sean Pouche
09/06/2023 $1,000 MAGA Clay & Platte Counties State Rep Josh Hurlbert
08/29/2023 $1,000 North County Solidarity PAC (Walton Family- Elbert, Rochelle)
08/29/2023 $1,000 Six County PAC, MAGA pac based in St. Francois County, helped elect Elaine Gannon to Missouri Senate
08/02/2023 $1,000 MAGA Springfield State Rep Alex Riley
08/02/2023 $500 MAGA Dunklin County State Rep Cameron Bunting Parker
08/02/2023 $500 MAGA Lee’s Summit State Rep Jon Patterson
06/25/2023 $1,000 Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley
05/16/2023 $1,000 Kansas City State Senator Barbara Washington
05/08/2023 $2,500 MAGA former Attorney General Andrew Bailey
05/04/2023 $2,500 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
03/24/2023 $500 former Bellefontaine Neighbors Mayor Tommie Pierson Sr
01/26/2023 $2,400 Columbia State Senator Steve Webber
12/27/2022 $2,500 Page PAC, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page

Returned or Not Delivered Nexus PAC Donations
11/19/2025 $1000 St. Louis County Councilwoman Gretchen Bangert (reported 02/25/2026)
10/03/2025 $250 Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (reported 02/25/2026)
09/30/2025 $2,000 St. Louis County State Senator Tracy McCreery (reported 01/06/2026)
10/29/2024 $2,825 MAGA former Attorney General Andrew Bailey (reported 07/14/2025)
10/07/2024 $1,900 Boone County State Senator Steve Webber (reported 10/10/2025)
07/08/2024 $1,500 St. Louis City Alder Shameem Clark-Hubbard (reported 07/14/2025)
09/26/2024 $500 Columbia State Rep Steve Webber (reported 12/02/2024)
01/08/2024 $2,175 MAGA former Attorney General Andrew Bailey (reported 04/05/2024)
12/21/2023 $2,825 MAGA Jasper County former State Rep Cody Smith (reported 07/26/2024)
11/16/2023 $2,000 MAGA Livingston County State Senator Rusty Black (reported 07/26/2024)
11/16/2023 $2,000 MAGA Callaway County State Senator Travis Fitzwater (reported 07/26/2024)
10/12/2023 $5,000 United We Stand PAC, connected to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas (reported 01/16/2024)
10/31/2023 $2,400 MAGA State Rep, unsuccessful Secretary of State candidate Dean Plocher (reported 01/16/2024)
09/28/2023 $1,000 St. Louis County Executive Sam Page (reported 07/26/2024)
09/28/2023 $500 St. Louis City Alder Daniela Velazquez (reported 01/16/2024)
09/12/2023 $1000 Tri-County PAC, not listed in MEC database, might be Professional Firefighters of Tri-County PAC, (reported 01/16/2024)
02/21/2023 $500 St. Louis City Alder Pam Boyd (reported 04/17/2023)
03/09/2022 $1000 ATL for All (reported 02/27/2023)
06/16/2022 $500 MAGA former Caldwell County State Rep Randy Railsback (reported 02/27/2023)
11/28/2022 $1,000 MAGA St. Charles County State Senator Nick Schroer

St. Louis City Needs Tax District Reform

Man with giant green money bag

I am posting the written testimony submitted by Gerry Connolly to St. Louis City Board of Alders Housing and Urban Development Committee on Board Bill 19 to create two single-site tax districts for luxury living Jefferson Arms, a Community Improvement District and Transportation Development District.

Gerry is right about both the Board make up of these tax districts and the need for tax district reforms, which former Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway also recommended in 2019.

In the 2024-25 Board of Alders session, a special committee was created to look into special tax districts, but nothing came of it. The committee was not even renewed for the 2025-26 session.

If you’re on Bluesky, search #TransparencyFail. Most of the posts are about St. Louis City Special Tax Districts (or Local Tax Districts (LTDs) if you’d prefer not to use STDs).

Also check out the ProPublica series: “Policing in St. Louis. Private Policing Firms Patrol Wealthy Neighborhoods” about neighborhood tax districts.

Gerry’s testimony

“Please consider this recommendation to amend Board Bill 19 as follows: change the composition of the boards to ensure that representatives of the developer of property in the Jefferson Arms CID/TDD do not constitute a majority of the board. Officials representing City of St. Louis government should make up a majority of seats on the board. 

BB 19 specifies the CID shall have five board members, the City of St. Louis should therefore have three representatives on the board. 

I have included below an except from my written testimony on the FY 2026 Budget/Operating Plan which outlines eight recommendations to reform the Local Taxing Districts in the City of St.Louis.

  • Budget testimony item 7: Eight reforms for the BOA to enact for Local Taxing Districts (LTDs) It is possible that changes to Missouri law will be necessary in order to accomplish some of the recommendations. The budgets of the 100 plus LTDs in the City likely exceed $50 Million, with taxes and/or special assessments imposed on the public. The vast majority of LTDs operate routinely in violation of Missouri Sunshine law.
  1. Enact all recommendations of the 2019 Missouri Auditor’s report on LTDs. The audit report is available online (See pages 9 – 18 for recommendations)
  2. Place all policing duties funded by LTDs under the command of SLMPD.
  3. Extend community oversight of surveillance technology to all LTDs.
  4. A representative of the following must be appointed to the board of all single-site LTDs: Mayor, Board of Aldermen and Comptroller.
  5. Prohibit developers from controlling single-site districts.
  6. Document all City of St. Louis resources allocated to the LTDs. Such resources include: (i) City funds expended on projects of the LTDs. (ii) city staff attending LTD meetings. (iii) work performed by city staff to support the activities of LTDs. (Examples of city staff: SLMPD personnel when working for the City; Neighborhood Improvement Specialists).
  7. Establish robust Conflicts of Interest regulations for people serving on the boards and committees of LTDs.
  8. Establish a limit on the number of LTD boards on which one person can serve. (Some individuals serve on at least five LTD boards)”

Say No to More Corporate Welfare for Anheuser-Busch

Man with giant green money bag

Last Updated 8:17 pm January 30, 2025

It’s not that a $85.55 Billion company like Anheuser-Busch needs corporate welfare. It just wants it.

For the third time in six years, I’m not digging back further, the Soulard based brewery since 1852, is asking for favors from the St. Louis City Board of Alders.

They are inclined to do so because they like the company’s lobbyists, the co-dependent unions , the campaign money. Good v. Bad public policy never enters the picture.

Board Bill 161, by Alder Cara Spencer, who is running for Mayor, gives the company
💰$41 Million in industrial revenue bonds for equipment purchase
💰10 years of 50% personal property tax abatement on the equipment and other
personal property

Per the Community Benefits Scorecard by St. Louis Development Corporation, the City’s corporate welfare umbrella agency, the brewery is located “in an area of high need and opportunity.” Soulard and adjacent Benton Park are affluent neighborhoods.

The company doesn’t need the help. It just wants it and feckless Alders will likely vote to give it to them, just like they always do for corporate welfare proposals.

The latest corporate welfare for the company will likely have its first vote at Board of Alders, the Perfection vote, on Friday, January 31st. Contact Board President Megan Green and your Alder and urge them to vote No on Board Bill 161.

The last meeting of the Board before Election break is currently February 7th.

Prior to the July 2008 InBev takeover of Anheuser-Busch, the brewery had 5,000 employees in the St. Louis area. By 2010, InBev had laid off thousands. A next door neighbor in Soulard was one of them. He was a third-generation brewery employee. Like his father and grandfather, he walked to work. Unlike them, he graduated from college and went to work for the brewery in a white-collar job. Our neighbor ended up moving to St. Charles for work.

In March 2019, Alders rewarded Anheuser-Busch with
💰$75 Million in industrial revenue bonds for equipment
💰 Two 5 years of 75%personal property tax abatement

The votes on Board Bill 177 are missing from the Board of Alders Votes on 2018-2019 bills. Sponsor of the bill was Alder Dan Guenther. He now works as Legislative Assistant to Alder Cara Spencer, candidate for Mayor.

In December 2019, Alders gave the company
💰$100 Million in industrial revenue bonds for, mostly, equipment purchase but also some real estate improvements
💰5 years of 50% real property tax abatement
💰5 years of 75% personal property tax abatement
💰Sales and Use Tax exemption on the purchase of construction materials

Sponsor of that bill was, again, Alder Guenther, who now works for Alder Spencer. The vote on Board Bill 155 was 22 Aye, 0 No, 5 Absent, 2 did not vote.

Alders still on the Board who voted for this 2019 corporate welfare: now Board President Megan Green, Pam Boyd, Brett Narayan, Cara Spencer, Tom Oldenburg, Joe Vollmer, Sharon Tyus.

Aside from Spencer running for higher office, none of these Alders is on the March or April ballot because it’s an odd numbered ward election and they represent even numbered wards or, in the case of Vollmer, not seeking re-election.

Aye votes no longer Alders but now working at the Board, in addition to Guenther: Marlene Davis, now Legislative Assistant to Alder Laura Keyes, and Christine Ingrassia, now Director of Operations for Board President Green.

Anheuser-Busch is located in Soulard but not a part of the neighborhood’s Special Business District (property tax funding private police and surveillance cameras) or Community Improvement District (sales tax for traffic calming, dog poo bags, trash pick-up…). Soulard CID recently sought inclusion of the brewery during its expansion petition drive but the brewery declined.

The company received a liquor license from the City for its Biergarten and now competes with Soulard and Benton Park bars and restaurants for customers. It contributes to neighborhood litter and safety issues but does not contribute to the neighborhood’s tax districts charged with providing additional services for such concerns.

In August 2024, Anheuser-Busch requested a $262,000 Missouri Sales Tax Refund.

In 2012, the City of Arnold and Jefferson County gave 20 years property tax abatement to Anheuser-Busch’s Metal Container Corp over objections by the local school district dependent on property taxes.

Anheuser-Busch doesn’t like paying taxes. But taxes pay for public services and it’s not the responsibility of everyone else to pick up the tab for public services used by a $85.55 Billion company

Tell Alders to make Anheuser-Busch pay their share.

Below: text of Gerry “Sunshine Gerry” Connolly’s letter to St. Louis City Board of Estimate and Apportionment (Mayor Tishaura Jones, Comptroller Darelene Green, Board President Megan Green) asking them to vote No on Board Bill 161. The Board of E&A voted 3-0 to support the corporate welfare.

Honorable Members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment,

Request to vote NO on Board Bill 161. 1/29/25 Board of E and A meeting (agenda Item 2; bonds for Anheuser-Busch project)

Please vote no on Board Bill no. 161. The proposed incentive (Net Present Value = $1.19 Million fails the “but for” test. Anheuser-Busch simply doesn’t require the incentive to implement its project. At the HUDZ hearing on BB 161, Anheuser-Busch’s lobbyist constructed a flimsy narrative that A-B could select an existing A-B facility in another city for the project.

The procedure defined in Ordinance no. 71620 for SLPS to review the project was not properly documented in SLDC’s Developer Proposal Report (DPR) contained in BB 161. The DPR was not available to the public before the HUDZ Public Hearing; members of the HUDZ committee received the DPR via email from SLDC 13 minutes before the hearing started. The BOA has not been able to conduct robust due-diligence on BB 161.

A study cited by the Post-Dispatch estimated that a 30 second ad in the Superbowl costs $7M. The value of the tax break in BB 161 equates to 5 seconds of advertising time at the Superbowl.

Who loses out if BB 161 is approved? St. Louis Public Schools, the City of St. Louis (General Revenue) and multiple taxing districts.

Anheuser-Busch should pay its fair share in taxes, just like the majority of St. Louis residents and businesses.

I urge you to vote no on BB 161.

Thanks for your consideration.

Gerry Connolly

13th Ward Profile, St. Louis City

13th Ward Map

St. Louis City’s 13th Ward includes parts of old 2nd, 22nd, 27th Wards, and other Wards, and is the result of Census Redistricting and Ward Reduction.

Previous Elections

Each ward is now double the population and geographically much larger. That’s an important consideration when looking at past election results.

13th Ward 2023 General Election: Pamela Boyd 984; Norma Walker 839
13th Ward 2023 Primary Election: Pamela Boyd 751; Norma Walker 506; former Alder Lisa Middlebrook 390
27th Ward 2021 General Election: Pamela Boyd 815; Chris Carter 664
27th Ward 2021 Primary Election: Pamela Boyd 603; Chris Carter 518; Mary Ann Jackson 161
27th Ward 2017 General Election: Pamela Boyd 1,280; Antree Spikener 117
27th Ward 2017 Primary Election: Pamela Boyd, 800; Keena Carter 635; Ciera Simril 228

2025 Election

Alder Pamela Boyd
Elected Alder: 2017, 2021, 2023
Previous Campaigns: 2013 ran for Alder
Incumbent Voting Records- Board Bills
Campaign Website
Residence: Walnut Park West
Residence Tax Abated: No
Occupation: Alder; was or is certified dietary manager at The Valley Stonebridge Community skilled nursing facility
Political Genealogy: mother of School Board President Toni Cousins; no relation to former Alder Jeffrey Boyd
Candidate MEC Committee
Treasurer: Brenda Montgomery, Ferguson, works at Normandy School District
January 2025 Report
$5,589.63 on hand; $0 debt
+ Raised $6,975: $2,600 21st Century St Louis PAC (Greater St. Louis); $2,600 Jerry Schlichter, attorney, Schlichter Bogard, Missouri State Historic Tax Credit advocate; $500 Spire PAC; $300 Iron Workers Local NO. 396 Voluntary Fund; $250 David C. Walters, president HY-C, owner Westwood Progress LLC owner, identified instead in report as Affinia Healthcare Board Member; $250 Protect Missouri Workers PAC
– Spent $7,011.60: $3,002 total Steve Engelhardt, fundraising, former communications director for Congressman Lacy Clay; $1,605.04 total Mark’s Quick Printing; $960.27 total RingCentral; $600.15 total Constant Contact
October 2024 Report
$5,625.73 on hand, $0 debt
+ Raised $500: $0 itemized
– Spent $2,047.78: $667.20 total RingCentral; $477 total Constant Contact
July 2024 Report
$7,173.45 on hand, $0 debt
+ Raised $7,000.06: $2,000 Jay R. Johnson, owner Greenworks Construction; $1,000 LIUNA Local 110; $1,000 Laborers’ Int Union Local 42 PAC Fund; $1,000 Clifford Franklin, owner FUSE advertising; $500 David Sweeney, attorney @ Lewis Rice, corporate welfare lobbyist; $300 Electrical Workers Voluntary Political Education & Legislative Funds – Missouri; $250 Jarrod Holst, attorney and owner 1904Group apartment developer; $250 David C. Walters, president HY-C, owner Westwood Progress LLC owner, identified instead in report as Affinia Healthcare Board Member; $250 St Louis City Legislative Club PAC.
– Spent $2,430.82: $1,253.47 total Constant Contact; $465 total Mark’s Quick Printing
April 2024 Report
$2,604.21 on hand, $0 debt
+ Raised $3,231.45: $2,600 South Side Property LLC (gas stations, Munji Abdeljabbar); $200 AFT Local 420
– Spent $2,731.45: $1,366.63 total Mark’s Quick Printing; $343.91 total Constant Contact
– Refunds: $500 Northway Market LLC (one of the Almuttan Brothers businesses)
January 2024 Report
$3,035.63 on hand; $0 debt
+ Raised $3,650: $1,000 Northway Market LLC (one of the Almuttan Brothers businesses); $250 Darryl A. Piggee, attorney @ Stone Leyton, former lobbyist for Rebuild St. Louis, Chief of Staff former Congressman Lacy Clay; $250 Paul T. Reid, Postal Workers Union; $250 Patricia Hofer, property manager; $200 Alder Laura Keys; $200 LeRoy Grant, lobbyist
– Spent $ 758.09: $465 Constant Contact
October 2023 Report
$143.69 on hand; $0 debt
+ Raised $1,200: $500 Associated General Contractors of Missouri; Nexus PAC (MAGA PAC that legally launders money for Rex Sinquefield and others, run by Matt McBride, Lashly Baer); $500 $200 Ryan Thomas LLC
– Spent $4,536.85: $1,200 total campaign worker Nona Thomson (address is a vacant lot in Spanish Lake); $900 Caring Plus, tickets
– Refunds $4,750: $2,600 South Side Property LLC (gas stations, Munji Abdeljabbar); $1,000 Eagle Foods LLC; $500 Ryan Thomas LLC; $500 R & A LLC; $150 Evergreen Resimercial Realty
July 2023 Report
$8,227.52 on hand; $0 debt (no report shows the $1,700 debt to herself being paid back or forgiven)
+ Raised $2.13 interest
– Spent $3,364.06: $1,372.91 Allmail USA Inc; $1,041.15 Mark’s Quick Printing; $600 campaign worker Nona Thomson (address is a vacant lot in Spanish Lake); $250 Constant Contact
Amended April 2023 #3 Report
$11,589.45 on hand; $1,700 debt to herself
+ Raised $8,175: $2,600 Leadership Counts; $2,000 Steve Stone, attorney @ Stone Leyton, Paul McKee’s attorney, Globe Building owner; $1,000 TheLouPAC; $1,000 total Brenda Montgomery, Normandy teacher, candidate’s MEC Treasurer; $500 former Alder Jack Coatar, attorney, now consultant in Florida; $500 Jeff Rainford, lobbyist for Bob Clark and others, Chief of Staff for former Mayor Francis Slay; $275 Rodney Hubbard (report says “retired,” not sure if this is lobbyist Rodney Hubbard Jr married to Alder Shameen Clark-Hubbard, address suggests that is the one, or Rodney Hubbard Sr. of Carr Square Tenant Organization ARPA money fame)
– Spent $7,716.18: $5,000 Media Magic; $2,250 George Poole, campaign worker
April 2023 Report #3
minus a few contributions and expenses, same as Amended April 2023 #3 Report
April 2023 Report #2
Limited Activity
April 2023 Report #1
$11,130.63 on hand; $1,700 debt to herself
+ Raised $2,900: $2,600 Laborers Int Union Local PAC Fund; $300 Sprinkler Fitters Political Education & Legislative Committee
– Spent $2,366.55: $1,415.90 Mark’s Quick Printing; $760 total  George Poole, campaign work
March 2023 Report
$10,596.60 on hand; $1,700 debt to herself
+ Raised $15,400.43: $2,600 21st Century St. Louis PAC (Greater St. Louis); $2,600 LIUNA 42; $2,500 Jerry Schlichter, attorney, Schlichter Bogard, Missouri State Historic Tax Credit advocate; $1,000 Spire PAC; $1,000 IAFF 73; $500 Realtors PAC; $500 David Sweeney, corporate welfare and tax district attorney & lobbyist; $300 Operating Engineers 513
– Spent $12,273.06 spent: $2,150 total for George Poole, campaign work
February 2023 Report #2
$7,469.23 on hand; $1,700 debt to herself
+ Raised $7,950 raised: $2,600 21st Century STL (Greater St. Louis); $1,000 LIUNA Local 110; $1,000 LIUNA Local 42; $250 State Rep. Steve Butz; $250 former Mayor Vince Schoemehl
February 2023 Report #1
$2,644.11 on hand; $1,700 debt to herself
+ Raised $7,328.12: $2,600 MidAmerica Carpenters PAC; $1,700 loan from the candidate; $300 former State Rep. Josh Peters; $125 Glaziers Local 513 PAC
– Spent $7,883.85
January 2023 Report #2
$3,199.84 on hand; $0 debt
+ Raised $0
– Spent $765.19
January 2023 Report #1
$3,965.03 on hand; $0 debt
+ Raised $1,052.77: $500 Jeff Rainford, lobbyist for Bob Clark and others, Chief of Staff for former Mayor Francis Slay
– Spent $1,089.95
October 2022 Report
$4,002.21 on hand, $0 debt
+ Raised $2,956.04
– Spent $340
Contributions to Other Campaigns
2023- $100 State Rep Steve Butz; $50 former Sheriff Vernon Betts
2022- $100 Alder Laura Keys
2021- $200 former Board President Lewis Reed; $100 School Board member Toni Cousins (daughter)
2020- $100 former Alder Jeffrey Boyd; $100 accused rapist State Senator Steven Roberts

No 2025 Opponent

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