Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Show Me Institute's Policy Analyst Previously Opposed Local Control

Just found another interesting angle to Rex Sinquefield's collaboration with the Slay crew on the issue of local control of the St. Louis Police Department. David Stokes, Policy Analyst at Sinquefield's Show Me Institute (at least through 2010), had previously blogged about his opposition to local control on the Show Me Institute's blog Show Me Daily. In a December 18, 2008 post, Stokes wrote:
Both Kansas City and St. Louis would like to gain control of their police departments from the state. I am friends with some St. Louis city cops, and I have never talked to one who liked this possibility. Control by the state board means that the police department answers to one board and the governor, not to 28 aldermen and 11 citywide elected officials. However, in Kansas City, with its city manager form of government, local control might work better.
In a May 29, 2009 post, Stokes is even more explicit:
I commend the board for this. The police commissioners have other St. Louis–elected officials, not to mention their own standing as police officials, to engage legislators in Jefferson City. They don’t need to spend taxpayer dollars doing that. (And I say this even though I agree with the police board regarding the local control issue, which the Post article suggests was the rationale for hiring a lobbyist in the first place.)
I wonder: is there any evidence of Rex Sinquefield supporting local control prior to 2010?

1 comment:

  1. Seems pretty obvious, Rex and the Mayor had a deal. Slay stayed quiet on Proposition A in return for Rex's help passing Local Control.

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