Twitter Fight! Foreshadowing The St. Louis Mayoral Election?
Lewis Reed, President of the Board of Aldermen, is rumored to be running for St. Louis City Mayor against incumbent Francis Slay in 2013. Slay recently has been pushing a plan to dramatically cut the pensions for firefighters, a move Slay's people say is necessary to keep the city budget from spiraling out of control. President Reed, however, is working on his own plan which he describes as a compromise. Reed's meeting tonight has set off a flurry of angry tweets from Mayor Slay's people, including his Chief of Staff Jeff Rainford:
This led to a sharp comeback from Alderman Antonio French, a strong supporter of Reed:
Sure seems like there's going to be a pretty interesting Mayoral election.
Update: More from Antonio French: Here's the video he linked to:
Kennedy's comments in that video reflect hurt pride over discussion of the issues. They have a point, though. In an ideal situation, all stakeholders working together for consensus creates change with buy-in and momentum. But, this isn't a social club. It's STL politics, and too many people from all sides are saying "what's in it for me?" or "why wasn't I consulted?" then flexing political power in retaliation. That's polarization out of spite, and it is just as bad as the exclusion tactics for the city. How about on the count of three, we all check our egos? Ready? 1... 2... 3!
The St. Louis Activist Hub blog is the home of weekly event listings for progressive activism across St. Louis. It is also a group blog where a variety of St. Louis viewpoints are presented. You can follow the Activist Hub on Twitter and join the Facebook group for further ways to stay connected.
Anonymous tips? Send email to stlactivisthubtips@yahoo.com
Posts
Hope there is a change next year.
ReplyDeleteKennedy's comments in that video reflect hurt pride over discussion of the issues. They have a point, though. In an ideal situation, all stakeholders working together for consensus creates change with buy-in and momentum. But, this isn't a social club. It's STL politics, and too many people from all sides are saying "what's in it for me?" or "why wasn't I consulted?" then flexing political power in retaliation. That's polarization out of spite, and it is just as bad as the exclusion tactics for the city. How about on the count of three, we all check our egos? Ready? 1... 2... 3!
ReplyDelete