Friday, July 22, 2011
In his first action of veto, Mayor Schneider challenges Florissant City Council members to review the charter as a part of their duties.
History continues to repeat itself regarding the Florissant City Charter. Like his predecessor Mayor Robert Lowery, Mayor Tom Schneider vetoed the council’s ordinance to create a charter commission, according to an email to media received this morning. “I find it necessary for the benefit of the people of Florissant to veto Bill number 8737, Ordinance number 7813,” Mayor Schneider wrote in his statement. “The sponsors of this bill offered this divisive issue for public debate in the infancy of a new administration with an incomplete and interim council body. These five sponsors, one of which is temporary, created an avoidable distraction and impediment to good governance at a time when our city and all cities are facing more urgent …
Monday, June 6, 2011
Mayor Schneider believes the city should wait to address redistricting until a full council is seated.
Florissant, like other municipalities, will be required to realign its ward boundaries in keeping with the 2010 Census results. Florissant grew by 3 percent since 2000, but its population also shifted due to some annexations. Each council member will appoint a ward representative to the commission who would recommend boundary changes. Those changes could affect future elections. This round of realignments could bring some significant changes. “Because of the annexations since 2001, boundaries in every ward may change,” said Ward 7 Councilwoman Karen McKay. She’s said she’s not sure that’s happened before. Ward 7 was changed in 2000 to include an area near McCluer High School that had been part of Ward 5, she said. But due to annexations, …
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Three councilors question the timing and convenience of such a bill being introduced.
With one council seat vacant and another still contested by a run-off election, the current composition of the Florissant City Council appeared it could prove a problem. That became very clear during Tuesday night’s meeting. Five councilors proposed Bill 8737, which would create a nine-person commission to review the Florissant City Charter, for first reading, but the bill came under fire from the other three councilors. Ward 8 Councilman Mark Schmidt voted for discussion on the bill and took the floor to voice his concern regarding its timing. “I find the timing of this bill highly suspect and frankly, irresponsible,” Schmidt said. “I don’t see a rush to do this before we have a full council. It takes advantage of the current makeup, and …
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
If passed, Florissant would follow the lead of St. Charles County in banning synthetic drugs in the area.
The Florissant City Council took a proactive step last night in preventing the sale of bath salts, the latest popular hallucinogenic in the St. Louis region. Earlier this month, the St. Charles County Council passed a ban that prevents the sale of synthetic chemicals labeled as bath salts. Although the bath salts have harmless names, the drugs mimic the effects of cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy. The County Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance in response to a a 26-year-old St. Charles man who attacked three people at the First Baptist Church in St. Peters after smoking Supercense, a synthetic form of marijuana that was legal. Ward 7 Florissant City Councilwoman Karen McKay and Ward 4 Councilman Keith English co-…
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
English beats challenger Jeff Caputa in his first contested election.
Keith English will retain his Ward 4 City Council seat after defeating opponent Jeff Caputa. English won 63 percent of the vote and claimed victory on Tuesday night in a victory celebration at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Hall. "I'm breathing much easier and so are the supporters and residents of Ward 4," English said following his victory. English has held the seat since a special election in 2007 after 20-year incumbent Geri Debo stepped down. This was the first contested election for English. English and his challenger, Caputa, boasted similar backgrounds as each worked in labor. Engish is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1, and Caputa sits as a member of the Cement Masons Union Local 527. Caputa …
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
City Council has run out of time to approve a measure that would lower the next mayor's income.
A bill that would have lowered the incoming mayor’s salary was tabled during the March 14 city council meeting, which has eliminated the possibility that the council could lower the incoming mayor’s salary. As of April 5, when the new mayor is elected, the his or her salary is set. The bill would have lowered the mayor’s salary from $138,000 to $103,500. Ward 4 City Councilman Keith English said that the current mayor earns close to $200,000, which includes perks and benefits. English supported the bill and said it was a last-ditch effort by the council to reduce the salary. English noted that the council was split on the issue as four were in support of the bill and four other weren’t. Ward 6 City Councilman Andrew Podleski recused …
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Incumbent Keith English hopes to retain his seat against challenger Jeff Caputa.
For the first time since a special election on Feb. 6, 2007, there will be more than one candidate on the ballot for Ward 4 City Councilman in Florissant. Incumbent Keith English is campaigning to hold onto his seat against challenger Jeff Caputa. Both men come from labor backgrounds, with English sitting as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1, and Caputa is a member of the Cement Masons Union Local 527. Geri Debo held the Ward 4 seat for 20 years until she stepped down in early 2007, paving the way for the special election that elected English. He won the seat with 52 percent of the vote, and 14 months later, he ran unopposed to win his first full term on the city council. Both men recently sat …
Elizabeth O'Fallon
9:56 am on Monday, July 25, 2011
Let's not forget that even a "temporary" member of the council has a voice and a vote that counts just as much as the other members who are still serving out their terms. more ›