MLS2STL Proposal Is Good For Soulard And St. Louis

The April 4th general election is a big one here in the city of St. Louis. The city will most-likely elect it's first female mayor, Lyda Krewson. How cool is that?

Among the propositions on the ballot Tuesday, Propositions 1 & 2 have probably received the most press. 

Proposition 1 would raise the sales tax 1/2 of a percent. The expected $20 million in yearly proceeds would go to things like transit and public safety. 

Proposition 2 is tied to Prop 1. If Prop 1 passes, the city's use tax will automatically go up that same .5 percent. Prop 2 would authorize that increase in the use tax, expected to be $4 million per year, to be used to build a 20,000-seat outdoor stadium. Among other events, the stadium would be the home of St. Louis's entry in Major League Soccer. 

A .5 percent increase in the sales tax would cost you 50 cents on a $100 purchase. Keep in mind that the food tax is 3% lower when you see reports of a high base sales tax in the city. The use tax is something businesses pay on out-of-state purchases. 

This proposal is good for the city of St. Louis. 

It is good for the city's youth according to Demetrious Johnson and according to the co-founder of World Wide Technology, David Steward. 

In addition to that, it is good for Soulard. In Minnesota, proximity to the new Minnesota United stadium is influencing home-buying decisions. 

We all see how busy Soulard is with Cardinals and Blues fans on the days those teams are playing. People visiting before heading over to the games or taking the Soulard shuttles to the games, help keep these businesses in business the rest of the year. Crowds also help deter crime. 

People looking to rent apartments make their decisions partially on being close to things they like to do. There are plenty of young professionals that will see being close to an MLS stadium as a perk of living in Soulard. 

The city of St. Louis will earn tax revenues from things that happen at the stadium. These tax dollars will go to pay for needed city services. Over the course of the next twenty years, these tax dollars generated for the city will be more than if the stadium didn't get built. The city's contribution is capped and can only be paid for from that increase in the use tax. General revenue funds can not be used. The owners of the MLS team are responsible for any construction cost overages. 

Vote whatever way you think is best for St. Louis on Tuesday. Keep an open mind about Propositions 1 & 2 and the benefits they could have for Soulard, in particular.

P.S. Vote For Jack Coatar too. 

St. Louis Cardinals Back Jack Coatar

In case you live under a rock or don't care about one of the great American freedoms, I'm here to inform you of something. Phylllis Young, the longtime 7th Ward Alderwoman, retired in December. Three Democratic candidates are running in the upcoming Democratic Primary to fill her seat. Voters in this ward will elect one person on March 3 out of the field of John (Jack) Coatar, Chelsea Merta and Samuel Cummings III to represent us.. Sure, this is only the Democratic Primary but there's a 99.9% chance the winner of this race is our next 7th Ward Alderman.

All three of these candidates have been civil to each other in the debates and forums I've seen. They've all pledged to work with whomever gets elected to make this ward a better place. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses. I'm not here to tell you who to vote for, although I'll say right now I consider Jack Coatar a friend and will be voting for him on Tuesday, March 3. I encourage readers to check out all three candidates and vote for the one they feel will truly make the 7th Ward and St. Louis a better place.

That being said, I'd like to point out something. You see, I generally don't really care which companies contribute to political campaigns. The 7th Ward Independent Democrats think you all should care that Red Brick has donated to the Jack Coatar campaign. Don't be fooled by the Independent part of their name. The blog is awash in pink, the hallmark of Merta's campaign. The blog regularly takes shots at Samuel Cummings III, who apparently was once a member of the organization.

The blog conveniently put out this post condemning Red Brick's contribution to Coatar's campaign at a time when the company's policies during the Mardi Gras season are a hot topic in the neighborhood. On the subject of Red Brick, think about where Soulard would be without the company. How many of these homes occupied by renters now would be vacant? How many businesses would be here? Red Brick isn't perfect, no company is.

We could argue all day about Red Brick as a neighbor, but that's not what this post is about. Should you be holding a contribution of $1,000 by the company against the candidate? If anything, it shows that the candidate is on good terms with whomever controls the purse strings in that company and has their ear. That's a good thing, in case I didn't explain myself well.

However, if we are going to talk about donations from companies, there's an interesting line item in one of Coatar's financial reports. Eight days after he took $1,000 from Red Brick, he received a $2,500 donation from another St. Louis business. This business is the most important business in the 7th Ward; the most important business to St. Louis City and probably the most important business in the St Louis region. It's also beloved in many parts of the country, at least where the sweet sounds of KMOX can be heard in the Spring, Summer and Fall evenings.

That company that donated $2,500 to the Coatar For St. Louis campaign is of course the St. Louis Cardinals.

#IBACKJACK

Vote "Yes" on Prop E

Remember April 5 is Voting Day.  If you live in the city of St. Louis, please vote "YES" on Prop E.

 1/3 of the city's budget comes from the "Earnings tax". I dunno about you, but I really don't want to see St. Louis City cut police officers and other services.

Find out here where you need to go vote.