The Life and Times of Misrepresent Moore

Last night I was quite surprised to see Michael “Misrepresent” Moore being interviewed by News Channel 5 regarding polling place issues and voter complaints being made before the St. Louis County Election Board. The report focused on election day issues that took place in Velda City and other parts of North County. Yet, for some unknown reason there was Michael “Misrepresent” Moore speaking on the issue.

As I thought more about this report, I began to wonder about the Life and Times of Misrepresent Moore …

What drove Misrepresent Moore to be at that St. Louis County Election Board meeting yesterday?

How does this fit into his grand proclaimed “human rights” campaign series he has run in Kirkwood?

Since Misrepresent Moore is now gearing up his new “voters’ rights” crusade in North St. Louis County and especially Velda City what does this mean?

Will he be moving to Velda City? Misrepresent Moore ran his alleged “human rights” campaign series in Kirkwood while a resident of Creve Couer for more than 2 years before pretending to move to Kirkwood to run for Mayor in April.

Or could it be Misrepresent Moore already moved to Velda City and was only at the Election Board meeting to complain that he was not able to vote in both communities on election day?

Are the folks in Velda City ready to handle a Misrepresent Moore-style “human rights” campaign series like the one he has perpetrated in Kirkwood thus far?

Does Velda City have a Human Rights Advisory and Awareness Commission Misrepresent Moore can try to manipulate and bully?

The questions abound! But, I come back to the first question …

What drove Misrepresent Moore to be at that St. Louis County Election Board meeting yesterday?

Could Misrepresent Moore really only be there to exact some second-hand retribution against the St. Louis County Election Board after hearing the reports of problems in Velda City?

Remember the Election Board did rightfully do their duty and called into question Misrepresent Moore's qualifications and his lack of fulfillment of the requirements to file as a candidate for the Office of Mayor in Kirkwood back in April, 2008. Misrepresent Moore filed a lawsuit against the Election Board and got nowhere with it. Misrepresent Moore was forced to withdraw his frivolous lawsuit before it was thrown out.

Now here it is a few months later and Misrepresent Moore is out attacking the St. Louis County Election Board on an issue that does not involve him, his supposed immediate community or his alleged “human rights” campaign.

Could this graphically display the true opportunistic nature of Misrepresent Moore? Any chance Misrepresent Moore gets he just goes out to misrepresent more and more and more?

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The saga with Mr. Moore continues. If you have a take on this issue, hit the “Comments” link below. Have a great day! Joe

Questions about Curbside Recycling for the Kirkwood City Council

Dear Kirkwood City Council,

In a November 6, 2008 Webster-________ Times article it was reported concerning the October 23, 2008 Kirkwood Town Hall meeting that the three City Council members in attendance "responded positively" to a citizen's "suggestion to implement curbside recycling."

I do have to wonder if this is true given the fact that the reporter and the entire editorial staff of the our alleged "Hometown Newspaper" in that same article once again proved how little they know about Kirkwood by confusing Blue Water Grill with Graham's Grill. I do have to wonder if Mr. Huelsmann was a top graduate of Scoop Corrigan's journalism course on fact-checking? These and other serious journalistic and editorial questions about our alleged "Hometown Newspaper" need to be asked and answered, but today is not that day.

Hoping that Mr. Huelsmann did actually get the facts straight on this subject and you are going to recycle the curbside question, I wish to ask a few questions and along the way present a few facts on the issue.

The first question that needs to be asked is, "Why does the City of Kirkwood need a curbside recycling service?"

The main reason why I have to ask this question is that curbside recycling service has been available to Kirkwood citizens since 1997. So, we are not behind on having curbside recycling in our community as some proponents like to flagrantly twist and distort the issue. Yes, Earth Circle Recycling really has been providing curbside service in Kirkwood for more than a decade now. In addition, their fee is only $100 a year for once-a-week pickup. This brings their service costs to their customers below $2.00 a week for curbside service. So, if a citizen wants curbside service there is nothing stopping them from getting that service.

The next question is, "How does the City of Kirkwood with a curbside service intend to beat the present cost to recycle in our community?"

Not only do you realistically have to beat the less than $2.00 a week for once-a-week pickup, while not changing our present voter approved twice-a-week trash pickup. But, there is even more to consider. How about those of us citizens who do not want to pay an additional fee for a curbside service we do not need? It costs us, customers of our present fine City recyclery absolutely nothing, nada, diddly-squat, nil, null, goose-egg, zero, zip, blanko, zilch, zippo. Need I give any more synonyms? How do you plan to beat FREE with a curbside service?

This brings us to the next question that needs to be asked. "What will it cost the citizens who will need to pay the price tag for the City of Kirkwood to implement a curbside recycling service?"

This is the real rubber-hits-the-road question of this issue. I do not know anyone who believes we need to add another unnecessary cost to our fellow citizens. Also, I will remind you of the fact that the voters of this community in April, 2004 overwhelmingly sent a clear message to the City Council. The voters chose by a margin of over 2.8-to-1 that they did not want to add curbside recycling. A 2-to-1 margin in any other community is considered a mandate from the citizens. Yet, here it is just over 4 years later, with less than a handful of misinformed and distorted Mailbag letters on the subject having been written in the Webster-________ Times since April and our community is supposed to rehash this subject all over again.

My final question is, "Given the above facts presented and the questions asked do we really need to rehash the subject of curbside recycling all over again?"

This letter to you will be posted on my Kirkwood blog … www.joekirkwood.blogspot.com.

Thank you for your time and service to our community.
Joe

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Hello Reader ... I hope you will post your thoughts on the subject by clicking on the "Comments" link below. Thanks and have a great day! Joe

Where’s the beef Tom?

Tonight I had a chance to review our School District staff’s budget presentation given at the August 25th Kirkwood School District tax rate hearing. Then, I compared those facts with the comments and the Mailbag letter in the August 29th Webster-Kirkwood Times from Tom Haenni. I have a challenge with the comments and actions of both Tom and Sarah Haenni at this meeting.

First, I have issue with the way Sarah carried herself with her comments at the hearing. Sarah went droning on for almost 9 minutes of a 60 minute hearing, with her grand thesis on the alleged twisting of facts by the Kirkwood School Board. I am still trying to figure out how Sarah even begins to think only her comments deserve taking up almost 15% of the scheduled hearing time? Where does she get off thinking only she is worthy of using that much time at the hearing? This is especially the case with such a packed room, full of other citizens in the District.

When she was told by the time moderator that she was at 6 minutes, her reply was she worked 2 hours on her speech and it needed to be said. What? Can she not count to 180 seconds then figure out how to get her point across in that time period with two hours to prepare? Hey, its called an egg-timer and it works real well to keep you on track. But, was getting a point across to our School Board really the objective? Or was it all just grandstanding for the crowd and hoping for a quote in one of the local papers?

Then, we have to take a look at Tom’s big beef with our School Board. His comments at the meeting and in the Mailbag letter criticized our School Board’s decision to not base the budget on a Tax Collection rate of 97%. He was quoted at the meeting as saying, “For five years, the district has been capturing over 97 percent of its taxes.”

But, just how much of a twisting of the facts was that by Tom?

The reality is 5 out of the last 6 years our School District realized an over 97% Tax Collection rate. For some reason Tom choose to ignore completely the fact that the Tax Collection Rate over the last 10 years has swung with some wide variance. It has gone from as high as 97.63% to as low as 91.35%. The average of these two numbers gives us a Tax Collection Rate of 94.49%. The average Tax Collection Rate over the last 10 years has been 95.33%.

Gee I wonder why our School Board smartly chose to use a more conservative 95% Tax Collection Rate rather than a short-sighted 97% Tax Collection Rate?

When I look at the facts I am compelled to ask one question … Where’s the beef Tom?

But, more importantly why did Tom who is such a critic of our School Board choose to ignore the facts regarding the other 5 years of lesser Tax Collection Rates? What is he trying to hide from his supporters? Why was he clearly twisting the facts to fit his short-sighted criticism of our School Board?

Then, Tom tries to take his show on the road with his letter in the Webster-Kirkwood Times. But, here again he plays his same tired set of cards. I can only suspect that they are Tarot cards since somehow Tom has gotten the ability to tell us the future. He says,

“By the time this letter is printed, the Kirkwood School Board will have most likely voted in the same blended tax rate as was used last year. When the more realistic collection rate of 97 percent is realized, Kirkwood will collect $1.5 million more in property taxes than was stated as needed this year on the tax rate hearing notice.”

Tom actually missed the mark since the School Board raised the blended rate by a whopping 0.0024 cents. Plus, I have to ask is it really a given that it is a “When” much less “realistic” that the “collection of 97 percent” will be “realized” based on the facts in the presentation given at the meeting? The reality is Tom does not know what the Tax Collection Rate will be, neither do I and neither does our School Board. Yet, it seems clear Tom thinks he has all the answers.

Finally, I do not have a problem with folks asking tough questions of our elected leaders. Or people speaking out with a point of view. But, I take issue when someone wants to accuse our elected leaders like the Haenni’s have our School Board for allegedly not being forthright with the facts, but then do the very thing they are accusing others of doing.

The Haenni’s arguments fall on deaf ears when they so blatantly twist the facts and act like they did at and since this last School Board meeting.

I hope the Haenni’s will appreciate this critique of their comments and actions, especially since they seem ready, willing and able to hand criticism out by the shovels full to our elected School Board members.

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August 29, 2008 Poll Question

In the last 5 years what has been the best raise - increase in base pay (excludes bonuses, promotions, options etc.) - you have gotten from the same employer for the same position?

With this latest poll I am just trying to get an idea of what folks in our community who work salaried or hourly jobs get for raises. Please do not include one-time bonuses or stock options or promotions or other incentives. I am looking for how much was the biggest increase in your base salary or hourly wage in the last 5 years for the same job. If you are retired then, what was the biggest raise you received in the last 5 years before you retired for the same job?

This poll will close on September 19th.

As with all my polls they are not scientific. I am just trying to get an idea of what is going on in the lives of the blog’s readers. Thanks for voting.

When will “SH” come forward and stand behind their statement?

This last Monday August 25th I attended my very first Kirkwood Board of Education meeting. Having no munchkins at all yet or any other family attending a school in the district, I have not seen a need to attend these meetings. I do glance over the updates the Board prints and sends out. The standardized testing scores the students get seem to be good. I do not hear complaints from my friends and neighbors that do have kids in the district’s schools. So, like most folks I leave the issues in the hands of the folks we elected to serve us and our community’s students – the Board of Education.

Before I go any further I want readers to know I do bring a unique perspective to School Board issues, since I was raised by my mother who is now a retired teacher. I have first-hand experiences of what it takes to be a dedicated elementary school teacher as I watched my mother’s career of 27 years. I have been a part of the struggles and the rewards. It is incredible to be out with her and people will recognize her, then go on and on about what an impact she had on their life as their teacher. Not only does my Mama get the “big head” about it, but I do too! Hey that’s my Mama! She kicked butt and took names as a teacher. Just ask her … or … me for that matter! (wink)

On Monday I came to my first meeting to see what would be said and not said by those attending. My interest had been peaked by an anonymous and of course pathetic comment that was made in a June 9th Kmail. Supposedly, some resident identified by Keith Williams as “SH” said:

“I trust none of them. They are snakes who present information w/ their own spin on it. Then they act like people who call them out on it are the enemy. I am not the enemy. I just want fairness and reasonableness. As long as people have a myopic view that those running our schools can do no wrong, we're hopelessly screwed!”

Yet, that night no one came up to the podium and uttered this quote. As I have said before on this issue, “SH” is clearly a person that is devoid of the quality of character to publicly address our elected school board members, look them in the eye, make this statement and stand by it. So, this person slithers over to Keith, hides behind Kmail, so they together can make their political attacks with anonymity. So, who are the real snakes in this instance?

This kind of a statement by “SH” makes me question just how much this person wants “fairness” or “reasonableness.” They are definitely providing neither. Their lack of corresponding action does not match their anonymous run-off-of-the-mouth.

Like all too many of the “Alleged Disenfranchised” in this community “SH” is – All Bluster, All Slam, All Hype.

When will “SH” come forward and stand behind their statement?

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That's my take thus far! What's yours? Click on the "Comments" link below and share you take on the issue.

What’s next for Kmail?

It has been over a week since the election and according to my Kmail sources they have not received a new Kmail dispatch. There is nothing but silence from Kmail? What is up with Keith? What’s next for Kmail?

This is an interesting question since Keith sent out a last ditch attempt to go after Paul Ward in a 07/29/08 Kmail. There were various (using Keith’s own words) “nauseating” and “nefarious” accusations made in that Kmail against Paul. But, in true Keith fashion he did not hold all the candidates to the same standard after he had sharpened his political dagger and took some swipes at Paul. It is safe to say Keith showed how Kmail was not interested in all the facts about all the candidates running in this election, just the one he wanted to attack. He was simply going after Paul full-throttle right before the election. It was such an act of desperation, even more so than his lambasting of Tim Griffin in April of this year.

The most basic way Kmail showed its true colors in this attack email was Keith’s tired line that Paul was not on the list of “qualified candidates.” Hello Keith, 100 or more Kirkwood voters signed a petition to put Paul’s name on a ballot in accordance with our City Charter. That is qualified in the real world! In addition, the St. Louis County Board of Election verified those names as registered voters and placed Paul’s name on the election ballot. That is qualified in the real world! Finally, unlike his other two opponents, Paul was previously elected by Kirkwood voters and served our community for 4 years on our City Council. That is … more qualified … in the real world!

In Keith’s Kmail Kirkwood the decision of actual voters in our community does not matter. According to Keith's declaration voters in Kirkwood do not know how to choose a “qualified candidate.” Only Kmail speaks for voters in our community in Keith’s world. Fortunately, not many in Kirkwood live in Keith’s world.

As readers of this blog have already seen Keith really does not live in the real world at all.

Keith’s past off-base election predictions were debunked in:
The Coming Prognostications of Kmail

The mystery of Kmail was cleared up in:
There Is No Mystery In Kirkwood About Kmail

Kmail’s “fabrication business” was dealt with in:
Can you give me a number between 1 and 10, Keith?

I hope with this posting Donkeith Corleowilliams will soon come to understand that just because Paul, Tim or any other candidate chooses to not take him up on his “offer they can not refuse” and decides to not submit to using Kmail, does not mean they are not a “qualified candidate” in our community. This is the second time Keith has tried to use this tactic. Thus, this is the second time the Kmail “unqualified candidate” has won and done so overwhelmingly in our community.

Will we see the same shameless candidate shake-down from Kmail in 2010?

We do not know, but Keith’s candidate Bob Sears (typo corrected from original post) is planning on being on the ballot. Bob declared his candidacy in the Kirkwood-Webster Journal's Letters to the Editor yesterday.

Wow ... so how far will Kmail go to prop up Bob Sears in 2010? What’s next for Kmail?

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That's my take on the issue. What's yours? If you have your own take on this issue, then do not back down now! Click on the Comments link below and share your thoughts! Thanks in advance.

Questions for the Editors of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Dear Ms. Mannies and the Editors of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

I recently read at stltoday the following article:

"08.07.2008 7:23 pm
Eagleton: Dems oppose his request for recount
By Jo Mannies
Steve Eagleton, the Kirkwood lawyer/developer seeking the 15th District state Senate seat, says that the state Senate Democratic leadership has told him not to go ahead with his request for a recount. …"

Could any of you please tell me who says Mr. Steve Eagleton is a "lawyer?" Does he say he is a "lawyer?" Or does just the press say he is a "lawyer?"

I have been trying to figure out how journalists, professionally trained in fact-finding and fact-checking, continue to place this title onto Mr. Eagleton when he is not a member of the Missouri Bar. So, just how does Mr. Eagleton fit the definition of a "lawyer" when he is not authorized to practice law in Missouri?

This brings me to my next set of questions for the editors.

Why do you journalist folks at the Post-Dispatch just not have the ability to get the facts straight in the community of Kirkwood? Especially since it seems like you continue to show you have no clue about the members of "Kirkwood Citizens Coming Together for a Bright Future" (KCCTBF), which includes its co-chair Mr. Eagleton.

Who can forget your editorial entitled, "A Long Time Healing" from March 3, 2008? Have any of you been able to find a KCCTBF candidate at either of the two city elections in our community since you wrote that drivel?

Ever going to clean up the mess you helped create with that editorial or are you going to continue to ignore the facts regarding the members of KCCTBF and further "A Long Time Healing" in Kirkwood?

Just Wondering,

Joe Toenjes

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What is your take on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's issue with presenting the facts. Take a moment, click on the Comments link below and share you point of view.

Can you give me a number between 1 and 10, Keith?

On July 31, 2008 Kmail sent out another classic missive of misdirection that need to be addressed, on oh so many levels. I will be dealing with a variety of issues from this email in the near future.

But, I want to deal with his statement about me in the email with this posting. He wrote,

“And then we have an unsolicited note from a Joe Kirkwood.”…
“He is not a Kmail subscriber …”

Is this anywhere near reality in Kirkwood?

I have been told, but do not know this for a fact, that Mr. Williams’ career was running “some sort of fabrication business.” I do not know if this is true or not.

But, what I do know … without question … is that Kmail is in the “fabrication business.”

Yes, Mr. Williams via Kmail says I am “not a Kmail subscriber.”

So, how many times does a Kirkwoodian have to request to be added to Kmail, before Mr. Williams actually adds them?

I mean Keith presents Kmail as a …

“community service … offered free of charge” …

“This is a community service Kmail is very proud to provide for the betterment and education of us all.” …

a "100% Kirkwood" … newsletter.

I, therefore, have to ask about the number of times a Kirkwoodian needs to request to be added to Kmail …

Can you give me a number between 1 and 10, Keith?

I mean really my last name is pronounced “Ten – Yes.” So, can we not keep it within a reasonable number?

As you know I am already somewhere between 4 to 6 times requesting you add me to Kmail. How much more do I have to go?

If you can not, then … please, let’s be forthright with your Kmail readers if you do not mind, Keith.

The reality in Kirkwood does not come close to the idea that I am “not a Kmail subscriber.” That is a grand figment of your imagination you wish to perpetrate on the readers of Kmail.

The reality in Kirkwood is that you have refused to add me to Kmail. You and only you.

You chose to exclude a fellow Kirkwoodian from receiving your alleged “community service … offered free of charge.” You chose to not provide this Kirkwoodian with your supposed service for the “betterment and education of us all.” You chose to go out of your way to keep Kmail from being “100% Kirkwood.”

Fess Up … Keith.

Kmail is Keith Mail … nothing more and nothing less.

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Just how far are they going to go?

Sorry, it has been a few weeks since I have made a posting.

First, I was on vacation. Plus, I have been waiting for a few phone calls I had made to be returned. In addition, I was waiting to hear or read something about Michael’s City Council campaign platform.

That way I could get some questions answered.

What was Michael Moore going to rehash from his Mayoral campaign? What new load of ridiculousness might he try to dump on our community with his City Council campaign?

In addition, would we see Franklin McCallie publicly throw his full support behind Michael’s City Council campaign? Franklin had said in an email to me that he was supporting Michael’s City Council candidacy back in May or June.

But, readers of this blog know a lot more about Michael than we did back then. Is Franklin really willing to give his full public support to Michael … the self-proclaimed “Ombudsman” … of who knows what in our community? (See the posting: He is Ombudsman of what?)

Would Franklin really support Michael who clearly abused our copyright protected City logo for his own personal political agenda? (See the posting: The Arrogance Is Unbelievable …)

There continues to be serious questions about Michael Moore and what he has tried to pull in our community. Questions that Michael has thus far failed to give an answer for.

So, I have been waiting to see …

Just how far are they going to go?
Just how far is Michael going to go?
Just how far is Franklin going to go?

Well we now have the Journal’s two articles and the Times’ one article on the 3 candidates to review. Now we can see what Michael wants to rehash. Now we can see the new load of … boy what can you really call it? … bovine dung? … Michael is ready to dump on Kirkwood.

Michael’s latest grand proclamations bring up even more serious questions about his various campaigns and organizations he is a part of in our community.

Let’s first deal with “Advocates 4 Joseph” the group Michael started while a citizen of Creve Couer. Michael used the founding of this organization in his Mayoral campaign and continues to hype it with his City Council campaign. In the Kirkwood-Webster Journal from their July 16, 2008 article we read,

Moore said he has been active in Kirkwood since 2005. His non-profit organization "Advocates for Joseph,” provides programs for children in Meacham Park.

This is very interesting, since according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s filings, the “non-profit” corporation was formed in August 22, 2005 “to hold fundraisers + raise money for the family of Joseph Long.” No mention of “programs for children in Meacham Park” can be found in this or any other subsequent filings with the State. Hmmm?

In addition, Michael has shown exactly how much he truly “cares” about “Advocates 4 Joseph.” While he is hyping it up in the newspapers for his Mayoral and his City Council campaigns, he has let it be “administratively dissolved” under Missouri law twice since its inception. Not even a full three years old and it has been dissolved twice! The “care” is overwhelming! In fact, “Advocates 4 Joseph” has remained “administratively dissolved” since December of 2007. So, just how are “programs for children in Meacham Park” being provided by “Advocates 4 Joseph” when it can no longer function as a corporation in the State of Missouri?

How many more games are being played by Mr. Moore?

Well let’s see there is this statement from the Webster-Kirkwood Times article from July 25, 2008:

“What I stand for is human rights,” Moore said. “Everyone should be treated equally under the law ... and equality only comes by changing laws.”

It is interesting that Michael makes himself out to be this grand “civil rights” and “human rights” activist in Kirkwood. Yet, what has he really ever done on the issue? What is his track record on the issue of “civil rights” and “human rights?”

I find it interesting how Michael since 2005 has made the City of Kirkwood and especially its Human Rights Advisory and Awareness Commission a target for protest. He is constantly making statements like this one in the Webster-Kirkwood Times from July 25, 2008 article,

“We talk about all the issues except the 800-pound gorilla in the room. No one wants to talk about racism.”

In his talk about “racism” Michael has made numerous complaints and accusations against the Human Rights Advisory and Awareness Commission. His group “Committee for Unity” wants to totally change the Human Rights Advisory and Awareness Commission in Kirkwood.

Yet, in my research I have not been able to find a single instance of Michael standing up for “civil rights” or “human rights” in his own community when he was a citizen of Creve Couer. I have asked several key present and former City Officials in Creve Couer if they had ever had complaints regarding “civil rights” or “human rights” from a citizen named Michael Moore going back to 2005. They all said they could not remember any kind of complaints from a Michael Moore. In addition, none of them even knew a Creve Couer citizen named Michael Moore. This is incredibly interesting since the City of Creve Couer does not even have a Human Rights Advisory and Awareness Commission.

So, what kind of game is Michael playing in Kirkwood?

What kept Michael from talking about “racism” in Creve Couer when he was a resident? Are we to believe Creve Couer is some sort of “civil rights” and “human rights” utopia in Michael’s eyes, since these same eyes seem so keen to see a “800-pound gorilla” in Kirkwood?


As a citizen of Creve Couer Michael is going to come to Kirkwood to complain about and ultimately try to change our Human Rights Advisory and Awareness Commission, but never say a word about the fact that Creve Couer does not even have a Human Rights Advisory and Awareness Commission? Then, to add insult to injury Michael wants to proclaim in Kirkwood, “What I stand for is human rights.”

What a farce! What a sick and sad joke being perpetrated in our community by Mr. Moore.

Now that I have seen how far Michael has been willing to go …

the only question left is …

Just how far is Franklin going to go?

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Now is your chance to add your thoughts on this issue. Please click on the “Comments” link below and comment away.

I'm back ... and I'm ready for action!

Hello folks … it has been a few weeks since I have made a posting here … unfortunately it has been just a little too busy.

I had a nice little vacation in Florida for better than a week. It was a nice relaxing time. But, I had a lot to catch up on when I got back to our lovely hamlet.

And boy the last two weeks have been interesting read in the papers, especially the latest articles and letters to the editor concerning our 3 candidates for City Council.

I will be getting out a few postings before election day … which I will remind everyone is August 5th! Yes, Tuesday, August 5th is your chance to select the best candidate to serve our community.

Also, I will remind folks this person will have the opportunity to serve our community for the next decade! Yes, decade. Whoever wins this election will complete the nearly two years left on Connie Karr’s unexpired term. Then, they would be eligible to be elected for the standard two consecutive 4-year terms spelled out in our City Charter.

So, this is a very important election. We as a community need to elect the candidate that has proven their leadership and has worked hard in our community.

There Is No Mystery In Kirkwood About Kmail

Keith Williams and Kmail have struck again. Below is a portion of the latest diatribe from Keith:

Kirkwood Mystery # 2 (a lot easier to solve)

Kirkwood has Connie Karr's unexpired City Council seat up for election August 5. Kmail has written all three candidates via snail mail and email asking each candidate to send statements that our readers could digest and for all of Kirkwood to consider.

This community service is offered free of charge..., costs the candidate nothing but a little of his time....no stamps...no paid newspaper advertisements ....no expensive yard signs, no printing costs ... free ...... This is a community service Kmail is very proud to provide for the betterment and education of us all. The replies we have received so far are terrific and are very well articulated.

Recently we requested a follow-up statement from each candidate that we could present to you prior to the Election. Now here is the mystery...Two of the three candidates have offered materials both times we asked, but the only word we have received from the third candidate is a snail mail plea for a donation that was sent to my wife, a list of his supporters and a smiling picture of him with a flag in the background. Has Kmail gone wrong in requesting his comments? Why can't we get a response? What do we do next?

Kmail is going to hold up printing the second round of statements in the hope we can entice this one recalcitrant candidate to join in the fun. We sincerely hope that he does. The way I see it he has everything to gain and nothing to lose but your vote. We've done all we can so we will wait and see what transpires in the next few days. In the meantime, you front runners, please feel free to revise your excellent efforts recently submitted to Kmail. We will print what you offered or revise it as you wish. We thank you for your carefully submitted blurbs, we wish you well in your quest to better Kirkwood .

Keith Williams for Kirkwood and Kmail


You just got to love Keith’s newest attempt to bully yet another City Council candidate. I recently wrote a posting on Keith and his off the wall election proclamations in past Kmails. See the June 23rd posting entitled, The Coming Prognostications of Kmail.

How does Keith intend to further his election shake down in our community?

I mean he really pulls out all the smoke and mirrors in this Kmail. He proclaims that he wants statements from all 3 City Council candidates so his Kmail “readers could digest and for all of Kirkwood to consider.” Just when did Kmail reach all the 10,000 or so households in Kirkwood, Keith? Keith … your delusions are growing!

Then Keith really pours on the snake oil salesman pitch when he tries to present Kmail as a “community service … offered free of charge.” Yet, readers of this blog know that Keith has gone out of his way to exclude fellow Kirkwoodians from Kmail. You can be assured if you dare to challenge any of Keith’s all too often warped declarations you are going to be cut out of his “community service” of Kmail.

Keith then goes on to say Kmail “costs the candidate nothing but a little of his time.” But there needs to be a VERY HUGE disclaimer here. Because if you do not bow down and pay homage to Donkeith Corleowilliams and the Kmail family he is the Godfather of, then you just will not know what can show up in your bed politically the next morning. Keith’s Kmail offer is always one you can not refuse.

But, it only gets better. He goes on to say, "This is a community service Kmail is very proud to provide for the betterment and education of us all."

Kmail = Betterment and Education in our community. When?

Oh wait … Yes … the community was so bettered and so educated in a recent Kmail where our entire school board was blasted by “SH.” In a June 9th Kmail, “SH” said:

“I trust none of them. They are snakes who present information w/ their own spin on it. Then they act like people who call them out on it are the enemy. I am not the enemy. I just want fairness and reasonableness. As long as people have a myopic view that those running our schools can do no wrong, we're hopelessly screwed!”

“SH” is clearly a person that is devoid of the quality of character to publicly address our elected school board members, look them in the eye, make this statement and stand by it. So, this person slithers over to Keith, hides behind Kmail, so they together can make their political attacks with anonymity. So, who are the real snakes in this instance?

There Is No Mystery In Kirkwood About Kmail

Keith shows his and Kmail’s true colors with garbage like this. One on hand he spins himself and Kmail as a grand community service just trying to help our community's elected leaders. But, with the other hand he holds a club behind his back in which he is ready, willing and able to beat our elected leaders with whenever Keith concludes they have not held up his Kmail Party line.

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Now is your opportunity to give your take on Kmail. But, remember I do not post unsigned comments to my blog postings. If you can not publicly stand by it, then that is a good indication you should not say it. But, please hit the “Comments” link below and share your thoughts.

The Tale of Two Newspapers

The last two editions of the Webster-Kirkwood Times have shown just how out of touch with reality their editors really are with the community of Kirkwood. It is interesting how certain rules apply or do not apply for Kirkwood when it comes to Mailbag letters.

In the June 27th edition you had two Mailbag letters dealing with the community of Kirkwood.

The first was from Jen Hendricks on the issue of curbside recycling. Ms. Hendricks incorrectly asked why we did not have curbside recycling? Yet, we have had curbside recycling available to us since 1997 from a private hauler, Earth Circle Recycling. The Times’ editors should have known this was the case since they just got paid by City Hall for an “Eye On Kirkwood” full-page ad in the May 30th edition. In that ad the curbside recycling service was mentioned. Yet, no editors note clarifying the issue was placed with the Mailbag letter. This makes one wonder why the editors failed to place a note on this letter, when they have done this on other issues in other communities in the past.

In fact, in this past week’s edition we have a totally different story with Mr. Greg Marecek’s letter about signage for the Dairy Queen in Webster Groves. When Mr. Marecek incorrectly complained that the City if Webster Groves denied DQ a letter sign while allowing Flowerama to have a letter sign, there was an editors note. It seems Flowerama is in Shrewsbury and not Webster Groves, so the editors noted it.

This makes one wonder why the editors of the Times are just so keen on clarifying issues in Webster Groves and other communities, but do not seem to care about properly informing folks in Kirkwood on an issue? Could it be that the editorial bent of Mr. Bitikofer and Mr. Corrigan keeps them more interested in creating controversy in Kirkwood than being a news organization in our community?

No … come on Joe that just can not be the case … right? The Times does not have a bent. Remember Joe … Don “Scoop” Corrigan declares he has … “No Dog In That Fight.”

Well then there is the second Mailbag letter from the June 27th edition about the community of Kirkwood. It was some bizarre diatribe of nonsense from City Council candidate Michael Moore. What is interesting is that it was a 337-word long Mailbag letter. This is very interesting that Mr. Moore would be given the opportunity to have a letter of his printed just one week and one month away from an election. Will the Times’ be printing for the rest of the Kirkwood City Council candidates a 337-word letter before August 5th? Will they be doing that for each and every City Council candidate in all the other communities the Times serves during every election season? Or was this just a Times’ Kirkwood special?

The reason why I ask these questions is because when I read this past week’s edition, it clearly says in the upper-right hand corner of the page 6 Mailbag that letters need to be limited to 300 words. In fact, I have been denied printing of my letter submissions in the past by Times editors for being over their 300-word limit. In addition, I know other Kirkwood citizens who have been denied the printing of their letters because it was over the 300-word limit. Yet, Mr. Moore gets his nonsense printed in violation of their rules?

So, editors of the Times why two different double standards? Why the Tale of Two Newspapers?

Since there is a very prevalent bent from Mr. Bitikofer and Mr. Corrigan. Plus, they really do not seem to care about what our City Staff puts in the “Eye On Kirkwood.” Is their any good reason why our City tax dollars should be wasted with paying for any more ad space in their newspaper? It is clear with each edition that the Times has a hard time living up to being the self-proclaimed “Your Hometown Newspaper” in our community.

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How do you weigh in on this issue? Hit the “Comments” link below and give us your thoughts.

The Coming Prognostications of Kmail

With a new election season soon upon us in Kirkwood, a certain group of Kirkwoodians will be receiving Kmail election prognostications. The author of Kmail is Keith P. Williams Sr. Keith has a select group of Kirkwoodians he sends his emails to regarding various issues in our community. Keith has refused to allow me to receive his emails directly ever since I dared to question his grand proclamations from on high during the Prop C vote in 2007. Yet, several folks that receive his Kmails forward them on to me for a good chuckle.

Keith’s election prognostication Kmails are always a humorous read. It is especially funny to review them after the election happens. His previous two election prognostications have been so far from reality it is almost hillarious, if it were not so sad. I do not know ...

who makes more outrageous claims in our community …

Keith Williams? … or … Michael Moore?

Keith Williams and how he supposedly speaks for all of Kirkwood with Kmail? Michael Moore and his title of Ombudsman with his alleged Human Rights crusade in Kirkwood? It is a real toss up!

Keith really has a good shot at the top spot though. Take for example his first election prognostication about the Prop C – Property Tax Vote in June 2007.

Keith was rambling on in email after email trying everything he could to defeat the Prop C proposal. It was one excuse after another. Keith finally settled on showing how ignorant or clueless he was about our City’s budget reserves. He tried to paint the reserves as some sort of slush fund and how those funds should be used to bring City employee salaries in line instead of solidifying our community’s financial structure with Prop C. Keith either chose to ignore the realities of how that budget reserve needs to be used by our electric department through 2011 or he was just totally clueless about the facts. Since he never seems to go to City Council meetings or any City Board meetings that I know of, I can only suspect it was an issue of cluelessness. But, it was clear he was feverishly trying to defeat Prop C.

This brought on his totally over the top forecast. He supposedly had Kmail readers who in Keith’s world represent his real Kirkwood do a poll on Prop C. Here are Keith’s comments from his May 4, 2007 Kmail:

“Whoa ! Little did I realize how many DIFFERENT reasons people have for voting no on the upcomming Kirkwood Property Tax increase proposal on June 5th. Nor did I expect to get so many replies to the K-poll in only four or five hours after sending out the Kmail. The replies are still pouring in and I am not prepared to handle them as I anticipated. The long and short is that NO is winning over YES by about 4 to one. There are more "no opinions" than YES votes.”

Prop C is going to be defeated 4-to-1. When I read this I just chuckled for a good long while. The K-Fair Ward Proposal was only defeated 3.2-to-1. There was no way Prop C was going down harder than K-Fair’s mess. The response supporters of Prop C were getting from Kirkwood voters while canvassing around the community was too positive for it to get so badly defeated, if defeated at all.

The elections results on June 6, 2007 were YES – 2,280 and NO – 1,583. That is a 1.4-to-1 victory in Kirkwood. It is not the 4-to-1 defeat predicted in Keith’s Kmail Kirkwood.

The next set of election prognostications came in April of this year. Keith once again did a Kmail reader’s poll over who would be our next City Council members. But, prior to the poll Keith went after City Council candidate Tim Griffin for not subscribing to Kmail. Yes, in Keith’s mind if you do not subscribe to Kmail you are not worthy to be a City Council member. (Yet, he refuses to add me to the Kmail list. It is bizarre and boggling.) He even went so far as to keep Tim’s name off the list of “qualified” candidates for the Kmail poll (March 25, 2008 Kmail). What a fair and open poll Keith was running in his own little world! Here is what Keith sent out on April 7, 2008, just a day before the election:

“The K Poll final results as follows: The percentages are calculated on the total number of VOTES cast. (Some cast votes for only one or two candidates instead of voting for 3)

Grand Total

Gina Jaksetic 23%
Craig Conway 22%
Gary Reim 20%
Gerry Biedenstein 18%
Dan Kertz 11%
Tim Griffin 6% “

These poll results are just too foolish to take seriously. The reality in Kirkwood is that after all his years of service to this community there was no way that Tim Griffin was going to be defeated by the entire field of candidates. Especially, not after the way he stepped up to the plate following the February 7th tragedy to lead our community as Deputy Mayor. Plus, there was just no way Tim would be defeated 3-to-1 by four different candidates. If you know past election results in Kirkwood, you know City Council elections do not have very many 2-to-1 defeats, much less multiple 3-to-1 defeats of a sitting City Council member.

The April 8th City Council election results in order of votes received were as follows:
Tim Griffin 3525
Gerry Biedenstein 3189
Gina Jaksetic 2858
Craig Conway 2564
Gary Reim 2524
Dan Kertz 1768

The reality was the Kmail’s bottom candidate was actually the top candidate in our community. Obviously, Keith and his poll results live in their own Kmail world.

So, what will be Keith’s new Kmail election prognostications with the upcoming August 5th special election? What grand forecasts, proclamations and predictions will be made by Keith in the name of Kmail and Kirkwood?

No one really knows.

But I suspect we will still be asking the question …

who makes more outrageous claims in our community …

Keith Williams? … or … Michael Moore?

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Now is your chance to respond to this posting. Come on now don't be shy. Click on the "Comments" link below and share your opinion.

He is Ombudsman of what?

Since, my last posting our City’s logo is no longer being misused and abused by Michael Moore, William Thayer and the rest of the Committee for Unity. When I checked their web site Friday morning they had finally removed our City logo from their various pages.

But, what other issues are there with the information presented by Michael Moore and William Thayer on their web site.

Take a look at: http://www.stlcc.us/mmcco.htm

I am not quite sure if this page is a Michael Moore City Council campaign page or a Committee for Unity page. It is not easy to distinguish between the two with what I read. This is not the only thing hard to distinguish the difference between. I am trying to separate … fact from fiction.

The title of the page reads, “Michael Moore: Ombudsman For Kirkwood City Councilman”

I read it again … “Ombudsman.”

Just in case folks are not familiar with the term, Dictionary.com gives the following definitions for ombudsman: “a government official who hears and investigates complaints by private citizens against other officials or government agencies. “ or “a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and an employer or between students and a university.” A simple explanation is … it is an official title of someone who acts as a mediator for two parties.

So, I start thinking about the term. If he is an “Ombudsman For Kirkwood City Councilman,”
then questions just start rolling …

He is Ombudsman of what? … Why is he Ombudsman? … He is Ombudsman for whom? … He is Ombudsman for where? … How is he Ombudsman? … He is Ombudsman for what? … When is he Ombudsman?

I have never seen Michael act in this capacity in our community. But, maybe I missed something?

Someone gave him this official title … right … so what is it all about? What two dissimilar or at times opposing parties selected him to be an official Ombudsman? There are just tons of unanswered questions.

But, what is not in question is the fact that he is using this official title as part of his City Council campaign on a page that also talks about his political group Committee for Unity which is supposedly focused on “Human Rights” in Kirkwood.

I am hoping Mr. Moore can clarify just what all this title of “Ombudsman” he supposedly has completely entails?

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If you have any thoughts on this issue please click on the "Comments" link below and share those thoughts.

The Arrogance Is Unbelievable …

Today I got onto City Council candidate Michael Moore’s website to find out more about his campaign platform. His site can be found at www.stlcc.us.

I click on the link FIRST HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELATIONS MEETING (url: http://www.stlcc.us/hrinfopg1.htm) under Michael’s picture. It takes me to a page advertising a meeting of Michael’s group “Committee for Unity.” So, I click on the Committee for Unity (url: http://www.stlcc.us/cu.htm) link and come to a web page with the City of Kirkwood’s logo on it.

What!?!?!

What is the logo of the City of Kirkwood doing on the main page of Michael’s political group “Committee for Unity?” Who gave Michael the right to use our community’s City logo for his own personal political agenda?

This has to be a fluke … right? No one would have the insolence to attempt to legitimize their personal political campaign by misusing the copyrighted logo of our City government?

So, I start clicking on the other links on “Committee for Unity’s” page.

Here are the other pages misusing our City’s logo:
http://www.stlcc.us/khraac.htm
http://www.stlcc.us/khraacweb.html
http://www.stlcc.us/hrissues.htm
http://www.stlcc.us/komplaintform.htm

How much more misleading can you get with what is being perpetrated on these pages? I am just shocked by this outright abuse of our City logo for a personal political agenda. This has to be either ignorance or arrogance to have gone this far. The answer to this question becomes clear as I read this statement at the top of each of these pages:

“An Initiative Charter Petition and a Human Rights Initiative are in construction and moving to completion by the Committee for Unity (CU) now. CU is also making some additional proposed changes in related areas of Kirkwood Human Rights Advisory And Awareness Commission and Kirkwood Human Rights and Relations including Web pages like this one to let Kirkwood citizens know how much the community wants and cares for each individual.”

I am just amazed at the gall of this statement given their actions. So, I have to find out who makes up the “Committee for Unity.” Well, according to the “Committee for Unity” main page their members are:

Michael Moore, Carl Jones Jr., Michele Jones, Elswerth Caviness, Lloyd Jones, Charles Howard, Charles Runnel, Yvette Howard, Share Thomas, Sharon Thomas, William Thayer, Reese E. Forbes, Christina OHallaron, Elaine Thayer and Lucy Thayer. Nonresident associates: Pastor Larry Addison, Ken Gordon, Grant A. Godwin, Cindy Neu, David Breeden, Karen Kalish and Arthur Grunmann.

Where do the members of “Committee for Unity” get the idea they can misuse and in this case abuse our City logo that belongs to all of us? Do these folks even have a clue about political campaign ethics? Much less any idea about what the term copyright or trademark means?

Yet, these folks have taken upon themselves to write and draft a new law to replace our present Human Rights Commission ordinance in our community?

Give me a break ... The Arrogance Is Unbelievable … but this is only the beginning with Michael Moore, William Thayer and the rest of the “Committee for Unity.”

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If you are displeased with this abuse of our City logo by the “Committee for Unity” then please contact our Chief Administrative Officer Mike Brown at 822-5806 or brownmg@kirkwoodmo.org to let him know your thoughts. He ultimately has the task of protecting our community and its property from these kind of abuses.

If you have any thoughts on this posting, then please feel free to click on the "Comments" link below.

June Poll: Is the Kirkwood City Council Partisan or Nonpartisan?

St. Louis Magazine in their May print edition carried one part of a 4-part article on the different aspects of the February 7th tragedy. The other three parts of the article were available in the on-line edition. I sent and email to the editors of St. Louis Magazine which became a blog posting on the incredibly poor job of reporting done in the two main parts of the 4-part article. That posting made on May 6th was entitled St. Biased … oops I mean … St. Louis Magazine's “The Kirkwood Shootings” Article. I have yet to receive a response from the author Ms. Jeanette Cooperman or her two editors Mr. Stephen Schenkenberg and Mr. Matthew Halverson.

... We interrupt this broadcast for an important message …

Is it not interesting how journalists are consistently writing articles and editorials trying to “right” some kind of “wrong” or bring some kind of “issue to light” and vehemently defend their actions as “free speech,” but somehow become incredibly quiet when they so miserably create the “wrong” themselves? Why do journalists seem to lack the ability to bring the “issue to light” when they blow it with an article or editorial? Why do they fail to “right” the “wrong” they created by equally exercising their “free speech” rights?

... Now back to your regularly scheduled program …

In Ms. Cooperman’s article she wrote this charge against our community from an unknown source …

"'Do they realize Kirkwood’s the only city in America where you can be mayor without an election? It’s a power grab,' a Democrat insists, pointing out that Karr was the only Democrat on a supposedly nonpartisan council."

Yes, the reporters and editors of St. Louis Magazine want their readers to believe we do not have other Democrats on our City Council. These professional journalists want their readers to believe we have a partisan City Council in Kirkwood. They obviously exercised their trained and professional fact-checking skills before they printed that statement. Right? (wink)

So, in June’s Poll I ask you two questions:

When it comes to national political party affiliation – Republican, Democrat, etc. – do you think Kirkwood’s City Council is … partisan – drawn by part lines … or … nonpartisan – not drawn by party lines … or … do you not know?

When you vote for someone running for City Council what is the most important factor in your decision? The options are … Their national party affiliation – Republican, Democrat, etc. … or … Their public record of who they are what they have done in our community … or … Their picture on their campaign materials … or … Some other factor.

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As always if you feel the need to make comment on this posting, then click the “Comments” link and have at it!

Results May Poll: Curbside Recycling in Kirkwood

First, I want to say thanks to all of you that participated in this first poll.

The results were a bit surprising. Now I know this was not a scientific poll that used any form of analytical sampling. But, the results do point out some issues about curbside recycling in the community.

I found it interesting that the results for Q1 were almost equally split between whether or not there is “curbside recycling” available in Kirkwood.

The answer is – Yes … there is “curbside recycling” available in Kirkwood. A private hauler, Earth Circle, offers this service. In fact, Earth Circle has been providing this service in Kirkwood since 1997. The fee is only $50 every 6 months for a once a week pickup. For more information about Earth Circle's service see the link “Kirkwood Curbside Recycling” on the left under “useful area links.”

The most telling results were from Q2 on the appeal of “curbside recycling.” The poll mirrored the results of the 2004 election when “curbside recycling” was placed before us to vote on. By a 2-to-1 majority those that took the poll said “curbside recycling” did not appeal to them. The folks that took the poll said they already used our recyclery.

I am sure we are not done discussing the subject of “curbside recycling” in Kirkwood. But, it seems clear to me that we presently have the best of both worlds. Folks that care enough to recycle take advantage of our free recyclery without having to pay extra for a mandatory curbside service. Yet, for those that want a curbside service, they can get one for a very reasonable rate.

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If you would like to share your thoughts on the poll or the subject of curbside recycling, please click on the "Comments" link below.

So, Just How Are These Folks Reportedly the "Bright Future"...

In late February and into March a group of citizens calling themselves, “Kirkwood Citizens Coming Together for a Brighter Future” (KCCTBF) were protesting and demanding a delay of the April 8th election. These folks were supposedly outraged how Council member Connie Karr’s name was taken off of the April Mayoral ballot after her death in the February 7th shooting at City Hall. The accusations and claims made against our elected leaders and other city officials by members of KCCTBF were outrageous and insulting. Our local, regional and even national press scooped up this story in Kirkwood and ran with it.

The local press like the Webster-Kirkwood Times with their customary one-sided articles on controversial issues got these folks claims out to the public in their February 22, 2008 article “Kirkwood Group Urges Delay Of April Municipal Election” by Kevin Murphy. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s entire editorial staff chimed in with these folks’ demands in their jaded editorial from March 3, 2008 entitled, “A Long Time Healing.” St. Louis Magazine did a biased article called “The Kirkwood Shootings: The Return to City Hall” furthering KCCTBF’s agenda in their May issue. Even the NY Times on March 15, 2008 with the unbalanced article “Politics Tests a Town Unity Forged by Gunshots” by Monica Davey propagated these folks’ charges to the paper’s national audience.

The following folks were quoted in these and other news pieces on the subject: Jane von Kaenel, Dick Reeves, Stephanie Burns, Nancy Luetzow, Ellen Wentz, Ginny Garesche, Steve Eagleton and of course Kathy Paulsen. A synopsis of KCCTBF‘s public claims and charges in these various news pieces reads like this (note: the words in italics below are direct quotes from the above folks or from various news pieces on the subject):

The community of Kirkwood needs a legitimate election, one featuring at least two competing candidates, and those candidates should have adequate time to campaign. Those calling for a delay insist that voters deserve more choices than the remaining candidate. Otherwise, we will have allowed Charles Thornton and his violent acts to cast our votes for us. Citizens should be given the opportunity to make a choice because the protestors believe voters in a democracy deserve multiple options. What we are looking for now is democracy. That’s the only thing that’s going to heal people. The protestors justify taking their actions because the decision (to not delay) is too large and too lasting — mayoral terms are four years — to allow sorrow to silence debate, even if some find it clumsy or unpleasant. The protestors point out how unfair it is to keep referring to dissenters as “a vocal minority,” “axe-grinders” or “malcontents” who are “divisive” because what they heard was free speech. The protestors have questions about the council's motives. The council has the ability to do the right thing, and they're not doing it. The reason why the April election was not delayed is because the 'good old boy network' would like a monarchy. There is a distrust of an old guard here, Council members among them, who the dissidents argue have denied newcomers, African-Americans, opponents of development and others a political voice.

It is interesting to note after reading the various news items on the subject how the majority of what these supposed “Bright Future” folks in Kirkwood had to say was complaints about how they have been allegedly wronged in the past. So, just how are these folks reportedly the “Bright Future” activists in our community?

But, this is only the tip of the iceberg regarding the blatant hypocrisy of KCCTBF’s very public stance. After all their previous grand talk about democracy the date to file for the August 5th City Council special election has passed without a single one of these activist residents filing as a candidate. This special election is to fill Council Member Karr’s unexpired term. Yet, not a single one of these activist residents cared enough to file to be a candidate. Like in the past, going all the way back to 1992, it has been so easy for these folks to complain and protest vehemently when they feel they have been wronged in any way shape or form by anyone at City Hall. And going all the way back to 1992 our local press has been more than willing to lap it up, then present it as news. In February and March these folks went out of their way to grandstand and raise a huge stink in our community after such a terrible tragedy. The real story the press has yet to cover, however, is that when it comes time for these demanding, intransigent and belligerent residents to step forward and be involved in the election process, they are nowhere to be found.

So, why did the members of KCCTBF fail to offer our community a City Council candidate from within their leadership ranks when they supposedly represent so many in Kirkwood?

Why did the members of KCCTBF not “do the right thing” for “democracy” in our community?

Why did the members of KCCTBF fail to do supposedly “the only thing that” was “going to heal people” in Kirkwood?

Do not Kirkwood “voters deserve more choices” and “multiple options” in an election to fill Mrs. Karr’s unexpired term in order to carry on KCCTBF’s supposed all important cause?

Is this not especially the case since the decision to run is “too large and too lasting” when the winner of this race has the possibility to serve on the City Council for almost a decade?

If it was right to question City Council members’ "motives" in February, then is it not right for the "motives" of the members of KCCTBF to now be questioned given their previous pervasive public protests?

Who do the members of KCCTBF now blame for their alleged disenfranchisement in Kirkwood?

Who now allegedly “denied” them their “political voice” in our community?

Some may say I am not being very nice or neighborly by asking these tough, but very obvious questions of the members of KCCTBF.

My only response is … all I am hearing is … "free speech" …"it is not good to silence debate, even if some find it clumsy or unpleasant." I thought these were the principles “Kirkwood Citizens Coming Together for a Brighter Future” stood for in our community?

It is sad our local, regional and national press has failed to clamor over this side of the story with the same vim, vigor, articles and editorials like they did over the past few months.

The journalistic and editorial failure of our press, especially our local press, to be fair, accurate and balanced on controversial issues is the other huge iceberg of hypocrisy the citizen of Kirkwood must navigate against.

I ask again ... So, just how are these folks reportedly the “Bright Future” activists in our community?

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Now is your chance to respond to this posting. Come on now don't be shy. Click on the "Comments" link below and share your opinion.

May Poll: Curbside Recycling in Kirkwood

Recently the folks at Kirkwood Alliance (KA) held a meeting on the subject of recycling and specifically “curbside recycling.” The meeting was attended by about 20-25 people. About 5-6 of the folks in attendance were either involved in the waste hauling industry or they were from another community organization sharing information on recycling at the meeting. So, at most only 20 Kirkwood residents including myself actually showed up to listen to the presentation being given.

In attendance were some of the present/former board members of KA that I know, most notably John and Stephanie Burns, Ginny Garashe and Carol Gilster. There were a few other attendees I did not know. Also, I noticed Ellen Wentz was there. She has been involved in recycling and other issues over the years in Kirkwood.

It is interesting to note how so many Kirkwood community activist groups seem to overlap in membership given that John, Stephanie, Ginny, Carol and Ellen were also involved in the recent election protests of Kirkwood Citizens Coming Together For A Bright Future (KCCTBF). Plus, all of them were actively involved in supporting the 2003 K-Fair ward proposal.

One resident noticeably absent at this KA recycling meeting was Mr. Dick Reeves. Back in early April Mr. Reeves said in a W-K Times Mailbag letter that it would behoove the new City Council to enact “curbside recycling.” Yet, for some reason it did not behoove Mr. Reeves to come to this meeting attended by fellow members of KCCTBF to build community involvement in the issue.

But, Mr. Reeves was not alone. Many of the self-proclaimed, often quoted in the press “green” activists in our community (who are also members of KCCTBF & K-Fair) were noticeably absent. Chief among these folks not in attendance were Gwynn Wahlmann and Kathy Paulsen. Kathy by the way is the founder of Keep Kirkwood Green (KKG), former board member of Kirkwood Alliance (KA), co-founder of K-Fair and has some leadership role in KCCTBF.

This lack of participation by our community’s alleged “green” activists got me thinking about the issue of recycling. What is the reality of recycling in Kirkwood? My family uses the recyclery on a regular basis. A lot of the folks I know do too. But, do others? Is there a need for “curbside recycling” in Kirkwood? What do folks know about “curbside recycling” in Kirkwood?

So, I decided to add two poll questions about recycling to the site to find some kind of pulse on the issue. Until May 31st you will get a chance to participate in this Readers Poll.

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Please take a moment to answer the Poll questions.

And as always do not hesitate to post your thoughts on the issue by clicking on the “Comments” link below.

But, no cheating by trying to give away answers in your comments! We must protect the purity of this vital, all important and totally unscientific poll. (wink!)

CFUH and the St. Louis Magazine Article

Below is my email to the Steering Committee of Community for Understanding and Healing (CFUH) a "non-political, inclusive, peacemaking group of local citizens ... committed to promoting respect, acceptance, and reconciliation among all citizens in our Kirkwood community through reflective dialogue and ongoing proactive initiatives." If you have more questions about CFUH, please learn more about them at their web site. A link to their web site can be found to the left in "useful links" under "Kirkwood CFUH."

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Dear CFUH Steering Committee,

I am sending this email to the main contact email for CFUH, the email addresses of members I already had and a few of the email addresses of members I could find from public sources. I hope you will forward this email to all members of the Steering Committee. Also, I will be posting this letter on my blog on Kirkwood news and issues: www.joekirkwood.blogspot.com

First, I want to let you know how much I have appreciated being able to attend the last two CFUH meetings. I was unable to attend the first two due to previous plans and family issues.

Being a participant in the CFUH meetings has been a very enlightening and at times challenging community building adventure (for lack of a better term). To let down your guard, look a room of usually total strangers in the eye, honestly express your viewpoint on such tough issues as race and then try to effectively listen to that same room of usually total strangers each express their viewpoints on such tough issues can be a bit overwhelming and a lot to chew on. Yet, CFUH has done a great job of providing a very open, non-political, inclusive environment for this kind of discussion to go on in our community. You have truly worked hard to fulfill your stated Mission.

I am, however, disheartened by the fact that CFUH has propagated the St. Louis Magazine article, “The Kirkwood Shootings” by Jeannete Cooperman not only as a “Resource Material” on your web site, but also added it to your “Summer Events” flyer. The reason why I am so disheartened is because the way this jaded article was written and portrays our community is in direct opposition to every stated principle of CFUH’s Mission.

Yes, the first and last two sections of the article bring some light to the subject. But, the article’s two main middle sections “Kirkwood, Meacham Park and the Racial Divide” and “The Return to City Hall” are a politically biased, blatantly exclusionary, inadequately researched and very one-sided distortion of Kirkwood. I have detailed a few of the more outstanding examples of the unfair and inaccurate reporting on my blog in the May 6, 2008 posting entitled, “St. Biased … oops I mean … St. Louis Magazine's “The Kirkwood Shootings” Article.”

If you will read my posting, then take another read of the two main middle sections of Ms. Cooperman’s article you will clearly see her reporting was not researched with any depth. This is in direct contradiction to what CFUH’s flyer states. Also, the only way this piece of poor reporting could overall “shed some light” on an issue in the community of Kirkwood and be considered a “Resource Material” in relation to CFUH’s Mission is to use it as a “poster child” for the biased and one-sided reporting on controversial issues Kirkwood has consistently had to endure from our various local new sources.

The issue of biased and one-sided journalism is a subject CFUH needs to address if it ever plans to fulfill its commitment to “promoting respect, acceptance, and reconciliation among all citizens in our Kirkwood community.” So, promoting and propagating such a blatant example of biased and one-sided journalism in our community is self-defeating.

Our local press for far too long has been the primary vehicle for inaccurate, incendiary and at times incredibly despicable public attacks against various governing bodies, city officials and citizen-volunteer board members in our community. The Webster-Kirkwood Times, the self-proclaimed “Hometown Newspaper” of Kirkwood, has been the worst of the offenders. No better example of this fact is their article from August 15, 2003 on Cookie Thornton entitled, “A Thorn In Kirkwood’s Side.” The strongly worded and terse August 22, 2003 Mailbag response from Kirkwood’s mild mannered Chief Administrative Officer Mike Brown is very telling of how bad the Times once again blew it. Publisher Dwight Bitikofer’s August 29, 2003 lame and pathetic editorial on the subject continued to prove how clueless the Times’ editorial staff was concerning the article’s ramifications in the community of Kirkwood.

I can only hope you will take what I have had to say to heart and modify your policies on how CFUH deals with disseminating articles and information from news sources. Especially, in the case where these articles so blatantly miss the mark. To turn a blind eye to this kind of poor reporting is to condone it.

In addition, I hope you will not ignore the issue of how our local press has negatively impacted the public discourse in our community for many years now. I believe it is important for a group like CFUH to engage our local press in a serious discussion of their biased, unfair and inaccurate reporting and editorial practices. I believe we all can agree the communication of varied and divergent points of view will be a vital part of promoting understanding and healing for the long term in our community. Unfortunately, our local press has all too often failed to provide this kind of a fair and accurate portrayal of controversial issues in our community.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your service to our community.

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St. Biased … oops I mean … St. Louis Magazine's “The Kirkwood Shootings” Article

Below is my email to the editors of the St. Biased … oops I mean … St. Louis Magazine regarding their article entitled “The Kirkwood Shootings” in their May, 2008 edition.

Note: I made a few corrections from the original email which I put in [brackets] to better clarify a few of my statements. Sorry, I do not have a staff of editors checking over my emails and postings before I send them. But, I do try my best.

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Dear Mr. Schenkenberg and Mr. Halverson,

I wanted to write this letter directly to Ms. Jeannette Cooperman the author of the 4-part article on the Kirkwood Shootings. But, I could not find a way to contact her through your web site. So, I hope you will forward this email to her. Also, I hope you will read it, because the article missed the mark in too many ways.

As a 10-year resident of Kirkwood, who has been politically active in the community since 2003, I have to speak out about how extremely disappointed I am in the article. This article overall is oh so incredibly jaded and biased. I hope you will take the time to seriously read this email, because I plan to critique, confront and challenge your reporting.

The first section “Why did Cookie Kill?” and the last section “The Man Who Threw Chairs” are the only two bright spots in a journalistic sense with the overall article. These sections bring light onto the subject giving the reader a good mix of the different shades of the tragic events.

The other two sections, however, are very unbalanced and one-sided pieces of reporting. The key to why the rest of the article is so very unbalanced and one-sided can be found in your journalist’s own words, “McCallie’s one of the pillars of Kirkwood, and while his detractors tire of his courting of the media and his self-appointed role as the liberal conscience of a conservative community.” I would have to agree with this statement regarding Franklin. He is self-appointed, he has made some very strong stands in this community over the years and the press has lauded him with one inordinate amount of ink and air time. This Franklin-Press mingling is definitely not a “strangers in the night” relationship for either party. Sadly to the detriment of a balanced view point, the press has gone out of their way to court Franklin, just as much as he has gone out of his way to court the press [over the years].

My question is … since this is the case with Franklin, then why did Ms. Cooperman so miserably fail to get and report the opinions of the self-appointed (non-elected) conservative pillars of this community?

I read and re-read these two sections of the article numerous times. All I read is primarily the comments of the past and present elected leaders of Kirkwood, the comments of Franklin and the comments of the various alleged “disenfranchised” citizens in Kirkwood. Not a single comment from a non-elected conservative pillar or regular citizen bringing an opposing viewpoint for the reader to see regarding wards, the allegations of “disenfranchisement" or other issues. Once again another biased and jaded article that in a childish manner frames the discussion by simply pitting one group of citizens against the elected leaders of the community. This kind of poor reporting by the press is what leads to such terms as "vocal minority" or "malcontents" or "ax-grinders" who are "divisive." These are the only folks that get the ink at the cost of the rest of the community. In Kirkwood it is a core group of about two dozen alleged "disenfranchised" citizens that are catered to by the press at the expense of the other 27,000 residents.

For example, Ms. Cooperman does a piece on Mrs. Karr giving her an overwhelmingly large amount of credit for her “work” in the community. But, did we read one sentence or one word, even if it was anonymous, from one of her detractors? This article is like so many written on the subject of Mrs. Karr, a former local reporter. Ms. Cooperman effectively painted a picture that Mrs. Karr could do no wrong in Kirkwood and had no opposition from regular citizens. That is incredibly disappointing. Not only because this picture is so unrealistic in general [about any politician], but it is so far from the facts of the issue in Kirkwood. I find it hard to believe in a community of 27,000 people, Mrs. Cooperman could not find one detractor willing to speak the truth and be the “self-appointed … conservative conscience of the predominantly liberal alleged ‘disenfranchised’ in our community?”

Yet, Mrs. Cooperman had no problem reporting attacks against the community and its elected body from an anonymous source, who is definitely a member of the alleged “disenfranchised.” We all got to read this lovely statement,

“Do they realize Kirkwood’s the only city in America where you can be mayor without an election? It’s a power grab,” a Democrat insists, pointing out that Karr was the only Democrat on a supposedly nonpartisan council.”

Who on your editorial staff vetted this anonymous statement? What journalistic fact-finding techniques were used to verify the accuracy of this statement?

As a white, conservative, Reagan Republican, I know exactly how asinine and ridiculous this statement is in the community of Kirkwood. I am someone who has supported a Democrat, our Deputy Mayor, Tim Griffin numerous times when he has run for City Council. Needless to say, I find your lack of journalistic accuracy and fairness in this anonymous statement insulting at best. I probably disagree with Tim on a variety of national and state issues and have disagreed with him on community issues, but I whole-heartedly support him serving anywhere on the City Council. He had done a fine job on the Council up until the shooting. Since the shootings he has excelled beyond my expectations as an elected leader in this community. The same can be said of Paul Ward. Paul, though he describes himself as an Independent, was raised in a strong Democratic family and can fairly be said to have Democratic leanings. Yet, I have supported him when he has run for City Council and would support him serving anywhere on the City Council.

This is the case among the vast majority of my conservative, white, Republican friends and acquaintances in Kirkwood. We want on our City Council whoever is going to best serve our community no matter what national party affiliation they may have. The City Council is about Kirkwood as a whole. My Democratic friends and acquaintances in Kirkwood follow the same philosophy. It was not until Mrs. Karr began her Mayoral campaign that her supporters started interjecting party affiliation as a bizarre reverse litmus test. If you did not support Connie, you were no longer a true “Democrat” in their eyes. Just ask the Democrats in Kirkwood that have and continue to come under attack politically from Mrs. Karr’s supporters in the local Democrat party.

The lack of vetting statements and verifying accuracy continues in the article. No more prime example of this is the piece regarding Mr. Steve Eagleton,

"Steve Eagleton, nephew of former Democratic powerhouse Sen. Thomas Eagleton, stands against the back wall—but only because he couldn’t find a seat. “The city attorney basically runs Kirkwood,” Eagleton told me earlier. “The city council members defer to him for virtually every question from what color socks to wear to which zoning to approve. He makes it very clear that he does not represent the citizens, he works for the council. So you have a group of people that defers to one guy, and that guy turns around and says, ‘I represent you.’ This has been Hessel’s little baby for years.”

Eagleton, a developer with a law degree who moved to Kirkwood last summer, says, “We’ve called the Missouri attorney general’s office and the secretary of state’s office and the board of elections, and none would bring action against Kirkwood for postponing its election.”

All that can be said in response to this is … What a ridiculous piece of reporting!

I am not a journalist or a rocket scientist for that matter, but how does Mr. Eagleton, who just “moved to Kirkwood last summer” mysteriously get all this grand, in depth knowledge of how our City Council works to be able to realistically say it “has been Hessel’s little baby for years.” After you answer that question, there are four more very simple questions to answer: Who is the candidate Mr. Hessel is the campaign treasurer for in the upcoming November election in the Kirkwood area? What State seat in the Kirkwood area is the Democrat Mr. Eagleton running for in the August primary? What will be the most contested State race in the metropolitan area given a certain high ranking State legislative official from the Kirkwood area is term limited out? Can you connect the dots to see why Mr. Eagleton would make those kinds of statements to a reporter in hopes of getting it printed? [Note: I have moved the order of the last 2 sentences from the original.]

It is interesting how the previous mentioned “anonymous” Democrat made the charge that Kirkwood City Council is partisan by saying it is “a supposedly nonpartisan council.” Yet, Ms. Cooperman will report a very partisan attack from a Democrat candidate against a Republican candidate’s campaign staff member in her article. Who again has interjected party affiliation into the issue of the City Council of Kirkwood? Well not only is it the alleged “disenfranchised,” now it is an all too willing press.

Finally, there is the issue of the reporting on the 2003 ward proposal. And once again, there is not an ounce of depth in the reporting. Not a single comment from a citizen in opposition to the 2003 ward proposal or wards in general in Kirkwood. The only two people quoted on the issue were Franklin and of course the 15-year long proponent of wards in Kirkwood, Mrs. Kathy Paulsen. No offense to Franklin, but his grasp of the ward issue is totally off-base and painfully superficial. His knowledge of the ward issue in Kirkwood and the facts regarding wards vs. at-large in the St. Louis metropolitan area are almost non-existent.

Yet, there were two different citizen campaigns that opposed the 2003 ward campaign Mrs. Karr, Mrs. Paulsen and Mrs. Debbie Mutrux headed, called K-Fair. The first group of citizens opposing K-Fair’s ward proposal was Citizens for a United Kirkwood (CUK). Not a single member of CUK was interviewed in the article on the issue of wards. But its membership was chocked full of pillars of the community – both Democrats and Republicans. Then, there was the other citizen group opposing K-Fair that contained only one citizen, me. The much maligned by the Karr supporters, Joe “Joe Kirkwood” Toenjes. In fact, I was yet again demonized by Mrs. Gwynn Wahlman, a member of the alleged “disenfranchised,” as she made her comments at “The Return to City Hall” meeting Ms Cooperman was reporting on. I did not respond at that meeting to Gwynn’s comments due to the highly charged nature of the meeting. Plus, all I had to do was consider the source.

My ward campaign was separate from the CUK group, because some of the members of CUK could not figure out what to do with me. Some of the Kirkwood born-and-raised folks were shocked I would publicly call K-Fair and its supporters out for their various let me nicely say “misrepresentations” about their ward proposal. So, I started my own one-man campaign to defeat K-Fair’s proposal my own way – confronting the issue with the facts and making the same kind of demands of the members of K-Fair that they made of our City Council, City Administration and various boards and commissions over the years. It was a give K-Fair a "taste of their own medicine" kind of campaign that they really did not appreciate. By the way, I was able to successfully get my message out to the City Council and ultimately to the community even in the allegedly restrictive 3-minute citizen comment portion of the City Council meetings. Mrs. Karr and her supporters [began] to dread me pointing out one more baseless claim or broken promise of their K-Fair campaign at each City Council meeting.

The crowning achievement of my campaign was my flyer I canvassed with door-to-door all over the community showing how K-Fair’s ward proposal that was written in secret by Mrs. Karr and Mr. Godi’s supporters somehow magically twisted our charter and election calendar, so that they were the only sitting City Council members who could possibly [consecutively] serve 14 years and 15 years [respectively,] which is well beyond the two consecutive 4-year terms [(8 consecutive years)] spelled out in the charter. So, that makes you wonder just why K-Fair’s ward proposal got proposed in 2003. Could that ever be perceived as an unfair and outrageous power grab by the alleged “disenfranchised” of K-Fair?

Just for the record, I could have provided facts, figures and an immense amount of background information any reporter could ever want on the issue of wards versus at-large in Kirkwood going all the way back to 1992 and election results analysis of the issue from the St. Louis metropolitan area going all the way back to 1990. Too bad Ms. Cooperman never explored any opposing viewpoints of the issue of wards in Kirkwood.

It is my hope that you will take my remarks as what they are meant for … to critique, confront and challenge your reporting. Then, take a very seriously hard look at the article you produced on the Kirkwood Shooting issue. Because, I have only taken a couple plunges into the bias of the article. There are several more issues regarding the reporting of the TIF, Turner School and other Meacham Park issues that missed the mark.

If you ever plan to do another article on the community of Kirkwood it is my sincere hope you will provide a more balanced picture of our community.

Until that occurs please take some time to check out my blog on Kirkwood issues: www.joekirkwood.blogspot.com. If you think I was hard on you with this email, you should read my comments about my journalist sparring buddy Don “Scoop” Corrigan at the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

In conclusion, I will be sending this email to my fellow Kirkwoodians Franklin McCallie and Tripp Frolchtstein. I mentioned Franklin repeatedly and would not want my words to be misinterpreted. I want them to come directly from me. Then, Tripp since I always include him in my challenges of area journalists. Tripp consistently has a good response for me to think about when I send out these challenges to journalists. Plus, I appreciate both Franklin's and Tripp's honest critique of what I have had to say in the past.

I truly hope to receive a response from Ms. Cooperman or you the editors of St. Louis Magazine. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

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