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?

====================================================================================

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.