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.

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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?

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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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