The Challenge We As A Community Now Face

Below is the email I sent to Mike Brown, our City Administrator, concerning the "war of attrition" the members of HAK have waged, are waging and will continue to wage on our community.

In the nearly 12 years I have been a citizen of Kirkwood I have never seen any group of residents act in such irresponsible and unreasonable way like the members of HAK are in our community.

I have talked with numerous life-long residents that are dumbfounded and dismayed the members of HAK would treat fellow citizens and our community as a whole with such disdain and disrespect.

But unfortunately this is ... The Challenge We As A Community Now Face ...

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Dear Mr. Brown,

I am writing you in regards to the Healthy Air for Kirkwood (HAK) Citizen’s Initiative Petition that will be voted on by fellow Kirkwoodians this November.

This is the second Citizen’s Initiative Petition on the issue of a smoking ban from the same group of surrogate citizens. In each case, there was no community dialogue on how these proposals were drafted. There was no dialogue on how these proposals could impact our entire community. These surrogate citizens for various outside organizations chose to totally ignore fellow Kirkwoodians. They simply set about forcing a community-wide vote on their proposal by abusing the Citizen’s Initiative Petition process. Then, they used various methods of political manipulation to stack the deck against any opposition to their outside agenda. It is unfortunate that these surrogate citizens continue to act in such an irresponsible and self-serving way.

The challenge we as a community now face is the fact that HAK has already declared they will continue forcing their outside agenda on our community, even if the voters for a second time defeat their rehashed proposal.

At the August 6, 2009 City Council meeting I asked this question in my speech to the City Council:

“If they (HAK) are defeated AGAIN by the good citizens of Kirkwood … how many more times will these folks abuse the citizens’ initiative petition process and try to force their outside agenda on our entire community?”

We as a community were given a response by HAK member Michelle McDonald in her speech that followed mine when she said,

“I would like to respond to Joe Toenjes. We are going to keep doing this until it passes.”

Ms. McDonald and the rest of HAKs leadership have stood by that statement.

Kirkwoodians can easily conclude one thing from HAKs previous actions and their stated future intentions. HAK will continue to abuse the Citizens Initiative Petition process to force their outside agenda on the rest of our community. Sadly, these surrogate citizens want to create a revolving door of protracted “duke it out” battles against the clear will of the citizens of Kirkwood expressed by their vote. This kind of belligerent and unreasonable waging of a “war of attrition” on fellow citizens is unprecedented in Kirkwood’s history.

The past actions of HAK combined with their overbearing future agenda places a new and, I suspect, unforeseen burden on the administrative staff and the elected leadership of our community to protect the rights of other citizens in this matter.

Given these facts, I would like to know what steps will be taken to inform the citizens of Kirkwood in the future when any group submits a proposed Citizens Initiative Petition, Referendum or Recall and begins to form a Petitioner’s Committee?

It is clear there needs to be a concise and extremely time sensitive process developed to address this issue. The citizens of Kirkwood deserve the right to know what they are facing given the precedent set by HAK. I would hope you, our City Clerk Ms. Montano and the rest of the administrative staff would begin to offer various options in conjunction with our City Council to protect the rights of all Kirkwood citizens.

It is unfortunate that this issue was created by those in our community more desirous of demanding and abusing a right at the expense of fellow citizens, rather than being responsible and reasonable citizens.

Finally, I have several ideas about how to accomplish this goal. Yet, I am unsure how they would apply within running the day-to-day operations of our city with the unique and specific requirements that entails. I am more than willing to discuss my ideas with you or anyone else involved in trying to bring a solution to this unprecedented challenge our community is facing. If I can be of any assistance in this matter please do not hesitate to contact me.

Your Fellow Kirkwoodian,

Joe Toenjes
329 Rose Lane
Kirkwood, MO 63122

cc: Betty Montano, City Clerk
Kirkwood City Council

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Note - You can see the video of Michelle McDonald's statement before the City Council at:

http://www.incitynews.com/stlc-kirkwood-/council-meetings/index.php

Just go to the August 6th meeting video. Let it download. It will take a few minutes. You can move the slider bar to the closest time-mark. You can view Michelle McDonald's statement starting around the 13:26 time-mark. If you are interested, you can view my speech to the City Council at about the 6:21 time-mark.


I will keep you updated on this issue as it proceeds.


If you want to express your thoughts on this issue, please hit the "Comment" link below.

Something Strange Happens In Kirkwood…

Have you asked a member of HAK anything about their 2006 proposal and seen the reaction?

Have you noticed when you start asking members of HAK the right questions about the key players in their campaign to force their outside agenda on our community something strange happens?

When you start asking members of HAK questions about Pat Lindsey of Florissant, the Executive Director of Tobacco-Free Missouri, the state-wide group that in 2006 paid thousands of dollars for four different billboards at Kirkwood Rd. and Big Bend to support HAKs proposal during that election campaign, something strange happens in Kirkwood…

When you start asking members of HAK questions about how Pat Lindsey wants to “duke it out” (Pat’s direct quote: http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Letters-2669.113117_Smoke_Free_Is_No_Brainer.html) in Kirkwood with our fellow citizens and our fellow business owners, but will not do the same in her own community of Florissant, something strange happens in Kirkwood…

When you start asking members of HAK questions about HAK’s fellow signature gatherers for their alleged Kirkwood Citizen Initiative Petition, people like Baker Symes of Webster Groves, MO or Mike Doran of Fenton, MO, something strange happens in Kirkwood…

When you start asking members of HAK questions about Charles Gatton of Ballwin, MO, the former Ballwin City Council member who was not re-elected by the citizens after he shoved a smoking-ban upon his community, then he comes to Kirkwood to shove an even more unreasonable smoking-ban upon Kirkwood with HAKs 2006 proposal, something strange happens in Kirkwood…

When you start asking members of HAK questions about Richard Hyer of Troy, MO, the “co-circulator” (Jean’s own statement: http://joekirkwood.blogspot.com/2009/08/two-question-to-kirkwood-city-council.html) with HAKs own Jean Loemker for HAKs alleged “Kirkwood Citizens Initiative Petition” from 2006, something strange happens in Kirkwood…

When you start asking members of HAK questions about Martin Pion of Ferguson, MO, the founder of Missouri Group Against Smoking Pollution (MO GASP), the foremost anti-smoking group in Missouri, who also circulated HAKs supposed Kirkwood Citizens Initiative Petition, something strange happens in Kirkwood…

The members of HAK quickly do the whole gag of …

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

… like the Three Stooges would do whenever they got caught red-handed.

The members of HAK pretend like they have no clue about their fellow campaign members when they are in Kirkwood. They pretend they do not know … who these people are … or what these people stand for … or what these people have done to shove their outside agenda on our entire community. It is amazing the reaction in Kirkwood!

But, what is it like outside of Kirkwood?

Well that is a totally different story. These very same folks that HAK members supposedly have no clue about are HAKs good ol’ chums outside of Kirkwood!

See what we find here on Martin Pion’s own MO GASP web site in the picture he took at the July 28th St. Louis County Council meeting:
http://mogasp.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/second-st-louis-county-council-meeting-on-smoke-free-air-bill/

Martin Pion of MO GASP took this snapshot of (L to R) Pat Lindsey of Tobacco-Free Missouri with HAKs own Jean Loemker and HAKs own Michelle McDonald along with another gentleman. Sure looks like they know each other in Clayton. Plus, notice three of the folks in the picture are even wearing the same blue button.

Interesting … when you start asking the right questions in Kirkwood …

Something Strange Happens!

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If you have a take on the issue please hit the "Comment" link below.

Two Questions to the Kirkwood City Council

Below is a copy of my prepared speech before the Kirkwood City Council on 08-06-09. I presented to the City Council a packet with several different pieces of information that prove how incredibly misleading the members of Healthy Air for Kirkwood (HAK) were at the last City Council meeting. I can not believe these folks continue to try to pretend they were not and are not surrogates for numerous State-wide anti-smoking organizations.

The facts presented below show they have been surrogates citizens from the very beginning of the fight they picked in our community. Sadly, they are more interested in misleading our entire community while they try to force this outside agenda on us.

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Tonight I present you a packet of simple information.

All of you have this 2-page handout at the top of your pack.

(Note: The packet contained the “Print Screen” of the Tree Logo on the Healthy Air for Kirkwood Web Site. Here is a reduced version for the sake of brevity.)




(Note: The next page was the scan of the Tree Logo from the Letterhead of HAK’s previous group in 2006, when they called themselves “Citizen’s for a Smoke-Free Kirkwood.” Here is a reduced version for the sake of brevity.)




Same logo tree, same base members … but somehow not the same group? Is that what they were claiming at the last City Council meeting … and they keep claiming?


Now please read from this 2-page pack the quote from October 19, 2006 in the Webster-Kirkwood Times Mailbag written by Deb Cotton:

“I can assure you that this movement is not being supported by "special interest groups" or "fueled by outsiders," as purported on a flyer distributed by those opposing the ordinance.”

Link to the entire Mailbag Letter:
http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Letters-3141.113117_Make_Kirkwood_Healthier_With_Prop_1_Vote.html


Now please read the quote from November 2, 2006 in the Webster-Kirkwood Times Mailbag written by Ingrid Florman:

“As a founding member of Citizens for a Smoke-Free Kirkwood, I would like to set the record straight that our group is comprised solely of Kirkwood residents. … We are not supported or funded by any outside special interest groups or organizations.”

Link to the entire Mailbag Letter:
http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Letters-3248.113117_Prop_1_A_Local_Campaign.html


Now please read the quote from October 26, 2006 in the Webster-Kirkwood Times Mailbag written by Franklin McCallie:

“It is unfortunate that Kirkwood citizens of good will are at odds over Smoke Free Kirkwood.”

Link to the entire Mailbag Letter:
http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Letters-3197.113117_Voters_Owe_Children_SmokeFree_Restaurants.html

Now please read the quote from July 23, 2009 in the Webster-Kirkwood Times Mailbag written by Allan Cotton:

“Sadly, a small but vocal minority has decided to try to defeat this citizens' initiative effort through empty accusations and baseless personal attacks on their fellow citizens.”

Link to the entire Mailbag Letter:
http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Letters-16677.113118_SmokeFree_Initiative_Is_True_Citizen_Effort.html


Now please look at this 6-page packet with some of the petition signatures from their 2006 proposal.

(Note: Once again for the sake of brevity, I only included the 2006 Petition Circulators name and signature section. Plus, I have only included one page from each of them. Keep in mind this is for a supposedly Kirkwood Citizens Initiative Petition proposal. The facts are these 5 individuals from outside of Kirkwood made up 20% of all the Petition Circulators. These 5 individuals from outside of Kirkwood gathered over 15% of all the signatures of Kirkwood voters needed to place that proposal on a Kirkwood ballot. This is clearly showing the outside organizations these folks represent were directly and intimately involved in HAKs 2006 Citizens’ Initiative Petition.)


(Note: Mike Doran has not brought a smoking-ban proposal to his own town of Fenton, but he will try to bring one to Kirkwood?)



(Note: Baker Symes is a resident of Webster Groves. He was also the musician for HAKs campaign kick-off event at Station Plaza on near the end of June. No one was drawn to the event. He too has failed to bring a smoking-ban proposal to his community, but will work on bringing one twice to Kirkwood?)



(Note: Charles Gatton is the former Ballwin City Alderman who forced through a smoking ban in his community. He was not re-elected for another term.)




(Note: Martin Pion is the founder of Missouri Group Against Smoking Pollution – MO GASP. According to his web site MO GASP is one of the foremost grass roots advocacy groups on this issue in the state. See more at: http://mogasp.wordpress.com/






(Note: Richard Hyer, from Troy, MO, was the leader of Lincoln County Smoke-Free Workplaces. He was a “Co-Circulator” with Ms. Jean Loemker of HAK.)






As you can see there were “outside special interest groups or organizations” involved with HAK from the beginning.

As you can see these folks were not “citizens of good will” on this issue in our community.


As you can see these are not “accusations” and they are not “empty.” They are not “attacks” and they are not “baseless” or “personal.”

These folks were never forced to misrepresent themselves or their organization to our entire community in this way. This did not need to happen. The choice was theirs’.

So, I ask you two questions tonight City Council:

• How many more times will these folks be given free reign to misrepresent who and what they really are to our entire community as they once AGAIN force their outside agenda on our entire community?

• If they are defeated AGAIN by the good citizens of Kirkwood … how many more times will these folks abuse the citizens’ initiative petition process and try to force their outside agenda on our entire community?

You were elected to serve our entire community … I would hope you would protect our tax dollars and our rights by finding out the answers to these two questions. Then, let us all know the answers before you place this on a ballot.

Remember … This did not need to happen. The choice was theirs’.

They could easily according to our City Charter choose to withdraw their proposal and not continue to act in this way in our community.

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