Left In Missouri

On June 15th, i received an email from Karl Skala via the ColumbiaCitizens listserv about the upcoming June 16th public hearing of the Lemone/Maguire Extension and Bridges project. A 9+ million dollar project that would extend Maquire Rd north to Stadium Ave. This would require the building of 2 bridges over the environmentally sensitive Grindstone creek. Below is the email that was sent:

ColumbiaCitizens,

Two bills regarding the Lemone/Maguire Extension and Bridges project are coming before the City Council tomorrow night, 6/16/08 @ ~7:45 p.m. in the Council Chambers (B162-08 regarding a call for bids & B163-08 regarding the final easement acquisition prior to commencing construction)

This will be your last opportunity to express your opinion before the Council renders its decision as to whether to proceed. I would cordially invite you to offer your comments to the Council regarding this proposed expenditure of >$9M of your taxpayer dollars.

And thank you for your continued civic interest.

Best Regards,

Karl Skala

Fred Parry, on his Morning Meeting radio show, accused Skala of “lobbying” against the project. It was no secret that Skala was against this extension. He had argued that other projects should had priority over this one. Especially the improvement of Clark and Ballenger lane in his ward.

As you can see, the email states no position and just informs its citizens of the hearing and the economic impact of the project. Conservatives are really out of touch with the citizens of Columbia. A call to civic action is not “lobbying” Mr. Parry, I thought you were a little more educated than that. Petitioning your government of your grievances is the cornerstone of the First Amendment, the same amendment that protects your right to tout your ignorance to the masses. It is refreshing to have an elected officeholder reminding his constituents of that right.

Notice to all those people that believe real estate development is equal to economic development: We are overbuilt and overdeveloped. The infrastructure subsidy that you have received has not been a good investment to Columbia Missouri. Your empty stores do not generate tax revenue and ends up costing the citizens of Columbia even more. We need to incubate small and medium businesses that are homegrown. This will stabilize our local economy and the wealth created stays in Columbia.

The First ward of Columbia has a great opportunity to elect one of the most creative people in the city to the Council. Paul Sturtz founded Ragtag theater and has he along with David Wilson have organized the True/False film festival, an increasingly popular and influential event. In a ward with diverse neighborhoods and people, the other candidates have only their niche constituents. But Paul is the only candidate that views the council seat as a vehicle for change not just for the first ward. but for the city as a whole. If you live in the first ward, please cast your vote for Paul Sturtz on April 8th

According to a Columbia Tribune article, campaign limits are now back in effect. Now most statewide, state senate, and state rep candidates will be able to return those contribution that exceed the limit. but what happens to those municipal races, city council and school board candidates, who already raised and spent that money. Granted, there are probably not many huge contributions, but most of these campaign committees do not have cash on hand after the election. Though it would probably be nice to see Gov. Blunt give back a $50,000 contribution back. it will be interesting to watch.