Crestwood clerk position 1

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The Bi-State Development Agency Board of Commission-ers recently voted to approve a Metro transit fare increase that will go into effect on July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year. Periodic fare increases are part of the agency’s long-range plan. Read more on the fare hike at www.callnewspapers.com.

Web exclusive

County executive race hits airwaves;erupts at weekly meetings of council

Mehlville school board to discuss proposed 2014-2015 budget

Mike Anthony photo

MFPD celebrates 60th anniversaryThe Mehlville Fire Protection District celebrated its 60th anniversary Satur-

day with an open house at Engine House No. 3, 4811 S. Lindbergh Blvd. The gala featured tours and demonstrations. Among those attending were Sunset Hills Mayor Mark Furrer and Sen. Scott Sifton, D-Affton. The celebration’s theme was ‘Get Out Alive: Prepare and Practice Your Fire Escape Plan.’ Above, MFPD Chief Financial Officer Brian Bond, right, discusses the impor-tance of developing and practicing a home fire escape plan with some guests.

Skeptics outline opposition to city-county merger

Volume 17, Number 24 1 Section, 16 Pages Thursday, June 12, 2014 callnewspapers.com9977 Lin Ferry DriveSt. Louis, MO 63123

Sime declines to explain his attemptto reclassify Crestwood clerk’s post

Visit www.callnewspapers.com to read more about Friendship Village’s fifth annual Young at Art Show.

By GLORIA LLOYDStaff Reporter

The race for the county executive’s office is in full swing, with television commer-cials hitting the airwaves to remind voters of past scandals at the same time that the County Council is turning into a weekly battleground leading up to the Aug. 5 Dem-ocratic primary.

In the space of one week leading up

to the council’s June 3 meeting, council members had three public disputes — on an audit, the Children’s Service Fund and minority requirements in county contracts.

Only one council member is backing County Executive Charlie Dooley’s re-elec-tion, with the other members siding with 6th District Councilman Steve Stenger, D-Affton, one of Dooley’s opponents in the

(See RACE, Page 6A)

Panel recommends denial of towerBy MIKE ANTHONYExecutive Editor

The Sunset Hills Planning and Zoning Commission voted last week to recommend denial of a request to erect a 100-foot-tall telecommunications tower at 9907 Sappington Road.

Planning and Zoning Commission members voted 8-0 to rec-ommend denial of a conditional-use permit, or CUP, to erect the monopole telecommunications tower and a shelter on property owned by the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection. Commission members Al Koller and Kevin Studer were absent from the June 4 meeting.

(See DENIAL, Page 4A)


As projections continue the district’s trend of negative cash flow and a planned spend-down of reserves, the Mehl-ville Board of Education is set to consider some major

financial decisions tonight — June 12 — including next year’s budget, an employment contract with teachers and salary increases for other employees.

A preliminary budget the board could consider projects a $109 million budget with a deficit of $3.8 million for

the upcoming fiscal year, including $2.5 million in salary increases, up from this year’s $105 million budget.

The board will discuss the budget at a meeting at 7 p.m. at the Administration Building, 3120 Lemay Ferry Road.

(See BUDGET, Page 2A)

Mehlville news ........... Page 2AArea news ................... Page 3AOpinions ..................... Page 4AOur town ..................... Page 5ACounty news ............... Page 6ACalendar...................... Page 7ACrestwood news ......... Page 8ASenior living ............... Page 9AClassifieds ................... Page 11ACrossword puzzle ....... Page 12A

Inside the Call

By MIKE ANTHONYExecutive Editor

Crestwood City Administrator Mark Sime is declining to explain why he attempted earlier this year to reclassify the city clerk’s position as an unclassified position — a change that appears to violate the city’s Charter.

In February, Sime proposed an ordi-nance to amend the city’s municipal code

to make the city clerk’s position unclas-sified, or exempt — the same status as elected officials, the city administrator and department heads, who are not covered under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

City Clerk Tina Flowers wrote in a May 30 email sent to aldermen that Sime’s pro-posal would directly conflict with the city’s

(See DECLINES, Page 8A)


Many of the region’s leaders turned out for a sympo-sium on a city-county merger at St. Louis University earlier this year, and merger skeptics responded with their own forum last week to outline why they oppose the idea.

Many Republican politicians were in attendance, including former Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones, who told the group that he is in favor of a stronger St. Louis region, but the unknowns in a city-county merger are just too numerous to support it.

“Those of us who have grown up in the county and spent our hard-earned sweat to build careers and create businesses here — we do not want to take on problems of which we do not know, and I think that’s the biggest lesson to learn here,” Jones told the audience of roughly 60 people June 5 at The Lodge Des Peres, adding that during his time as speaker, the Legislature did not pass any pro-merger legislation.

Last week’s forum was organized by the St. Louis County Preservation Committee, a group opposed to a

(See OPPOSITION, Page 3A)

Call Publishing, Thursday, June 12, 2014 - Page 4A

By Mike Anthony

Administrator stonewallshis way through interview

It’s evident that Crestwood City Administrator Mark Sime either doesn’t understand the city’s Charter or has elected to ignore its provisions.

Sime is declining to explain why he attempted earlier this year to reclassify the city clerk’s position as an unclassi-fied position — a change that appears to violate the city’s Charter and is opposed by City Clerk Tina Flowers.

In February, Sime proposed an ordi-nance to amend the municipal code to make the position of city clerk exempt from the city’s civil service rules — the same status as elected officials, the city administrator and department heads.

Under the Charter, the city clerk “shall be a civil service employee.”

Sime’s proposal cost the city roughly $1,690 in legal bills, but was never con-sidered by aldermen since he removed it from the Feb. 11 meeting agenda on Feb. 10. Consider his responses when we asked about his proposal:

• “Well, that’s getting into the per-sonnel arena here, and since it didn’t come out, then I’d prefer not to dis-cuss it right now.”

• “... This is where it will be a dis-cussion about the Charter versus the civil service rules, and I’m not here to get into that discussion with you at this time.”

• “That is still within the personnel arena, and I can’t discuss that at this time.”

• “... I’m not going to comment on her (Flowers’) opinions.”

Given his stonewalling, we can only conclude that Sime believes he’s not accountable to the public or press for his official actions.

Then there’s Ward 4 Alderman Michael Vincent’s May 30 email, in which he writes about the reclassifi-cation proposal, “It is my understand-ing our clerk initiated discussions with (Sime) and that he attempted to positively help her ...”

Flowers, in an email written later that same day, stated, “I did not initi-ate nor did I support the reclassifica-tion of my position as city clerk ...”

We’ve worked with Flowers for years, and in our opinion, she has far more credibility than Sime. For example, asked about Vincent’s email, Sime said, “It wasn’t sent to me.” However, copies of the email the Call received after making a pub-lic records request show Sime was copied in on Vincent’s email.

Asked if he had seen the email, Sime said, “I can’t comment on that.”

Given his egregious conduct, we believe aldermen should take imme-diate action to severely discipline — or perhaps even terminate — Sime.

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To the editor:As I read the June 5 column by Mike Anthony, I was flabber-

gasted that he apparently did not make the slightest effort to learn what Crestwood Mayor Gregg Roby has accomplished in the five weeks since he took office.

It would have been as easy as visiting Mayor Roby’s Facebook page, which provides a summary of each week’s activities.

Had Mr. Anthony done so, he would have learned some excit-ing things:

• Mayor Roby has reached out to the owners of the BP station at Watson and Sappington roads, which has been vacant for a num-ber of years. As a result, the owners have indicated their intent to reopen the facility this summer.

• Mayor Roby has already had productive conversations with the new owners of Crestwood’s mall, who have agreed to return the Classic Car Show to Crestwood and the mall location. This event attracts thousands of attendees annually.

• At the urging of Mayor Roby, Rep. Jeanne Kirkton coordinated a meeting with the Missouri Department of Transportation to dis-cuss access on Watson Road, which would aid businesses along

the stretch through Crestwood. State officials have promised a thorough review of options.

• Open communication with business owners, residents and employees that had been lacking in recent years has already been re-established.

• The mayor has also issued a number of requests for volunteers to fill many open seats on boards and commissions, a process that had been neglected previously.

I can also only imagine there are other things the mayor is actively involved in that he’s not at liberty to discuss. I do, how-ever, know firsthand that Mayor Roby continues to have breakfast at the Barn Restaurant several days a week, where he greets citi-zens and is happy to hear their thoughts and ideas.

That’s an awful lot to undertake in the first weeks in office.Failing to having researched is just plain lazy journalism by

Mr. Anthony. He would better serve his readers by making some effort on his own rather than rely on his few Crestwood “sources” with an ax to grind.

Virginia BorghesiCrestwood

Anthony’s column on Crestwood mayor ‘just plain lazy journalism’

• DenialCitizens who live near churchvoice their opposition to tower(Continued from Page 1A)

The request for the CUP was made by CIS Communications LLC, which owns and manages a number of tower locations throughout Missouri and Illinois.

William Jenkins of CIS told Planning and Zoning Commission members that he was representing AT&T.

“... AT&T actually at this point has a little bit over a hundred towers in the Missouri and Illinois area that we’re cur-rently developing — many throughout the metro area, some of them up closer to Chicago,” he said.

AT&T is adding new towers to “help improve coverage and also fill some of the gaps and capacity issues that they’ve had over the last couple of years,” he added.

Commission member Joseph Niemeyer asked Jenkins, “... Did you contact the church or did the church contact you?”

Jenkins replied, “... We actually contact-ed the church ... We have a number of sites that we are working and once we looked at that specific area, we pretty much ruled out, obviously, the ability to do it on any residential piece. And that’s what drew us to the church property.”

Niemeyer also asked Jenkins, “... You’re proposing a hundred-foot tower. What is the

minimum tower that you could erect? ...”Jenkins responded that AT&T’s engi-

neers determined the tower needed to be 100 feet tall.

“So they require that for their coverage. But the other thing that I will say is that as part of the (Sunset Hills municipal) code, we have to make the structure co-locatable for anybody ... else may come along — Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, any of the other wireless carriers,” he said.

“So what we’ve designed on that tower is not only the availability for AT&T, but we have availability for those other carriers should they come along to locate on that same tower.”

Commission member Jeff Sanders noted the proposed tower would be 100 feet tall — “then beyond the monopole typi-cally what I’ve seen on these antennas, the smaller antennas extend how far beyond a hundred feet? They’re not shown on the drawing very high, but I know what I’ve seen.”

Jenkins said, “... With our particular pro-posal here, they’re showing the top of their antennas at 105 (feet), which is not all that uncommon with a lot of the towers you see throughout the county and throughout the U.S. as well.”

Nine residents who live near the site of the proposed tower addressed the commis-sion, saying they opposed the request and

hoped it would be rejected. They said the tower would be an “eyesore” and expressed concerns about the impact on their prop-erty values, possible health risks and water runoff.

Gene Lynch of Doverhill Drive said, “...My backyard abuts right to the Lutheran Resurrection Church … I have no tree line. I’ve cleared all mine out, so I can look straight at this thing and see it anytime I want ... I’ll see that antenna constantly. The neighbors across the street will see it ...”

By performing an Internet search, he found 60 cell towers within a four-mile radius of the proposed tower, including one that Lynch said is owned by AT&T that is roughly five-eighths of a mile away from the church site.

“... I don’t know why they can’t put this thing some other place. It’s in the middle of a subdivision. There’s children at this school, at this church, every day … We just don’t think it should be in a residential area ...,” he said.

Linda Aiken of Tioga Court told the commission that the proposed tower would be “an eyesore” and an “attractive nui-sance” for neighborhood children.

“... We have a lot of people opposed to this. I’m standing here with the signatures of 45 people and that is only the beginning. I haven’t even started talking to neighbors ...,” she said.

Page 8A - Call Publishing, Thursday, June 12, 2014

• DeclinesProposal to reclassify positioncosts city $1,690 in legal bills(Continued from Page 1A)Charter, which states the city clerk “shall be a civil service employee.”

However, Sime told the Call, “... Any proposal that I would bring forward would not confl ict with the Charter.”

Sime’s effort to reclassify the post resur-faced after Ward 2 Alderman Tim Trueblood instructed City Attorney Lisa Stump on May 27 to draft an ordinance for alder-men to consider June 24 that, if approved, “would put before the voters of Crestwood at the next regularly scheduled election a ballot to amend the city’s Charter ...”

Under the proposed ballot issue, the city clerk’s position would “fall entirely under the selection, control, review and direction of the Board of Aldermen ...”

While Sime’s proposal to reclassify the clerk’s post originally appeared on the agenda for the Feb. 11 aldermanic meet-ing, he removed it from the agenda the day before the meeting. Legal bills the Call obtained through a public records request show Stump’s fi rm, Lashly & Baer, was paid roughly $1,690 for researching and drafting the ordinance.

Asked why he proposed Flowers’ reclas-sifi cation, Sime, who took his post last year, told the Call, “Well, that’s getting into the personnel arena here, and since it didn’t come out, then I’d prefer not to discuss it right now.”

Asked if his proposal would confl ict with the city’s Charter, he said, “I would hesitate to say that because the proposal that I did not bring forward was not out there, so we can’t say it was against the Charter or not.”

When reminded that the Charter states the clerk’s position shall be a civil service post, Sime said, “That is correct. The clerk’s position would have remained a civil service position.”

Asked to elaborate, he said, “... Well, all employees of the city are civil service employees,” including department heads.

When reminded his proposal would have classifi ed the clerk’s position as an exempt post not subject to the Civil Service Rules and Regulations, Sime said, “... This is where it will be a discussion about the Charter ver-sus the civil service rules, and I’m not here to get into that discussion with you at this time.”

Also at issue is who initiated the pro-posed change. In a May 30 email, Ward 4 Alderman Michael Vincent wrote that he was opposed to Trueblood’s May 27 pro-posal after talking with Sime and believes it would be better handled by the city’s Charter Review Commission in the future.

“I say wait — and incur no expense now. Most of us I assume have seen the legal costs incurred the last time this was brought forward,” he wrote. “It is my understanding our clerk initiated discussions with our CA (city administrator) and that he attempted to positively help her and to consider FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) guidelines.

“It is my understanding our clerk changed her mind and the issue was dropped. At that time, as now, I understand our CA had no criticism of our clerk or her work. It is my hope we all feel our clerk is doing excellent work, and needs no further pro-tection beyond what she has with the CSB

(Civil Service Board),” Vincent wrote.Asked about Vincent’s email, Sime said,

“It wasn’t sent to me.”However, copies of the email the Call re-

ceived after making a public records request show Sime was copied in on Vincent’s email. Asked if he had seen the email, Sime said, “I can’t comment on that.”

Trueblood told the Call that Flowers, who has been city clerk since early 2007, did not initiate the change and is opposed to it. Classifi ed employees cannot act as a spokes-person in response to media inquiries with-out approval from the city administrator.

Trueblood said when he fi rst learned of Sime’s proposal to reclassify Flowers’ position, he called the city clerk “to con-gratulate her because I thought, quite hon-estly in my being somewhat naive, that this was something that she really was wanting and would be good for her. And I was excited for her and I asked her, ‘Hey, how does this affect you? It looks good to me. How does it look to you?’

“And she said, ‘Tim, it’s awful.’ And I said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘I thought you wanted this.’ She said, ‘No ... I never said I wanted this. It takes me out of the protection of civil service, and then I would be an at-will employee (under Sime) ...’”

Trueblood said Flowers believed that Sime’s proposal also would jeopardize her independence as the city’s custodian of records and hinder her ability to impartially perform the responsibilities of her offi ce.

In her May 30 email response to Vincent, sent to all aldermen, Sime and her personal attorney, Flowers wrote, “I did not initiate nor did I support the reclassifi cation of my position as city clerk. This issue was proposed to me by City Administrator Sime in late January 2014. At that time, I expressed the concerns of this reclassifi ca-tion as being in direct confl ict with the City Charter and also that my position would no longer have the status of being a classi-fi ed position under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

“I also advised Mr. Sime at that time that if asked in a public meeting, I would have no choice but to go on record as expressing my opposition of the proposal ...”

She also wrote, “... It is also important to know that I would never recommend any type of action that would be in confl ict with city rules and regulations, especially when there could be the negative perception of intentionally promoting personal gain with-out any regard whatsoever for the city ...”

Asked about Flowers’ email, Sime said, “That is still within the personnel arena, and I can’t discuss that at this time.”

He also said, “... I’m not going to com-ment on her opinions.”

Going forward, Trueblood told the Call, “I feel like the best way to handle this posi-tion is to amend the Charter and convert it into one that’s responsible to the mayor and Board of Aldermen, like our neighbors do. It just seems to me that this would be the best choice for that position.

“Now it’s up to the voters to approve it. It’s honestly not our say other than to put it before the voters. They have that option to do as they see fi t. I would encourage them to really think hard and long about it before they voted and hope they would vote in the affi rmative to make the change ...”

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The Character Education Part-nership, a national advocate and leader for the character educa-tion movement, recently recog-nized five Lindbergh schools for developing ways to successfully reinforce character education as part of its Promising Practices program. To read more, visit www.callnewspapers.com.

Web exclusive

Preliminary Mehlville budgetprojects deficit of $5 million

Crestwood voters could be askedto have board supervise city clerk

Read more on Page 3A about an Oakville High stu-dent who recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

Calendar...................... Page 2AOur town ..................... Page 3AOpinions ..................... Page 4ACalendar...................... Page 5ACrestwood news ......... Page 6AElection 2014 ............. Page 8AMehlville news ........... Page 9ACounty news ............... Page 10AClassifieds ................... Page 11ACrossword puzzle ....... Page 12A

Inside the Call


A proposed Charter amendment that would ask Crestwood voters to place the city clerk’s position under the supervision of the Board of Aldermen was set to be considered earlier this week by aldermen.

Aldermen were scheduled to meet Tues-day night — after the Call went to press.

At the board’s May 27 meeting, Ward 2 Alderman Tim Trueblood asked City Attorney Lisa Stump to draft an ordinance to place the proposed Charter amendment before voters.

The city clerk now is appointed by the city administrator, and is subject to the direction and supervision of the city administrator.

(See CLERK, Page 6A)


The Mehlville School District’s prelimi-nary 2014-2015 budget, updated after the Board of Education approved more than $3 million in salary increases, could run a deficit of $5 million if approved.

The board is slated to consider the roughly $110 million budget and a salary increase for administrators when it meets at 7 p.m.

today — Thursday — before the July 1 state deadline, at the Administration Building, 3120 Lemay Ferry Road.

The meeting will be the last at Mehlville for Superintendent Eric Knost, who is leav-ing June 30 for the Rockwood School Dis-trict. Current Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder takes the in-terim superintendent position at Mehlville

(See DEFICIT, Page 9A)

Primary opponents Dooley, Stenger agree to debate; date yet to be scheduled

Dooley signs order on minority goals for contracts

Volume 17, Number 26 1 Section, 16 Pages Thursday, June 26, 2014 callnewspapers.com9977 Lin Ferry DriveSt. Louis, MO 63123


After the County Council rejected a proposal last week to establish goals for minority participation in county contracts, County Executive Charlie Dooley issued an executive order that makes the bill law anyway — although he said he expects the council to override it soon.

“I fully expect those on the council in opposition to our efforts to take steps to weaken or even strip this

order completely — but they will have to explain why they want to continue to disenfranchise minori-ties and women,” he said at the June 18 signing.

An executive order that overrides pending council legislation is an unprecedented move in the county — one that critics of the executive action said was designed to rally Dooley’s base in north county in advance of the Aug. 5 Democratic primary for county executive.

(See ORDER, Page 10A)


Since County Executive Charlie Dooley released a decade’s worth of his tax returns this spring, he has maintained that he will not debate one of his Aug. 5 primary opponents, 6th District County Councilman Steve Stenger, D-Affton, unless Stenger also released a decade of tax returns.

Dooley debuted a campaign commercial last week that repeated that challenge, asking what Stenger has to hide— “Who is this guy, anyway?” — and why he paid $21 in taxes on $221,000 of income one year. By the end of the week, Stenger released state tax returns dating back to 2007, and Dooley accepted a debate invitation from St. Louis Public Radio.

A date for the debate is not yet set, but it is tentatively scheduled to take place at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where St. Louis Public Radio is headquartered.

Besides Dooley and Stenger, Affton resident Ron Levy is seeking the Democratic nod for the county executive’s post in the Aug. 5 primary.

(See DEBATE, Page 8A)

Mehlville tennis lessons in full swingTennis lessons are available for the remainder of the summer at the com-

plex in front of Bernard Middle School. The Mehlville Community Enrichment Office offers weekly camps from Monday through Thursday for children in three age groups ranging from 4 to 15 years old. The cost is $60. For addi-tional information, call the Mehlville Community Enrichment Office at (314) 467-5280 or visit www.mehlvilleschooldistrict.com. A story and another pho-tograph are featured on Page 15A.

Sappington to have more classroom spaceBy MIKE ANTHONYExecutive Editor

The Lindbergh Board of Education recently awarded a $75,700 contract to Hof Construction for renovation work to create more classroom space at Sappington Elementary School.

The district received five bids for the work, ranging from Hof Construction’s low bid to John Kalicak Construction Inc.’s high bid of $96,026.

Sappington Elementary now has two large kindergarten classrooms (See SPACE, Page 7A)

Page 6A - Call Publishing, Thursday, June 26, 2014

City attorney redacts emailsCall sought in records request(Continued from Page 1A)

If the Charter amendment is placed on the Nov. 4 ballot and approved by voters, the Board of Aldermen would appoint the city clerk, who would be subject to the direction and supervision of aldermen. As proposed, the change would be effective Jan. 1.

The Charter states the city clerk “shall be a civil service employee.” Under the pro-posed amendment, the post would remain a civil service position.

After Trueblood proposed the Charter amendment last month, City Administrator Mark Sime’s effort earlier this year to reclas-sify the city clerk’s position resurfaced.

In February, Sime proposed an ordinance to amend the city’s municipal code to make the city clerk’s position unclassifi ed, or exempt — the same status as elected offi cials, the city administrator and depart-ment heads, who are not covered under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

However, City Clerk Tina Flowers wrote in a May 30 email that Sime’s proposal would directly confl ict with the Charter.

During a recent interview with the Call, Sime declined to explain why he attempted to reclassify the clerk’s position. When asked about the issue by former Ward 4 Alderman Steve Nieder June 10, Sime said, “This was a personnel issue, and ... I don’t care to talk about a personnel issue at this time.”

In a May 30 email, Ward 4 Alderman Michael Vincent wrote that he was op-posed to Trueblood’s proposal after talk-ing with Sime and believes it would be bet-ter handled by the city’s Charter Review Commission in the future.

In his email, Vincent also wrote that it is his understanding that Flowers initiated the proposal to reclassify her position.

But in her May 30 email response to Vin-cent, sent to all aldermen, Sime and her per-sonal attorney, Flowers wrote that she did not support or initiate the reclassifi cation.

In response to a request for copies of

her May 30 email and Vincent’s May 30 email, Flowers provided copies of the complete emails to the Call. In response to the same request, Stump provided redacted versions of the emails.

Stump redacted more than 140 words of Vincent’s nearly 225-word email, includ-ing the following passage: “... It is my understanding our clerk initiated discus-sions with our CA (city administrator) and that he attempted to positively help her and to consider FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) guidelines.

“It is my understanding our clerk changed her mind and the issue was dropped. At that time, as now, I understand our CA had no criticism of our clerk or her work ...”

In Flowers’ email, Stump redacted more than 400 words of the nearly 550-word message, including the following passage: “I did not initiate nor did I support the re-classifi cation of my position as city clerk. This issue was proposed to me by City Administrator Sime in late January 2014. At that time, I expressed the concerns of this reclassifi cation as being in direct con-fl ict with the City Charter and also that my position would no longer have the status of being a classifi ed position under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

“I also advised Mr. Sime at that time that if asked in a public meeting, I would have no choice but to go on record as expressing my opposition of the proposal ...”

In response to a request from the Call about why Stump redacted the emails, she cited the following exemptions to the Mis-souri Open Meetings and Records Act:

• “Legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body ...”

• “Hiring, fi ring, disciplining or promot-ing of particular employees by a public governmental body ...”

• “Individually identifi able personnel re-cords, performance ratings or records per-taining to employees ...”

Visit www.callnewspapers.com to view both the unredacted and redacted emails.

• Clerk

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A firefighter/paramedic recently was honored by the Kiwanis Club of Gravois. Read more on Page 3A.

Library news ............... Page 2AOur town ..................... Page 3AOpinions ..................... Page 4ACounty news ............... Page 6ACalendar...................... Page 7ASenior living ............... Page 9ACrestwood news ......... Page 10AClassifieds ................... Page 11ACrossword puzzle ....... Page 12AMFPD news ................ Page 15A

Inside the Call

Officials to fast-trackconstruction of newTesson Ferry Library

This rendering provided by the St. Louis County Library shows the cafe/atrium of the new $16 mil-lion Tesson Ferry Library that will be constructed at Gravois and Musick roads in Affton, across from Grant’s Farm. Construction of the new library could start as soon as Aug. 18.

Ex-alderman tells Sime he’s lost confidence in his ability to move Crestwood forward

Financial condition of MFPD remains strongBy MIKE ANTHONYExecutive Editor

The financial condition of the Mehlville Fire Protec-tion remains strong, with its net position increasing by nearly $1.1 million during fiscal 2013.

The Board of Directors recently voted unanimously to approve the fire district’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, audited by Hochschild, Bloom &

Co., for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2013.Robert Offerman of Hochschild, Bloom & Co.

told the board June 25 that the district received an “unqualified opinion” on its 2013 financial state-ments — the best possible opinion that can be given.

In addition, the fire district earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from

(See STRONG, Page 15A)

Panel given history lesson on Watson Road Corridor

Volume 17, Number 28 1 Section, 16 Pages Thursday, July 10, 2014 callnewspapers.com9977 Lin Ferry DriveSt. Louis, MO 63123

First of two partsBy MIKE ANTHONYExecutive Editor

A Crestwood panel received a history lesson last week about the rise and fall of the Watson Road

Corridor from a longtime planning consultant for the city.

John Brancaglione, vice president of Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets Inc., or PGAV, outlined the his-tory of the Watson Road Corridor

from the early 1980s to the pres-ent during a June 30 meeting of the city’s Economic Development Commission.

The panel, with recently appointed(See HISTORY, Page 10A)

A local commercial real es-tate company has purchased the former Johnny’s Market at Gravois and Sappington roads. K2 Commercial Group pur-chased the 2.5-acre site at 11555 Gravois Road that features the more than 20,000-square-foot store. Read more by visiting www.callnewspapers.com.

Web exclusive


St. Louis County Library officials are fast-tracking their time line for opening the new Tesson Ferry Library and hope to have the new $16 million building open and operating by fall 2015.

Under the library’s current construction time line, presented to the Library Board of Trustees in June, officials are sending the project out this week to construction companies for bids, after the architect completed final designs July 1.

The winning bidder could be approved at the board’s August meet-ing after bids close July 28, and construction could start as soon as Aug. 18, said Todd Hornburg, vice president of Fenton-based Landmark Contract Management. The company is managing the library’s $108 million facilities master plan, under which the library is replacing the Tesson Ferry, Meramec Valley and Lewis and Clark

(See LIBRARY, Page 2A)


A former longtime Crestwood alderman recently told City Administrator Mark Sime that he has lost confidence in Sime’s ability to move the city forward.

Former Ward 3 Alderman Jerry Miguel, who joined

other aldermen in voting 7-0 to hire Sime in January 2013, cited a series of decisions made by Sime that have caused Miguel to lose confidence in the city administrator.

During a period for public comment at the June 24 Board of Aldermen meeting, Miguel said he had been out of town for a couple of weeks and when he returned, he was

surprised to read a headline in the Call that stated, “Sime declines to explain his attempt to reclassify Crestwood clerk’s post.”

In that article, the Call reported that Sime declined to ex-plain why he attempted earlier this year to reclassify the

(See LOST, Page 4A)

Veto of diversity legislationwould be a first for DooleyBy GLORIA LLOYDStaff Reporter

In nearly 11 years as county executive, Charlie Dooley has never vetoed any legislation approved by the County Council — but there is a first time for everything.

Last week, Dooley promised to veto legislation the council adopted July 1 that mandates hiring goals for minorities and women in county contracts and overrides a similar executive order that Dooley, the first African-American county executive, issued June 18.

The measure was approved 5-1, with Chairwoman Hazel Erby, D-University City, opposed. Erby is the only African-American on

(See VETO, Page 6A)

Call Publishing, Thursday, July 10, 2014 - Page 4A

By Mike Anthony

Crestwood’s transparencythreatened by Sime, Stump

Jerry Miguel served the city of Crestwood admirably as a Ward 3 alderman for nine years, until he could not seek re-election because of term limits.

During his service on the board, from 2004 to 2013, Miguel excelled at keeping a close eye on the city’s finances, and his meticulous attention to detail reaped untold benefits for residents. Therefore, we were dis-turbed by his recent comments about City Administrator Mark Sime.

As readers may surmise, we’re no longer a big fan of Sime, who recent-ly stonewalled his way through an interview with the Call. During that interview, Sime declined to explain why he attempted earlier this year to reclassify the city clerk’s posi-tion as an unclassified position — a change that appears to violate the city’s Charter and is opposed by City Clerk Tina Flowers.

It’s the reclassification issue — along with several others — that rankled Miguel, who declared at the June 24 Board of Aldermen meeting that he has lost confidence in Sime’s ability to move the city forward.

Miguel’s comments, in our opinion, carry a great deal of weight, par-ticularly given the fact that he joined other aldermen in voting 7-0 to hire Sime in January 2013.

“... I had full confidence in you, Mr. Sime, when you were presented to the board,” Miguel said. “I grilled you intensively for an hour, and I had full confidence in your ability to lead the city forward in a business-like manner.”

But over the past 16 months, Miguel said his opinion of Sime has soured, citing a series of events — includ-ing Sime’s firing of a city employ-ee that was reversed by the Civil Service Board — and culminating with Sime’s effort to reclassify the city clerk’s position.

Under Sime’s “leadership,” the trans-parency that once was a cornerstone of Crestwood government has evaporated and been replaced with a shroud of secrecy. In his effort to keep the public and press in the dark, Sime has been ably assisted by City Attorney Lisa Stump. Stump’s unique view of the state’s Open Meetings and Records Act is troubling since her actions ap-pear motivated by a desire to protect Sime rather than uphold the law.

Both the city administrator and the city attorney answer to the mayor and the Board of Aldermen. We believe city officials need to closely scruti-nize the actions of Sime and Stump and decide if they’re the right people to serve Crestwood and its citizens.

Letters policyThe Call welcomes letters to the editor.Typed letters of 200 words or less are given priority. Letters must

be marked “exclusively for the Call.”Visit www.callnewspapers.com/Site.Aboutus.html for our com-

plete letters policy.

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basis. Visit www.callnewspapers.com to read web-exclusive stories.

To track down your web-exclusive com-munity news, simply use your smartphone and scan the QR code to the right.

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Trueblood asks board to delay considerationof proposed amendment on clerk’s position(Continued from Page 1A)city clerk’s position as an unclassified position — a change that appears to violate the city’s Charter.

In February, Sime proposed an ordinance to amend the city’s municipal code to make the city clerk’s position unclassified, or exempt — the same status as elected officials, the city administra-tor and department heads, who are not covered under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

But City Clerk Tina Flowers wrote in a May 30 email sent to aldermen that she objected to Sime’s proposal and that it would directly conflict with the city’s Charter, which states the city clerk “shall be a civil service employee.”

After reading the Call article, Miguel said, “It got me to thinking of the events of the past 16 months. I had full confidence in you, Mr. Sime, when you were presented to the board. I grilled you intensively for an hour, and I had full confidence in your ability to lead the city forward in a business-like manner.

“But I reflected on the events of the past 16 months. First event was (eliminating) animal control. I fully supported that move. It was obvious to me that that was a duplication of services. I had no problems with that. I was a little bit surprised in how quickly it occurred, but nevertheless that had my full support.”

Next, Miguel cited Sime’s decision to outsource the city’s information technology services to ThrottleNet, which he “found understandable.”

“The third event was the pooling of the secretaries. Again under-standable, but as I found out later, it was not very well-handled,” Miguel said.

The fourth event, Miguel said, was the “firing” of an employee.“Questionable from the beginning — at least in my mind. The

decision was reversed by the Civil Service Board. Obviously ... the firing was uncalled for,” he said.

“Fifth, the outsourcing of the finance department. Again, in my mind, a bad move from the get-go. I applaud the board for finally coming and voting 6 to nothing to reject that proposition ... But at the same time, I admonish the board for taking so long in which to

do that, and I regret the persistence of the administration in pursu-ing that particular line.”

That issue, Miguel said, brought him “to the top of the hill. What pushed me over was what I saw when I came back — the attempt to reclassify the city clerk.”

Miguel, who served on the board from 2004 to 2013, asked Ward 1 Alderman Richard Breeding and Ward 2 Alderman Time Trueblood if they recalled the reclassification issue being raised about nine years ago.

“I think that issue came to the board when — about 2005. It was handled very appropriately at this board, at least as my recollec-tion is concerned, was brought up, was discussed and the issue was dropped. As a result of these actions, Mr. Sime, my confi-dence in you has been lost. I regret to say that. The question for the board — I present to the board is: What’s the next thing to be outsourced? Will it be police or will it be fire? ...”

In a related matter, the Board of Aldermen postponed consider-ation of a proposed Charter amendment that would ask voters to place the city clerk’s position under the supervision of aldermen instead of the city administrator.

Trueblood, who had requested the proposed amendment be drafted, asked the board June 24 to postpone consideration of it.

“...I’ve asked that the proposed ordinance that was going to be put before the board tonight to vote on changing part of the Charter — or putting before the voters a ballot issue requesting a change in the Charter — be postponed until we have further time to review it,” he said. “Legal has brought some inconsistencies that need to be resolved. There’s a cost to doing that right now.

“I still think it has value. I want to keep it out there. It’s already been drawn up. But in the meantime, I think I want to spend a little time in reviewing this further, particularly the language in it as it relates to the current Charter ...

“So with my apologies to the board, I’d like to postpone this and put it aside for awhile ...,” he said, later adding he would bring it back to the board at a later date.

Trueblood’s proposal called for voters to consider whether aldermen should appoint the city clerk, who would be subject to the direction and supervision of the board. Under the proposed amendment, the post would remain a civil service position.

Schmitt primary author of billto reduce income-tax rates(Continued from Page 3A)other treatment options.

This year, Schmitt has also been at the forefront of some of the battles the Legislature is having with Gov. Jay Nixon over tax cuts and school transfers.

The senator was the primary author of the Legislature’s bill to cut income-tax rates from 6 percent to 5.5 percent over several years and cut taxes by 25 percent for small businesses. Schmitt said he is proud that the Legislature overrode Nixon’s veto of that measure.

“I know how important it would have

been for my dad and my family. He worked seven days a week,” he said. “If he brought home more take-home pay, I know what that meant for our family and what it meant for our lives. I think about a single mom who has a little more money each week — maybe she’s able to send her kid to a different school. If you look at states that have moved in this direction, they’re seeing more take-home pay and more jobs.”

As part of a coalition of senators from the region, including Sen. Scott Sifton, D-Affton, Schmitt fought for several changes to the state’s law governing school transfers, some of which were in the final compromise agreed to by the Legislature

that Nixon vetoed in June. Although Schmitt does not know if the

Missouri House will have enough votes this fall to override Nixon’s veto, he sees the bill as an example of the bipartisan compromise that many Americans say they would like to see from their politicians.

“We really worked together to try to put something together that addressed some of the key issues, like capacity issues for districts like Kirkwood and Mehlville, and it had the support of many Democrats,” he said. “The governor was silent the whole time, and the only thing he’s ever said about a bill is that he would veto it ... Missourians deserve better, and those kids deserve better.”

• Schmitt

• Lost

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Visit www.callnewspapers.com to read about St. Phil-ip’s United Church of Christ’s Vacation Bible School.

Election 2014 ............. Page 2ACounty news ............... Page 3AOpinions ..................... Page 4ACrestwood news ......... Page 5ACalendar...................... Page 7AObituaries ................... Page 8AOur town ..................... Page 9AElection 2014 ............. Page 10AClassifieds ................... Page 11ACrossword puzzle ....... Page 12A

Inside the CallZachary Klug recently begin

his duties as the new principal of Abiding Savior Lutheran School, a ministry mission of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church. He comes to Abiding Savior from his previous position as princi-pal at Word of Life Lutheran School. Read more by visiting www.callnewspapers.com.

Web exclusive

Dooley’s leadership challengedby county executive opponents

Stenger, Dooley continue to face offin variety of venues as primary nears


A county review of the Tesson Ferry Branch Library move concluded St. Louis County Library officials made a cost-saving decision to move the library with full input

from the public, and that any residents who have criticized the decision based their opinions on flawed information.

“It is difficult to ask the county executive to act on behalf of a public who is intentionally or accidentally misinformed,” according to the review, commissioned by

County Executive Charlie Dooley.Patrons and local elected officials, including a state legis-

lator, have criticized the way the library handled the Tesson Ferry move, contending the library did not include residents

(See REVIEW, Page 3A)


A Green Park alderman and a state representative are vying for the Republican Party’s nomination for county executive in the Aug. 5 primary.

Tony Pousosa, who represents Ward 1 in Green Park, and Rep. Rick Stream of Kirkwood are vying for their party’s nod for the county’s top post.

Asked to identify the most important issue in the race, the candidates responded:

• “Stopping the St. Louis city-county merger be-cause it is a tax-payer bailout of the fiscally mis-managed city,” Pousosa said.

• “Job retention and creation is the most important issue(See NOD, Page 10A)

Pousosa, Stream vying for GOP nodin Aug. 5 primary for county’s top post By MIKE ANTHONY

Executive EditorCrestwood City Clerk Tina Flowers has resigned her

position, effective Friday, July 25.Flowers, who has served as city clerk since January 2007,

submitted her resignation July 14, according to an email City Administrator Mark Sime sent to aldermen.

“I regret to inform you that this morning the city clerk presented me with her resignation, effective July 25, 2014,” Sime wrote in the July 14 email. “She plans to take vacation time from today until her resignation is effective.

(See RESIGNS, Page 5A)

Tony Pousosa Rick Stream

Crestwood city clerk resigns

Review concludes Tesson Ferry Library move done with full input from public



Candidates from across the political spec-trum challenged the leadership of longtime County Executive Charlie Dooley at a for-um last week, in what will apparently be the only time any of the candidates answer questions together before the Aug. 5 pri-mary election.

At the two-hour League of Women Voters forum, held July 16 at St. Louis Community

College’s Florissant Valley Student Center, the four candidates who were not Dooley agreed that the county needs a change at the top, while Dooley defended the direction of the county under his leadership.

Joining Dooley on the Democratic side was 6th District Councilman Steve Stenger, D-Affton, along with Joe Passanise from the Constitution Party and the Republican candidates, Green Park Ward 1 Alderman

(See CHALLENGED, Page 2A)


With the Aug. 5 primary election near-ing, County Executive Charlie Dooley and 6th District Councilman Steve Stenger, D-Affton, faced off last week in and out of the council chambers, at a candidate forum, on television airwaves and in Dooley’s first-ever veto.

In his first veto in nearly 11 years in office, Dooley rejected a union-centered diversity bill championed by Stenger, with Dooley noting how disappointed he was in the legislation.

“The bills sponsored by Councilman (Mike) O’Mara hijacked the titles of Council-woman (Hazel) Erby’s bills while turning

(See NEARS, Page 6A)

Megan LeFaivre-Zimmerman photo

Dirtbags capture SLABA 18U titleThe Southside Dirtbags captured the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Associ-

ation’s 18U title with back-to-back wins over the St. Charles Capitals. The Dirtbags defeated the Capitals 7-2 on Saturday. On Friday, the Dirtbags de-feated St. Charles 9-4. Above, Oakville High graduate Ryan Brady, No. 16, of the Dirtbags attempts to put the tag on a Capitals runner in Friday’s game. For a story and more photos, visit www.callnewspapers.com.

Call Publishing, Thursday, July 24, 2014 - Page 5A

• ResignsAdministrator names Ingoldacting Crestwood city clerk(Continued from Page 1A)

“Therefore, she will not be in the build-ing.

“She has done a lot for the city and we have talked about the future of the staffi ng of the clerk offi ce. I will appoint Helen Ingold as the acting city clerk until a new city clerk is hired. The ad for the position will be on the streets this week,” Sime wrote.

Ingold has served as an executive secre-tary for the city since January 2005.

Contacted by the Call, Flowers declined to comment, noting that her resignation is not effective until July 25. Until then, she is a civil service employee, or clas-sifi ed employee. Under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations, classifi ed employees cannot act as a spokesperson in response to media inquiries without ap-proval from the city administrator.

Mayor Gregg Roby was unavailable for comment before the Call’s press deadline.

In addition to the acting city clerk, the city is in the process of fi lling the vacant fi nance offi cer position and has an acting public services director.

Sime has declined to explain publicly why he attempted earlier this year to reclassify the clerk’s position as an unclassifi ed posi-tion — a change that appears to violate the city’s Charter and was opposed by Flowers.

In February, Sime proposed an ordinance to amend the city’s municipal code to make the city clerk’s position unclassifi ed, or exempt — the same status as elected offi cials, the city administrator and depart-ment heads, who are not covered under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

Flowers wrote in a May 30 email sent to aldermen that Sime’s proposal would directly confl ict with the city’s Charter, which states the city clerk “shall be a civil service employee.”

While Sime’s proposal to reclassify the clerk’s post originally appeared on the agenda for the Feb. 11 aldermanic meet-ing, he removed it from the agenda the day before the meeting. Legal bills the Call obtained through a public records request show City Attorney Lisa Stump’s fi rm, Lashly & Baer, was paid at least $1,690 for researching and drafting the ordinance.

Sime’s effort to reclassify the post resurfaced after Ward 2 Alderman Tim Trueblood instructed Stump on May 27 to draft an ordinance for aldermen to con-sider June 24 that, if approved, “would put before the voters of Crestwood at the next regularly scheduled election a ballot to amend the city’s Charter ...”

Under the proposed ballot issue, the city clerk’s position would “fall entirely under the selection, control, review and direction of the Board of Aldermen ...”

However, Trueblood asked the board June 24 to postpone consideration of the proposed Charter Amendment. Trueblood’s proposal called for voters to consider whether alder-men should appoint the city clerk, who would be subject to the direction and super-vision of the board. As proposed, the post would remain a civil service position.

Trueblood’s proposal met opposition from Ward 4 Alderman Michael Vincent, who wrote in a May 30 email that after

talking with Sime, he believed any Charter amendment for the clerk’s position would be better handled by the city’s Charter Review Commission in the future.

“I say wait — and incur no expense now. Most of us I assume have seen the legal costs incurred the last time this was brought forward,” he wrote. “It is my understanding our clerk initiated discussions with our CA (city administrator) and that he attempted to positively help her and to consider FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) guidelines.

“It is my understanding our clerk changed her mind and the issue was dropped. At that time, as now, I understand our CA had no criticism of our clerk or her work. It is my hope we all feel our clerk is doing excellent work, and needs no further pro-tection beyond what she has with the CSB (Civil Service Board),” Vincent wrote.

But in her May 30 email response to Vincent, sent to all aldermen, Sime and her personal attorney, Flowers wrote, “I did not initiate nor did I support the reclas-sifi cation of my position as city clerk. This issue was proposed to me by City Administrator Sime in late January 2014. At that time, I expressed the concerns of this reclassifi cation as being in direct con-fl ict with the City Charter and also that my position would no longer have the status of being a classifi ed position under the city’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations ...”

Besides the soon-to-be vacant city clerk’s post, the deadline to apply for the vacant city fi nance offi cer’s position was July 11.

Nearly a year ago, aldermen approved a separation agreement with former Finance Offi cer Greg Kremer, who signed the agreement and resigned effective Aug. 15.

Kremer was hired in January 2011.In a closed meeting on Aug. 20, aldermen

voted 8-0 to approve the agreement, which settles all potential claims between Kremer and the city regarding his employment.

The city paid Kremer $5,250 and $2,000 to Kremer’s attorneys.

Instead of hiring a fi nance offi cer, Sime recommended aldermen approve a con-sulting agreement for fi nancial support services with a company the city once sued for alleged professional negligence and breach of contract.

The agreement called for Hochschild, Bloom & Co. to serve as a consultant for fi nancial support services for the city’s Finance Department. The board was sched-uled to consider the agreement May 13, but Sime pulled the issue from the agenda after learning about the lawsuit, which the city fi led in 2003 and Hochschild, Bloom & Co. settled in 2006.

Vincent’s motion to conduct a fi rst read-ing of an ordinance approving the agree-ment for fi nancial support services with Hochschild, Bloom & Co. failed for lack of a second on May 27. On June 10, alder-men voted 6-0 for Sime to move forward with hiring a full-time fi nance offi cer.

Maintenance Supervisor Brian Hibdon has been serving as acting public service director since Public Services Director Michael Pratt resigned, effective May 2.

“... We will be introducing our new public works director to the board for ap-pointment ...” Tuesday night — after the Call went to press — Roby wrote on his mayoral Facebook page.

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• The Southside Dirtbags captured the SLABA’s 18U title with back-to-back wins over the St. Charles Capitals. For a story visit www.callnewspapers.com and for more photos visit www.facebook.com/callnewspapers• Read about St. Philip’s United Church of Christ’s Vacation Bible School• Zachary Klug recently begin his duties as the new principal of Abiding Savior Lutheran School, a ministry mission of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church. He comes to Abiding Savior from his previous position as principal at Word of Life Lutheran School.

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Read more on Page 7A about the Mehlville Garden Club’s Yard of the Month.

Election 2014 ............. Page 2ASchool news ............... Page 3ACalendar...................... Page 4AOur town ..................... Page 5AOpinions ..................... Page 6AHomes and gardens .... Page 7ACalendar...................... Page 11ACrestwood news ......... Page 14AClassifieds ................... Page 15ACrossword puzzle ....... Page 16A

Inside the CallThe fifth annual Crestwood-

Sunset Hills Route 66 Car Cruise, set for Saturday, Aug. 9, will offer a free day of family fun. Kicking off the festivities is an automobile parade, which will begin at 10 a.m. at the Sunset Hills Community Cen-ter. To read the full story, visit www.callnewspapers.com.

Web exclusive

Voters to weigh statewide sales taxto fund road, infrastructure projects


Two candidates are challenging incumbent Charlie Dooley in next week’s Democratic primary for the county executive’s post.

In Tuesday’s primary, Affton residents Ron Levy and 6th District County Councilman Steve Stenger are looking to unseat Dooley, who has served as county executive since October 2003.

Asked to identify the most important issue in the

race, the candidates responded:• “Getting people back to work,” Dooley said.• “... Abolish unequal school property taxes,” Levy

said, noting school district tax rates range from $3.10 per $100 of assessed valuation in the Ladue School District to $6.28 per $100 in the Hazelwood School District.

• “Restoring accountability and public confidence. As a certified public accountant for 20 years, I know how to be fiscally responsible without balancing the budget

(See DEMOCRATIC, Page 2A)

Dooley, Levy, Stenger seek Democratic nod for county executive

Mehlville Marching Band in step with successThe cooler-than-usual temperatures have served as a vacation for members

of the Mehlville High School Marching Band. But vacation is over, and band camp continues, according to a district news release. Band camp got into full swing after Independence Day and continues until the first day of school, Aug. 14. Above, band member Blain McVey plays the mellophone. Read more on Page 3A.

Senior complex, Hobby Lobby variancebecome issues in county executive race

Charlie Dooley Ron Levy Steve Stenger

Clerk forced to resign, some Crestwood citizens say



With Tuesday’s primary for county exec-utive approaching, the senior housing complex that saw a groundswell of oppo-sition in Oakville last year has become a campaign issue, along with a zoning vari-ance for a new south county Hobby Lobby.

In what became just the latest salvo in the increasingly negative primary show-down between County Executive Charlie Dooley and 6th District Councilman Steve Stenger, D-Affton, Dooley began running a television commercial July 21 that labeled Stenger as “anti-senior” for convincing the

(See ISSUES, Page 8A)


Some Crestwood residents alleged last week that former City Clerk Tina Flowers was forced to resign over a hostile work environment.

During a period for public comment at the July 22 Board of Aldermen meeting, several residents lamented Flowers’ resignation, while some alleged that city officials, including Mayor Gregg Roby, City Administrator Mark Sime, City Attorney Lisa Stump

and Ward 4 Alderman Michael Vincent, had targeted Flowers in an effort to force her to resign.

Resident Don Clark told Roby, “... I know for a fact — this is a fact — that you, the city administrator, (the) lawyer and Vincent all wanted Tina Flowers out. And you put so much heat on her till she had to resign. This is corrupt.”

Roby said, “I don’t know where you’re getting your information, Mr. Clark.”

(See FORCED, Page 14A)


Voters heading to the polls Tuesday will decide whether to amend the Missouri Constitution to approve the largest tax in-crease in Missouri history, a statewide sales tax to fund road improvements.

If voters approve Amendment 7, Mis-sourians will pay a statewide three-quar-ter-cent sales tax to fund a projected $6.1

billion of road and infrastructure improve-ments on projects that will span the next decade.

The constitutional amendment was ap-proved by the Missouri Legislature, and it was placed on the Aug. 5 ballot by Gov. Jay Nixon, who opposes the tax as regressive.

Although many legislators concede that a sales tax is not a perfect funding method

(See TAX, Page 12A)

Citizen challenges Sime over clerk issueBy MIKE ANTHONYExecutive Editor

A Crestwood resident last week challenged City Administrator Mark Sime about his assertion that his attempt to reclassify the city clerk’s position was a personnel matter that he cannot discuss with the public or press.

As reported by the Call, Sime has publicly declined to explain why he attempted earlier this year to reclassify the clerk’s position as an unclassified position — a change that appears to violate the

(See CHALLENGE, Page 10A)

Documents

Crestwood clerk position 1