January 5, 201
Again, THE FACTS MATTER: While the Treasurer is making this lawsuit all about her, IT’S NOT. I am engaged in this lawsuit to fix a broken system, in which the majority of the people that I communicate with in both the Civic and the Local Community agree. Please note the enclosed cover page of the lawsuit that includes: The City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, Members of the Parking Commission in their capacity as: Comptroller, Director of Streets, Director of Parking Operations and the Treasurer. It’s ironic that the only public outcry is from the Treasurer and no one else. Who by the way ran a campaign to do just what I am doing….. Fixing a broken and archaic system. In her words “parking has no business in the Treasurer Office.”
While the Parking Division has over $4.9M in restricted funds to cover all bonds issued and over $22M in unrestricted funds with no earmark for future use, we have raised taxes and trash pickup fees. The operating budget for the Parking Division is less $9M. The City’s total operating budget with capital is over $1B with less than $10M in reserves. This is not the best use of public dollars.
If there’s an opportunity to give more money to the City’s general revenue fund the Members of the Parking Commission should be excited to do so. We are all elected to represent the best interest of city constituency. Teamwork requires reciprocity: we should lead from democratic principles not autocratic rule.
The Treasurer has a fiduciary duty and obligation to hold regular Parking Commission Meeting regardless of any lawsuits. She has been sued in previous years and had meetings; therefore this isn’t different. She doesn’t want to be held accountable by anyone and that’s not right.
Tishaura O. Jones has made this personal because it create diversions, plea to emotions rather the facts and advance #fakenews to distract from the truth. . The target is actually the State of Missouri. Everyone else is a willing participant based on State law which there is no choice but to comply unless a law suit is brought against the State of Missouri. This process is about good government. If it was progressive in 2012, then what makes it not progressive today? If the parking operations are placed within the sole authority of the City, the Treasurer continues to be the Treasurer with the same pay and less responsibilities, except maybe the extra $16,000 that’s allowed to be paid to serve as Parking Supervisor.
If the position that I have taken prevails then it’s a big win the City of St. Louis. We will have more money to take care of the homeless, focus more on justice reform, job training and other social service and quality of life issues to reinvent a Better St. Louis together.
