The St. Louis American: “Getting closer to a government for the people”

“Proposition R passed with nearly 70% of approval by St. Louis voters. Proposition B received 61% of county voters. Both reform measures could be heard as screams of voters being sick and tired of being sick and tired; sick and tired of the indifference, incompetence, and alleged corruption of people who they pay to represent their interests.

In the city, several issues were bundled into Prop R. The most important were that the Board of Alderpersons will no longer draw a redistricting map after the 2030 U.S. Census. Voters have seen absurd boundaries drawn that have little to do with equitable representation.

One year, an alderman used his power to draw a potential opponent out of the ward. Prop R was a vote of no confidence in that process.

Prop R requires alderpersons to publicly disclose their financial dealings. This takes into account the kind of privileged and unfettered access to information and resources they might have that could be unethical, and possibly, illegal.

The region hangs on to the past, fighting against transformative change and the people are responding. Listen carefully, and you’ll hear voters demanding a government for the people.”

Read the full story from the St. Louis American here.