By Antonio D. French
Filed Saturday, March 25 at 5:25 PM
Tipsters are reporting that southside voters have received five full-color glossy campaign pieces from the two incumbent SLPS school board candidates being backed by Mayor Francis Slay. Most of the mailers feature prominent photos of the mayor and at least one attacks one of their parent opponents.
The brochures reportedly feature messages such as "(Students) deserve a winning team," "Tough Choices," and "I need your help for St. Louis Schools," featuring a photo of a smiling Mayor Slay. But the one that caught the eye of most of our tipsters, and best demonstrates how much of a threat Slay and his candidates see candidate and SLPS parent Peter Downs, is the one that says "Peter Downs can't tell us how he'll get results - just more finger pointing about what is wrong."
Supporters of Downs and Donna Jones, the other SLPS parent running in the race, allege that the Mayor is engaging in dirty politics, pitting southside voters against northside voters.
"It's time for St. Louis voters to rise, stand up, and raise a fist to say 'No' to election campaigns designed to further polarize and divide our city," said school board member Bill Purdy. Purdy supports both Downs and Jones.
Most political observers believe that Downs' supporters, who have fallen short of winning a seat on the board in two previous elections, have their best shot on April 4 at winning one for the longtime schools watchdog. Downs' campaign has won strong endorsements from the City's teachers union, as well as the St. Louis Labor Club.
Downs is also the only white candidate in the race, something that the Slay camp must feel warrants the southside media blitz in these last two weeks of the campaign.
9 Comments:
People in Old North and D'town are reporting on another blog that they are getting the same things.
7:38 PM, March 25, 2006
Purdy reported that the mailing went to the central corridor as well as the south side. Old North might be regarded as central corridor, or it might have been targeted because of its significant (albeit minority) white population. "D'town" is either south (if it means Dogtown) or central corridor (if it means Downtown).
10:41 PM, March 25, 2006
Gee, I wonder why the campaign isn't touting the Slay slate as bipartisan, considering Buford is a Republican.
10:43 PM, March 25, 2006
My mother lives in Walnut Park, and she got the mailers you are describing.
5:22 PM, March 26, 2006
I received these mailings at my apartment in the CWE.
6:28 PM, March 26, 2006
Didn't really pay attention to who the other mailings came from, but the one I got yesterday slamming Peter Downs was from something called Educate St. Louis, which was formed back in January. The treasurer's name is Miles Mooney, which means nothing to me. The
address and phone are that of PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The papers were filed with the ethics commission by some guy named Bradley L. Wideman at Bryan Cave.
They have filed two expenditure reports with the ethics commission thus far -- one just this morning. In February they incurred a 39k obligation to what seems to be a public relations firm in DC called Peter D. Hart. And just the other day they got an outright contribution of 18.75k from AmerenUE and a loan for 40k from Slay for Mayor. And paid 51k to a direct mail outfit in Austin, TX (apparently they have not yet paid Hart).
6:35 PM, March 26, 2006
Why is it playing North Side/South Side politics when you put the picture of the mayor on some mail and not on other pieces? I consider that smart politics. It would be one thing if the South Side piece said "vote to stop busing" or something like that. But simply putting Slay's pic on mail targeted at neighborhoods where he is more popular is not "polarizing" or "divisive," as Downs/Jones claim, it's just common sense targeting. Seems like there are enough polarizing things that go on and that merit attention - we don't need to create new ones.
10:26 PM, March 26, 2006
Um, DUTCHtown, actually. Mea culpas to all offended/omitted parties.
1:06 PM, March 27, 2006
Your observation on the American newspaper is what I have been thinking for some time. As a teacher in SLPS, it's uncanny how much in line with big businesses this newspaper has become and what a supporter of it is a failed "reform" model.
8:06 AM, March 31, 2006
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