By Antonio D. French
Filed Friday, March 3 at 5:37 AM
Rumor has it that today might be the day for Board Bill #69.
Sources tell PUB DEF to look for the St. Louis Board of Alderman to perfect a bill creating a civilian review board this morning. But the bill will fall short of some of the features that supporters have been hoing for. Look for a CRB with:
> No elected members
> 7 members, each recommended by 4 aldermen
> If 4 aldermen cannot agree on a member, the mayor will step in to decide
> Still no subpoena power
The "4 aldermen = 1 CRB member" formula will give the advantage to the 16 white aldermen that withheld their support of the bill. We're told that the Aldermanic Black Caucus, which unanimously supported the creation of a CRB, believed that this compromise was the only way to get the bill passed.
Developing...
1 Comments:
Even if having four elected members, half of the proposed CRB districts would still have majority white voting population. Indeed, even the near northside district, since including central corridor wards, could end up with a white member, especially in a 3-way or more contest.
In theory, white aldermen representing growing black constituencies could easily be more sensitive to the diversity of the CRB than the ward-based electorate.
7:41 AM, March 03, 2006
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