Monday, March 28, 2016
Earnings Tax Fight
St. Louis Public Radio’s Jo Mannies gives a rundown of the earning tax battle in St. Louis City. See it here.
Pull Quote: The opposition’s $2 million campaign is financed by one donor, financier Rex Sinquefield, who believes that income taxes — state or local — stifle job growth. Sinquefield previously has proposed, for example, that the state of Missouri replace its income tax with a higher state sales tax. In fact, city voters will be reconsidering the earnings tax solely because of Sinquefield’s success in 2010 in financing a statewide ballot measure that bars any Missouri communities outside of St. Louis or Kansas City — which already had an earnings tax — from putting such an income tax in place…. Slay indicated that city officials, unlike their counterparts in Kansas City, aren't hitting up corporations and others to donate money for a massive, last-ditch ad blitz. The mayor noted that Sinquefield can write more million-dollar checks, and said there was no way the city and its allies could match that.
Earnings Tax Bits
Sen. Jamilah Nasheed is spending her some of her campaign money to extol the virtues of the earnings tax in Missouri. It’s reportedly a $10K+ radio ad buy in which she paints a bleak picture of the city without a third of its budget – no police, no firefighters, no ambulances….
Fred Sauer press release: On Wednesday, March 23, 2016 Fred N. Sauer placed this ad in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to invite St. Louisans and Missourians to a presentation that will address a looming economic crisis. Through millions of dollars of political contributions, Rex Sinquefield and others are determined to merge St. Louis City with St. Louis County. This disaster would burden St. Louis County residents with the bad management and fiscal disasters of the City's government-both their past mistakes and the inevitable future results. If successful in this plan, St. Louis County residents will feel the very real consequences of years of terrible City policies, and we will be left with the Chicago of Missouri in the control of Rex Sinquefield. At this upcoming event, Fred Sauer will present significant research about the current economic peril in which Rex Sinquefield and his plans have placed St. Louis County residents.
On March 30, 2016, at 9:30am, please join us at the St. Louis Frontenac Hilton for a continental breakfast and a presentation entitled: Wake Up St. Louis County! Rex Sinquefield Wants You to Pay!
And Brian Feldman writes in Washington Monthly how economic fates can be determined by decisions of government – but in this case (St. Louis) it’s hardly a 1% tax that’s to blame. Feldman says it’s the weakening of anti-trust laws. See it here.
Pull Quote: The relative decline of St. Louis—along with that of other similarly endowed heartland cities—is therefore not simply, or even primarily, a story of deindustrialization. The larger explanation involves how presidents and lawmakers in both parties, influenced by a handful of economists and legal scholars, quietly altered federal competition policies, antitrust laws, and enforcement measures over a period of thirty years. These changes, which enabled the same kind of predatory corporate behavior that took the Rams away from St. Louis, also robbed the metro area of a vibrant economy, and of hundreds of locally based companies. This economic uprooting, still all but unaddressed by today’s politicians or presidential candidates, accounts for much of the relative stagnation of other Middle American communities, and for much of the anger roiling voters this election cycle…
Filings News
Filing closes at 5PM tomorrow. Usually there’s a little spurt at the end.
No Smith in Senate 23
Word is that former Rep. Joe Smith will not be filing in Senate 23, a rumor which worked its way around the building a few times during the past month. It was thought that Smith’s entry would be good for Rep. Anne Zerr. Right now it sits as a three-way Republican primary between Zerr, Bill Eigel and Mike Carter.
Boyko in Senate 15?
Rumor is Mark Boyko, an attorney, will file to run as a Democrat in Senate 15. We’ll see…
Waiting on Wasinger?
Republican David Wasinger started a campaign committee for “statewide office” back in January. Will he follow through with an actual filing in the next 34 hours? We’ll see…
Here’s who filed at the end of last week…
Roi Chinn filed to run for Secretary of State as a Republican. See a video of him talking about running here.
Mike Englert filed to run for House 20 as a Democrat. The current incumbent is Republican Rep. Bill Kidd. Englert is an attorney. See his law firm’s website here. Dems should be competitive here.
John Cozort filed to run in House 51 as a Democrat. He’ll be in a primary with Jim Acton. The current incumbent is Republican Rep. Sean Dohrman.
Liz Gattra filed to run in House 63 as a Democrat. The current incumbent is Republican Rep. Bryan Spencer. Gattra is a Tesla enthusiast.
Marlene Terry filed to run in House 66 as a Democrat. She joins Tommie Pierson Jr. and Khalil Abdul Mumin in a three-way Democratic primary. Rep. Tommie Pierson Sr. is running for lieutenant governor. Terry has been on the Riverview Gardens school board.
Lori Crawford filed to run as a Democrat in House 81. Crawford joins Fred Wessels and Steve Butz in a three-way Democratic primary. Minority Leader Jake Hummel is termed.
Peggy Sherwin filed to run as a Democrat in House 104. The current incumbent is Republican Rep. Kathie Conway. According to LinkedIn, Sherwin is the Director at Salvation Army Transitional Housing in O’Fallon, Missouri.
Heather Hays filed to run as Democrat in House 105. The current incumbent, Rep. Mark Parkinson, is termed. Phil Christofanelli is the only Republican filed.
John Russell Passes
Former state senator John Russell died over the weekend.
Visitation will be tomorrow 5PM to 7PM at Shadel’s Colonial Chapel, 1001 N. Lynn, Lebanon MO. Funeral Wednesday 10AM at First Baptist Church
See Bob Piddy’s remembrance here.
Pull Quote: His generation, now only a memory in the minds of many who are themselves close to being only memories in the Capitol, understood words like honor and courtesy, respect, and decorum, words that in recent days or even in recent years increasingly have become just words.
Life/Choice Lobby Days Ahead
NARAL will be in the building Wednesday for their lobby day. And then Missouri Right to Life is set for the following week, on April 5.
Money Bits
There’s a long list of $5K+ contributions today. The quarter ends on Thursday, so we’ll likely see more checks piling end all this week.
Interesting to see another $250K from David Humphreys into his Accountability Committee. That committee now is a vehicle to support candidates who believe as he does in changes to labor laws, and legal laws. Will Humphreys augment his electoral strategy with a building lobbyist at some point?
Sol Barer’s $50K contribution to Eric Greitens follows two previous contributions last year, one for $10K and one for $100K.
Bits
State legislature off today, re-convenes tomorrow.
Phill Brooks’ replacement named. His name is Mark Horvit. See it here.
Today’s Events
Powered by Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Mark Milton – Golf Classic - Westborough Country Club, St. Louis – 2PM.
Lobbyists Registrations
Dawn Nichlas added The Humane Society of The United States.
Josh Schisler added Freedom of Treatment, and Heartland Priorities.
$5K+ Contributions
Citizens to Elect Mike Kehoe - $10,000 from Drury Development.
Committee for Accountable Government in Missouri - $250,000 from David Humphreys.
Operating Engineers Local 101 Political Fund - $95,000 from Engineers Political Education Committee.
Greitens for Missouri - $50,000 from Sol Barer.
Missourians for Peter Kinder - $10,000 from Loren Cook II.
Missourians for Peter Kinder - $10,000 from CNS Corporation.
Missourians for Fair Taxation - $150,000 from Missouri Association of REALTORS.
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America Political Account - $10,302 from Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
Freedom Incorporated - $20,886 from Progress KC PAC.
New Approach Missouri - $20,000 from New Health Solutions LLC.
New Approach Missouri - $50,000 from Drug Policy Action.
Reinvest STL - $7,500 from Globe Building Company.
Citizens to Elect Kurt Schaefer Attorney General - $15,000 from Langdon and Emison.
New Approach Missouri - $7,000 from Bradley Ketcher.
Hawley for Missouri - $25,000 from Herzog Contracting Corp.
Hawley for Missouri - $10,000 from Randy Kendrick.
Teresa Hensley for Missouri - $10,000 from Kenneth McClain.
Hanaway for Governor Inc - $25,000 from Herzog Contracting Corp.
Ashcroft for Missouri - $10,000 from Harry Cornell Jr.
With Robin Smith in 2016 Committee - $10,000 from Kenneth McClain.
Progress KC PAC - $50,000 from International Association of Fire Fighters Local 42.
Campaign for Clean Water STL - $10,000 from BJC Healthcare.
New Approach Missouri - $10,000 from Distress LLC.
Freedom Incorporated - $10,020 from Progress KC Committee.
Citizens for Stephen Webber - $10,000 from Robert Pugh.
Citizens for Stephen Webber - $10,000 from Robert Pugh.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to former Reps. Joe Fallert and Scott Lipke.