Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Gibbons and Workman Hang Out Shingle
Lobbyists Mike Gibbons and Tricia Workman are leaving Stinson to hang out their own shingle. Here’s the announcement: “Stinson Leonard Street, LLP, Michael Gibbons and Tricia Workman announce that Gibbons and Workman are forming GibbonsWorkman, LLC and departing Stinson. The two firms will continue to work together on several mutual clients and look forward to opportunities to collaborate on projects in the future.”
Among their clients: Associated General Contractors of St. Louis, Centene Corporation, Missouri Charter Public School Association, Missouri Primary Care Association, Monsanto, Peabody Energy, and The Doe Run Company.
The announcement makes it clear that Stinson will still represent these clients, and the two firms will act as a team in many cases. But in a world where Stinson star attorney Chuck Hatfield is suing folks over ballot initiatives etc every other day, this move might give Gibbons and Workman a little separation.
Calzone Contra Diehl
Jo Mannies reported yesterday on an insurgent group of conservatives shaking a fist at Speaker-designate John Diehl. See the article here.
Chief among his critics is Ron Calzone, who lobbies regularly for the organization Missouri First, but has not registered to lobby.
The Missouri Leadership Project (see website here) has been door knocking, handing out literature opposing Diehl’s re-election based on his positions on common core and red light cameras.
While it is an interesting pre-session spat between the hard-right conservatives and the future speaker, there’s no practical impact for next month’s election as the district is 65% Republican. That’s out of reach for even a Democratic version of Noel Torpey…
Diehl Contra Lottery
Speaker-designate John Diehl went on the offensive against the lottery. The Post-Dispatch reports that he’s interested in scraping the operation, and replacing it as other tax revenues grow or by cutting other programs. Read it here.
Back when I used to read the conservative think tank economists, the lottery was the only tax they liked. They called it a voluntary tax (with random return), the only non-coercive way to fund a government. But those folks were crazy right-wing…
Webb Endorsement
African-Americans, upset with the Ferguson tragedy and its aftermath, have been threatening to withhold their support for the Democratic County Executive candidate. Some – but nowhere near a critical mass – of African American leaders will announce their choice for county executive today.
The press statement: A coalition of African-American leaders in North St. Louis County will come together on Wednesday to endorse a candidate to be the next St. Louis County Executive. Democrat St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby will make the announcement at a news conference with The Fannie Lou Hamer Coalition on Wednesday, October 1, at 2:00 pm at Berkeley City Hall.
While it’s hard to imagine them endorsing Steve Stenger after all the barbs thrown his way, it’s equally hard to imagine a Rick Stream endorsement given his record in Jefferson City. So… we’ll see…
Koster Roundtable
Today, Attorney General Chris Koster will hold a roundtable discussion on representative policing at UMSL.
From the media advisory: “[T]his the first of two public sessions to discuss solutions to the challenge of low minority participation in Missouri's urban law enforcement agencies, with a second roundtable scheduled for October 14 in Kansas City.
Confirmed for the roundtable:
Francis Slay, Mayor of St. Louis
Charlie Dooley, St. Louis County Executive
Dan Isom, Director, Missouri Department of Public Safety
Cpt. Ron Johnson, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Samuel Dotson, Chief of Police, SLMPD
Jon Belmar, Chief of Police, St. Louis County PD
Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Senator, 14th District
Jamilah Nasheed, Senator, 5th District
Antonio French, Alderman, 21st Ward
Mike McMillan, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
Esther Haywood, NAACP-St. Louis County
Adolphus Pruitt, NAACP-St. Louis City
Clarence Hines, North Tech High School
Kelvin Adams, Superintendent-St. Louis Public Schools
Ruby Curry, Interim President, Florissant Valley Community College
Marvin Teer, Deputy Director and General Counsel, Missouri Office of Community Engagement
Lieutenant Roger Whittler, Assistant Director/Affirmative Action Officer, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Skyfall
Grow Missouri fired the PR firm which had attempted to pay journalists to moonlight for their blog. Here’s the statement. While folks on social media remarked that Grow Missouri was throwing the firm, Skyword, under the bus, it was Mark Jones who nailed it, tweeting: “@jonesmarkh: Meanwhile high above Missouri @Skyword is thrown from the #GrowMO Blimp #moleg”
eMailbag: on Skyfall
“Grow Missouri either knew about its vendor's attempt to buy reporters - which makes them just as culpable - or they didn't know such solicitations would be made to working journalists on its behalf - which is at least incompetent. It is unbelievable that an astute campaign leadership would allow any outside party to approach reporters on their behalf without knowing precisely the pitch. This is what you supposedly spend big dollars to acquire: Campaign management that is experienced and wise enough to foresee issues; message discipline that has everyone associated with the effort on the same page; and a strict protocol limiting who may speak with or contact reporters for earned media and even stricter discipline on content of such communications. If a rookie junior staffer for the now-fired vendor was assigned the task, it means a couple of things: (1) the Boston PR firm was laughing all the way to the bank with Rex Sinquefield's money while slacking and allowing risks and (2) there is a laziness creeping in among the brain trust that comes from living in a billionaire's bubble of their own creation, blithely unaware of How Things Really Look…”
Bosley License on Ice
Former St. Louis City Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. has his law license suspended yesterday. See it here.
Fundraising Calendar
Today’s fundraising events from Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Sen. Ron Richard Reception – Seven Gables Inn, 26 N. Meramec, Clayton – 5:30-7 p.m.
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Gate Way Group website:
Rodney D Gray, Tami Holliday, and Susan Henderson Moore added City of Columbia.
Charles W Hatfield added Missouri Charter Public School Association, Mid-America Transplant Services, and Cheyenne International LLC.
$5K+ Contributions
Friends for Jennifer Florida - $5,419 from Citizens to Elect Jennifer Florida.
Schmitt for Missouri - $5,001 from Orville Middendorf.
Committee to Re-Elect Steve Grider - $6,648 from Realtors Political Action Committee-MO.
Citizens for Steve Stenger - $7,500 from Chad Roberts.
Citizens for Steve Stenger - $7,500 from Home Elements Design LLC.
Citizens for Will Kraus - $25,000 from Will and Carmen Kraus.
Schupp for Senate - $14,299 from Missouri Democratic State Committee.
Kander for Missouri - $10,000 from Kenneth McClain.
Duvall for Missouri - $5,328 from MO Democratic State Committee.
Committee to Elect Harold Gallagher - $7,957 from REALTORS PAC-MO.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthdays to Rep. Sandy Crawford (57), KC Star’s Steve Kraske, and Civic Progress’ Tom Irwin.