What good is it to have free speech to redress your governmental representatives over grievances within government if they make a concerted effort to not listen in the first place? For example, here is a list that, as a citizen, I’ve implored City Hall and Council to listen to and take into account;

• I asked Mayor Wolfe for an apology after his Development Director threw a book back at me after presenting it to him for consideration. The mayor offered only silence.
• I presented the Council with evidence of code enforcement abuse by several citizens detailing the events, which included a bucket truck taking photos over a citizens fence. Council did nothing to inquire, investigate or register any sort of displeasure over these incidents.
• After Whitehall compiled a Strategic Initiative to address several issues for Whitehall’s future, I felt it begged several questions that arose out of concern for sense, reason and logic. When I questioned council about several items, I got no response and was essentially ignored.
• In 2009, when a website was included in the City Guide, funded by tax dollars, that undermined the character of Councilperson Jacquelyn Thompson, it made of the guide a tax-funded political tool. Due to this, I registered my concerns and alarm with City Council asking for an investigation and accountability of this heinous act of political shadiness. The Mayor wouldn’t return my calls and the council did nothing.
• I told them about a pattern of abuse with code enforcement harrassing a senior citizen and veteran, pleading for their attention for Dave Deluca. Outside of Councilman Kantor saying he’d talked with Mr. Deluca, nothing was done. He ultimately left Whitehall, fed up, dispirited and broke.
• When I spoke of code enforcement coming up onto my property 54 feet to turn and photograph license plates, without my permission or a warrant, a clear violation of the 4^th Amendement, while Councilman Dan Miller did come to my house and spoke with me, he nevertheless justified their behavior by asking if I’d had ‘No Trespassing’ signs up when this happened. Other than this, nothing was ever done, either by mayoral administrations or my representatives on council.
• When I expressed my dismay in not getting to take the city’s telephone survey regarding the Strategic Initiative, a councilman replied, “Too bad”.
• When Kim Maggard ran for Mayor in 2011, I asked her 6 pointed questions in regard to unethical and bad behavior of some at City Hall. I wanted clarification in her views on these matters and what we could expect of her in this area with her mayoral administration. I supplied copies of my questions to her and the press. She never answered them.
• When events and tales surfaced from residents regarding former Service Director Ray Ogden’s alleged behavior, which included cursing at citizens, trespassing on property, using Service Department trucks and personnel to pull his car out of the snow and mud and tussling with employees of a local business (which he eventually pleaded down to disorderly conduct and was found guilty), the citizen’s representatives never spoke up in defense of or for the citizens they’re supposed to be representing.
• After exhaustive work I’d done to deal with massive trucks coming across Doney Street (which included talks with a representative at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis) as well as being denied a ‘No-Thru Trucks’ sign, I finally got Councilman Rodriguez to help me fashion legislation to address this problem. After writing it together and submitting it to the City Attorney’s office, it became like pulling teeth trying to get answers out of them. Finally I demanded an answer from City Attorney Mike Shannon whether it was fine or not. He agreed as to its form. When Mr. Rodriguez took no initiative in moving it along, I told Council it was going to be introduced at the next meeting, which seemed to surprise him. At that meeting the next week, Mayor Maggard and the Assistant City Attorney Matt Roth argued stringently against it, essentially saying that if anyone suggests a truck weighs more than an allotted amount, the police would have to call in a special weight scale and hours would go by waiting for it and Whitehall just doesn’t have the time or manpower to do that, essentially making all truck routes legislation pointless and opening up free rein for all trucks to go anywhere at anytime. So, Councilman Rodriguez caved ending the discussion with, “does anybody have anything else?” No one else even tried to defend the legislation, come up with alternatives or in the least fight for the citizens rights or quality of life. Business 1st, citizens 2nd.
• When I photographed code officers on property without aid of permission or a warrant and after a futile meeting with Mayor Maggard on the topic, I implored my council representatives to enact a moratorium on code enforcement until the Mayor can start respecting the law and the citizens. During a council committee meeting it was Councilperson LaCorte who tried to tackle the issue. She was met with obfuscation, minimization and misinformation mostly by Council President Jim Graham, Councilperson Bob Bailey and Mayor Maggard, abetted by Councilperson Wes Kantor and then-Service Director Ray Ogden. They kept unprofessionally interrupting Ms. LaCorte, derailing her train of thought, changing topics, introducing irrelevant topics, minimizing and obfuscating her concerns and directions and unabashedly praising Ray Ogden and the code officers. With the exception of Ms. LaCorte, none of the others on council or in the administration honored my concerns and requests with the consideration that the weight and gravity of the code officers actions deservedly invited. Apparently, 4^th amendment be damned. (That which the council representatives swore an oath to support)
• Recently there have been a number of people who represent the Woodcliffe condominiums coming to council meetings. In them they have spoken of Whitehall spending upwards of 1.5 million dollars of taxpayer money to pursue nuisance violations with the condos. They also spoke of missing emails the city can’t find that are pertinent to the case, which we’ve not heard about since the complaint (And Whitehall with three I.T. people!) When I questioned the Mayor and City Attorney about this they said the figure is actually closer to half a million taxpayer dollars (!). I asked the council to investigate the matter as per their right under the City Charter. Because Mr. Shannon is always reminding them of the secrecy they are beholding to under ‘Executive Session’ and threatening that their speaking might result in a lawsuit to the city, they remained as silent as a corpse. They then (outside of Council President Graham offering up his feelings on the matter with no official paper trail investigation) naturally did nothing to investigate what I feel is the City of Whitehall essentially stealing others property by incessant nuisance laws for some secret self-aggrandizing ‘vision’ instead of paying them a fair price, that which the city really doesn’t have the money for. It doesn’t matter though what citizens, home owners and property owners who try to do the right thing accomplish, despite what Mayor Maggard says. If they stand in the way of whatever this unspoken, unformed, inorganic, disrespectful ‘vision’ the mayor and city attorney foist on those in the community, they are manhandled and abused and harrassed by the governmental beuracracy of the code division, Magistrate’s court and the convoluted red tape of the law. We don’t even have recreational opportunities for the kids but Woodcliffe is apparently a priority over that. Doesn’t the council have the right to express their opinions and/or deny the city attorney’s office when he comes to council to approve more money for legal fees? I mean where is their political courage and championing for the people? Apparently their defense for those they’re supposed to be representing takes a backseat to the desires of Mayor Maggard and the city attorney. That’s beyond reproach

Here is what the deal is; this is a group of people who don’t want to address citizens concerns and complaints and most certainly not if it involves their standing up for them against their friends on council or requires more than a slice of their time. For instance; there were concerns about the videos for the council meetings not being put up or that some had no sound. If your aim is to have transparency in government and you spend the taxpayer’s money to install all kinds of cameras and recording devices and pay three IT people to install, upgrade and maintain these devices and then there constantly seem to be issues with the videos either appearing on the city website or even having sound, not only is that embarrassing in this day and age but it should absolutely be enough to motivate any councilperson to voice their concern and inquire and investigate for the sake of the citizens they’re supposed to be there defending and watching out for. Yet, no one does. Except Leslie LaCorte, of course. This is from the meeting where the basketball legislation was introduced. Lori Elmore and her husband Clint speak against the legislation and yet, it was passed by all but Leslie LaCorte. There is no sound to hear what any of them say…

Why aren’t they looking out for you? Why aren’t they speaking up as your representatives when things are not right? They’re not your champions, thats why. If being your champion means spending more than a simple amount of time or speaking out against their friends/donors (or speaking out at all) they’re apparently not going to make that effort. It shows perfectly what their aims are and its not really you, your rights or interests. This technology is there for the people, for their convenience and for transparency to witness what is being done in their name. (It should be done for council committee meetings too) Also, because of their untrustworthy behavior, ala the many conflicts of interest I’ve supplied you with that they’ve ignored, it makes it difficult to trust that some of these supposed technological snafus weren’t as a result of them not wanting the video to be seen or heard. They say the transcript is available but it is not a verbatim telling of the meeting and certainly doesn’t include every word, body language, gesture, etc. If they’re up to something or do or say something that sheds an unsavory or negative light on them, a convenient excuse of ‘the machine isn’t working’ keeps them from the rightful trouble that they should receive if they’re doing wrong, plain and simple. Because they themselves have ignored the conflicts of interest (knowing better too) that builds public trust in them, I say we can’t trust them when it comes down to things like this.

Now, if they are this hesitant and reticent and unmoving and stubborn and unyielding and unhelpful and unchampioning and silent in their reactions and actions towards citizens who make rightful demands and inquiries for the sake of the citizens and community, what makes you think they’re going to be any different now were you to vote them in again? Seriously, this is a question that is vital to ask yourself before you vote for any one of them come November 3^rd. You cannot ask to represent the citizens and then not serve and champion them to the utmost of your ability.

As for myself, all of the above (and much, much more) was accomplished and strove for long before I urged you to vote for me. I was, am and will always be a champion of right and of the people. As a private citizen or public official, my record is right there. As well, I fought valiantly as a person with little or no power against some pretty powerful people, all in the face of harassment, intimidation, character assault and fear of monetary reprisal, and why? Because they were doing wrong and I thought that was awful. I risked myself for no more grand or personal stake than because they were doing the wrong thing, to myself and others, and I’m a firm believer in standing against wrong. There will be three seats available for Council at-Large, I hope you’ll believe in me as strongly as I believe in you and City Hall doing right by you and elect me to one of them come Nov. 3^rd. Thank-you.