Take a Journey Through Christmas Wonderland in Alton Grandpa Gang...
Read More
Mayor to Veto Charter Review Bill
Mayor Lowery Says
He Will Veto Charter
Commission Review Bill
Six Votes Needed to Override Veto
By Carol Arnett
Mayor Robert Lowery said he would veto a bill passed by the council Monday night. The bill would establish a commission to review the city charter. Overriding a veto would require six votes from the council; five members voted for the bill.
After the meeting, Lowery said he would have a message about his veto at the next council meeting. He called the bill “very, very deceptive,” and said, “A deception was played not only on us, but perpetrated on the people of the city.”
Lowery stated during the meeting that he thought the bill was designed to review the charter with the purposed of establishing a city manager form or government. In this form of government, the mayor is sometime a part-time mayor, and a city manager handles most of the day-to-day operations of the city. The city of Hazelwood operates under this form of government, as do most cities in St. Louis County.
The bill’s proponents have argued that they do not have a particular agenda in mind, and point out that any suggestions put forth by the review commission would have to come before the council. The review commission would then decide if they wanted to put them on a ballot for residents to decide on.
The city’s charter was established in 1963. The charter was last reviewed by a review commission in 1974.
The bill has been the subject of extensive debate at previous council meetings. Councilwoman Karen McKay, one of five council members who introduced the bill, offered a substitute at the meeting. The original bill called for each council member to nominate a member for the charter review commission. The substitute added more information about the nomination process.
Councilman Tim Lee addressed the city manager issue. “I have no hidden agenda,” he said. He noted that the bill said nothing about a city manager. “The bill will appoint a commission to review the charter,” he said. He asked his critics to hold off on judging him and his motives. “Judge me on how I vote on the commission’s recommendations,” he said.
“There are no smoke screens or hidden agendas,” Councilman Keith English said. He said he was “a little alarmed,” at some of the letters the council has received. He applauded McKay for her work on the bill.
“This just sets up a commission,” Councilman Andrew Podleski said. “We probably should be doing this on a regular basis,” he added. “We’re long overdue on setting this up.”
“I call your attention to the last meeting,” Mayor Robert Lowery said. “The last meeting showed that there was an attempt to keep information about the bill from some council members and the mayor.”
“I believe there is a hidden agenda,” Lowery said. “There was not transparency in the bill.” Lowery added that the commission would require money for consultants and attorneys. “We are facing monumental problems in the city, and in the country,” Lowery said.
Podleski, McKay, and Lee were joined by Councilmen Keith English and Ben Hernandez in voting for the bill. Councilmen Keith Schildroth, Mark Schmidt, John Grib, and Tom Schneider voted against the bill.
