Subject: Who's Better Together?
I don't think that a merger could
possibly help address the problems of the City or the County, both of which
have numerous problems and are losing residence at a freighting pace.
Merging will only make the problem geographically larger.
We were told not to worry that the City would be just another
municipality within the County. However, after "making changes" in
the proposed constitutional amendment, Better Together describes it as,
"The new metro government would have a mayor, assessor, prosecutor and a
33-person council overseeing what now is St. Louis City and County...The new
government would be in charge of policing and municipal courts." Not
to worry, Executive Stenger says he will be the new mayor. Thank you oh
benevolent dictator!
The truth is that as early as the 1950's people started leaving
St. Louis City, fleeing to surrounding areas, to the point where the City has
fewer people now than it did 130 years ago. From 2010-2015 the population
of St. Louis County grew at an anemic pace of less than 1%. Under the
careful guidance of Steve Stenger, taking office in January of 2015, the
County's population actually declined in 2016 and 2017.
Someone needs to remind the folks at Better Together that people
and companies don't leave the City and County because they need to be
merged. People leave the City and County because for decades the people
in charge have made it a place where people don't want to live or work.
There is a lot of money pushing the potential merger, and I am
sure they will do everything in their power to try to make it happen.
Maybe the only way for our municipalities to exist is for the people of west
county to become the people of West County.
Lynn Link
Wildwood
This is my own work, permission for publication (if deemed
adequate) granted. Thank you.