St. Louis County is the big dog in regional affairs in St. Louis. Forty percent of the metro area's population lives there. Its population exceeds that of the city of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties combined. It has 48 percent of the jobs in the region.
On Nov. 2, St. Louis County voters will elect a chief executive. The job's powers are somewhat circumscribed; the county's governance is a big dog's breakfast, with its 91 municipalities, 25 school districts, 42 fire services and more than five dozen police agencies.
But the county executive is the de facto mayor for the 322,000 residents who live in unincorporated areas. His appointees run all manner of countywide services, from assessing, collecting and distributing tax dollars to licensing contractors, providing public health and economic development services to overseeing the third-largest police force in the state.
And, because he is the big dog's big dog, the county executive must be a regional leader, willing to work across jurisdictional lines for the greater good of all 2.8 million people in the metropolitan area.
For that reason, we recommend that voters re-elect Democrat Charlie A. Dooley as county executive.
We do so with some reservations. Mr. Dooley, 62, became county executive in October 2003 upon the death of George R. "Buzz" Westfall, who first was elected to the office in 1990. Mr. Westfall had built a formidable political machine among developers, organized labor and contractors, which Mr. Dooley inherited.
After 20 years, things have become a little calcified at the county government center. Republican Bill Corrigan, 51, Mr. Dooley's challenger, would shake things up - not a bad idea. He supports a new ethics code and has some creative ideas for economic development, some of which were borrowed from the Post-Dispatch, which is flattering.
"We need to do some bold stuff, for godsakes," he told us.
Sadly, Mr. Corrigan, a lawyer who lives in Ladue, flunks the regional leadership test. He says he favors collaborating with the city of St. Louis and would be "downtown's biggest cheerleader."
Cheerleading's fine. Leadership is better. Mr. Corrigan stayed studiously neutral during April's successful Metro transit tax election, an issue that Mr. Dooley recognized was critical for the region's well-being.
Now the Corrigan campaign is falsely accusing Mr. Dooley of wanting to merge the city with the county and absorb $150 million in pension liabilities and $30 million in debt.
Mr. Dooley would do no such thing, and Mr. Corrigan knows it. Mr. Dooley told us that he does support the eventual re-entry of the city into the county as its 92nd municipality.
We didn't ask him, but he probably wants world peace, too. At best, the city rejoining the county is a longshot scenario because it would require voter approval in both jurisdictions. Even then, the city's debts would remain its own, just as the debts of the other 91 municipalities remain their own.
He who would be the region's most important leader shouldn't lob stink bombs at the neighbors.
If he is re-elected Mr. Dooley, 62, needs to bring some new blood and new ideas into his administration. He should cleanly separate politics from policy makers. And he should be an even stronger regional leader, particularly in matters affecting the Metro East. Voters should give him the chance.
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) |
