WHERE A POSSIBLE CONSOLIDATION of governments in St. Louis city and county is concerned, State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed offers a simple list of conditions.
Any solution “will have to reduce crime, ensure minority representation is protected, and generate cost savings to pay for necessary city services,” Nasheed said in response to questions from McPherson.
Nasheed, who has been in the state legislature for 12 years and whose Senate district covers most areas of the city east of Kingshighway, is one of three main candidates in the campaign now underway for president of the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen. Nasheed and 15th Ward Alderwoman Megan Green are vying against incumbent Lewis Reed in the Democratic primary in March.
McPherson reported last week that Better Together, a nonprofit group backed by civic leaders and business executives including retired financier Rex Sinquefield, is working on a proposal for governmental consolidation in the region that it hopes to unveil in January. While key aspects of the proposal could still change, one leading possibility is that Better Together will put forward a concept for the unification of St. Louis city and county, according to people familiar with the process. Such a move would transform local government and create a “new” St. Louis with 1.3 million people.
Discussions about closer cooperation or some type of combination of the city and county have taken place for several years, but they’ve gained steam recently as Better Together moves closer to making formal recommendations. As a member of some of the city’s most powerful decision-making bodies, the president of the Board of Aldermen could help shape the outcome of any consolidation process.
McPherson posed four questions to the three main candidates for board president. The complete responses from Nasheed are below; they’ve been lightly edited for style and clarity. McPherson published responses from Green yesterday and hopes to publish responses from Reed soon.
McPherson: Would you support a full-blown merger between St. Louis City and St. Louis County? If so, what conditions would need to be met in order to ensure that such a merger serves the interests of St. Louis City residents?
Jamilah Nasheed: Public policy must put the people — not the insiders — at the center. My focus in evaluating any proposal will be on making sure the people’s interests are protected.
To earn my support, any proposal for a merger or consolidation will have to meet three conditions. First, any proposal must contribute to reducing crime and improving public safety. Second, any proposal must not disenfranchise minorities or dilute minority representation. Finally, any proposal must demonstrate that it will achieve enough cost savings to pay for necessary city services like filling potholes, improving services for the unhoused, and stabilizing funding for our city parks. Any proposal that doesn’t meet those three requirements will not earn my support.
I look forward to reading Better Together’s report. I’m very cautious of what you call a “full-blown merger” because it requires a lot of due diligence that we haven’t yet done as a region.
A merger is a big decision. And it’s a decision that must be made by the people directly affected by it — not by insiders and not by a statewide vote. It’s a decision that should be up to those who live, work, and raise their families in our beloved city.
2. If you don’t support a merger, do you support consolidation of any type? Should the city rejoin St. Louis County as a regular municipality, for example? Or should it stay independent?
Nasheed: I’ve always supported consolidation and collaboration between governments. It makes no sense to me that health laws, for example, would be different as you cross the city/county line. There is no doubt we are too divided and should work together more. I will keep an open mind on the issue of consolidation, but any solution will have to reduce crime, ensure minority representation is protected, and generate cost savings to pay for necessary city services.
Even the city re-entering St. Louis County as a municipality is a big decision that should be left up to the voters of the City of St. Louis — not insiders or a statewide vote.
3. If you support consolidation, what do you think should happen to the city’s earnings tax?
Nasheed: The earnings tax is a necessary component to funding city services. Like any tax, I can understand why some wish they didn’t have to pay it. But the simple truth is that the earnings tax is how our city functions; our city would starve without it. So I’ve been one of the most passionate supporters of keeping the earnings tax to ensure our essential city services are protected.
Any decision about whether to keep the earnings tax should be made by the people of the City of St. Louis — not by a statewide vote.
4. Rex Sinquefield’s involvement in St. Louis politics often evokes strong responses from city voters. Do you think you could find common ground and work with Mr. Sinquefield — either directly or indirectly — on issues facing the city, if you felt it was in the best interests of the city’s residents? (This means any issue, not just the topic of consolidation.)
Nasheed: I disagree with Rex Sinquefield on almost everything. My main criticism of the way he engages in politics is that he too often prioritizes the interests of well-connected insiders and economic ideologues at the expense of real people facing real problems, especially those who too often lack the same outsized voice and influence Sinquefield and his associates enjoy.
That’s why I have opposed many of his top priorities, like ending the city’s earnings tax and implementing Kansas-style tax policy across our state. I have also criticized the ongoing airport privatization efforts as tainted by Sinquefield’s direct involvement, called for his consultants at Grow Missouri to be removed from the process, and support a public vote.
But, I’m not going to be bullied into a knee-jerk response that rejects a good idea for our city or state simply because it has Sinquefield’s name near it. I’ll work with anyone who’s committed to moving St. Louis forward — and I’ve proven that through my work on issues like local control, body cams and medical marijuana, and also my support for community resources like Covenant House and St. Vincent, all items that also have Sinquefield’s backing.
My beliefs and values won’t change just because someone hires a lot of insider consultants and spends a lot of money on politics. But everyone in our city ought to keep an open mind to creative proposals to improve government, wherever those ideas come from.
