The St. Louis Oracle

The mystery of Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman’s surprise mayoral candidacy still weighs on the minds of many political observers, including the St. Louis Oracle. In his latest blog post, the Oracle, a self-described political junkie for over 50 years, suspects another well-known politico may have an interest in torpedoing any viable challengers to Francis Slay: Mike McMillan.

Without offering much proof besides that Denise Coleman has 19th Ward roots, the Oracle theorizes:

If Maida Coleman’s challenge to Slay were successful, then she’d be the incumbent mayor in four years, and McMillan would not be in a position to challenge a fellow African American for the top job. (Yes, I know, Clarence Harmon successfully did just that to Freeman Bosley, Jr. in 1997, but Harmon won with white support, not black support.) Slay’s reelection is now also in McMillan’s self-interest.

Hmmmm… well, if we’re discussing third party self-interest, what about Aldermanic President Lewis Reed? He’s probably the man most likely to be the next mayor now — especially if Francis were to step down near the end of his third term, maybe to accept a judgeship or another attractive appointment. And there is a Reed-Coleman connection. She used to be attorney for the Board of Aldermen.

Or what if Francis does have plausible deniability even though his staff put Coleman #2 in the race. I mean, remember who we’re talking about here. Word has long been that his chief of staff and campaign manager Jeff Rainford was fired years ago as a journalist at KMOV after trying to entrap a priest with a male prostitute. Not the most honorable people in the world.

So the list of suspects grows longer and the days till Election Day grow shorter. And in the end, maybe Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman is just a political novice that thinks she’s the next Barack Obama. If so, God bless her heart. And may He bless some of our other leaders with the courage that naivity provides.

Read Oracle’s full post at: http://stloracle.blogspot.com/2009/01/is-mystery-coleman-filing-mac-attack.html

In 2005, Mayor Francis Slay was forced to defend his failures as a police board member. He was re-elected but his performance as the city’s only elected representative on the police board didn’t improve as scandal after scandal eventually got the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney.

It’s a pretty straight forward affair, filing to run for office. Write your name, address, and phone number on a sheet of paper, sign it, hand over a check in the amount of 1% of the salary of the office you’re seeking (in the case of alderman, $333), raise your hand and swear you’re not a “stalking horse” and you meet the qualifications for the office and — POOF! — you’re in the fight of your life.

In this EXCLUSIVE VIDEO, St. Louis attorney Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman takes the oath attesting that no one put her in the race for mayor and that she is indeed a legitimate candidate. Continue Reading

Not long ago, I was having lunch with a colleague of mine, a fellow Committeeperson from south St. Louis. I told the person that the job of a Committeeman or woman is different in north St. Louis than in her ward.

In southside wards the job is pretty straight forward. It’s a Party position. You work to get out the vote come election time, attend a few meetings every now and then, and you get invited to all the political functions throughout the year. The job doesn’t pay anything so not much is expected from you between elections.

Long before I was elected 21st Ward Committeeman in August, I knew the job was very different in north St. Louis. I saw my grandmother do it for many years.

On the northside, the job of Committeepeople goes on long after Election Day. People call Committeepeople about all kinds of concerns having nothing to do with the Democratic Party: trash pickups, drug activity, vacant buildings, and, of course, JOBS. (In all fairness, my southside colleagues get the calls about jobs too. Especially nowadays.)

I knew exactly what I was signing up for and I’ve enjoyed being able to help when I can. Since being elected in August, I was able to get a drug house closed down and bring some peace and quiet to a block that desperately needed some. I organized a Halloween event that gave kids in my neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods a chance to really enjoy the night like so many other kids do. And I even got a little attention paid to O’Fallon Park — if only for a moment. And yes, I got some people some jobs.

What is frustrating for me is when I can’t help.

I get calls every week from people in my ward — especially seniors — looking for help. They need financial assistance for repairing their homes, or they need a dilapidated house torn down because of safety concerns, or they need a stop sign installed at the end of the block to slow down the cars that go speeding down their street.

As a Committeeman, I have very little power to help these people. These are the duties of the alderman. But because our current alderman doesn’t respond to them — or because the current alderman has been told time and time again about the problem and has done nothing — they call me. And it tears me up not to be able to help.

I’ve decided to run for alderman so that I can help the seniors, the homeowners, and the families of my ward. I’m running in order to put the power of that office back on the side of the people that need it most. I’m running because I believe I have the vision and energy to use the office of alderman to better the lives of the people of the 21st Ward and the City of St. Louis.

If you think we need new thinking on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen; if you think we need new voices in north St. Louis that are unafraid, smart and independent; if you think that we need new jobs and economic development in the 21st Ward — I’m asking for your support.

Make a donation today to help elect me to the Board of Aldermen.

Keep up with my campaign at www.21stWard.org.