This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 17, 2012 - St. Louis County Council meetings are renowned for their brevity, as they often take no more than 10 or 15 minutes to complete on a typical Tuesday night.
But folks pining for short council gatherings were probably checking their watches several times this year. That’s because the council found itself dealing with consequential – and controversial – bills that drew the attention and ire of powerful interest groups as well as ordinary residents.
Among other things, the council passed a first-in-the-state foreclosure mediation ordinance, added sexual orientation and gender identity to the county’s non-discrimination ordinances and changed requirements for winning major county contracts.
All three bills prompted plenty of pushback but still received St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley's signature. All three also received "yes" votes from Councilman Steve Stenger, the Affton Democrat who may challenge Dooley in 2014 for the county executive’s office.
In an interview last week, Dooley, a Democrat, said those bills showcase how the council “has always done what’s right for this community for everyone at all times.”
“Did we all agree? No we did not,” Dooley said. “All these bills brought discussion and debate. But at the end of the day, the council has done what’s best for every citizen in St. Louis County. It doesn’t always please everybody at the same time.”
Certainly, it may have helped that each bill was championed by an individual council member. The foreclosure mediation measure was championed by Hazel Erby, D-University City, while Pat Dolan, D-Richmond Heights, and Kathleen Kelly Burkett, D-Overland, strongly backed the sexual orientation bill. Council Chairman Mike O'Mara, D-Florissant, was behind the bill requiring major contractors to run apprentice programs.
Compare that to 2011, when Dooley angled to raise property taxes and cut county parks. Dooley had to reverse course when the public objected and the council balked.
"Some things are the right thing to do," Dolan said in a telephone interview. "We don’t always agree obviously. You can tell that by the votes. But like the discrimination bill, I didn’t ask anybody other than the councilmembers. I told them I was considering doing that."
That's not to say Dooley isn't important to the legislative process since he signs or vetos legislation. But Dolan -- who noted he sent his anti-discrimination bill to the county counselor for guidance -- said the council's good working relationship was a plus in getting things done.
O'Mara, he said, "did a hell of a job this year keeping everybody together on things and making sure he talks to anybody before everything's done. ... It just stood out to me that he really held everything together. I think that makes a difference."
Councilman Greg Quinn, R-Ballwin, voted against the foreclosure mediation, contracting and sexual orientation bills. He noted that the fact that they were brought up at all signaled that they there was enough support to go to Dooley's desk.
"There are a lot of controversial matters that come in front of the council," said Quinn, one of two Republicans on the seven-person council. "A number of them pass. Some don’t, but usually they don’t go forward if there’s not enough support for them. Typically they’re not brought forward unless the sponsor knows they have enough support to pass it."
Backlash ahead?
Still, it's an open question whether the passage of those bills amounted to temporary victories, especially since opponents could look to the courts and the state legislature for relief.
The foreclosure mediation ordinance is already the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Missouri Bankers Association. While a St. Louis County circuit judge upheld it, the lawsuit is now winding its way through the Missouri Court of Appeals.
The sexual orientation ordinance drew over 90 speakers, most of whom were opposed. Opponents have hinted that they, too, may sue, citing the law's lack of a "right of conscience exception." (The success of such a suit remains to be seen because other jurisdiction have adopted similar measures over the years.)
O'Mara's bill requires major contractors to operate federally approved apprenticeship programs to be eligible for major county contracts. It received scathing criticism, including from organizations representing minority contractors.
But perhaps the most striking reaction came from Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, who threatened legislative action. He said in a statement that if the council passed the measure, the legislature “will surely have to review this decision at the state legislative level in 2013 to determine what recourse is available to protect the thousands of hard-working small business owners in St. Louis County and across our state."
Dooley said he expects opposition when the council takes up “things that really make a difference in this community.
“That’s all right,” Dooley said. “But this council has continually done the right thing to move this county forward. I’m very proud of this council. Now that doesn’t mean we agree all at the same time. But it also means that we move forward in a very positive way. Give people an opportunity to express themselves on what they think. When they’re through talking, it’s time to vote. We vote. We do the right thing and move forward.”
Added Dolan: "I don’t see any of this being done to dictate what’s being done in Jeff City. We’re not trying to send a message to them."
"We weren’t trying to say to Jeff City ‘we’re shoving this in your face.’ It’s about quality and craftsmanship for the work that our taxpayers are paying for. There was no other motive there," said Dolan, referring to O'Mara's bill.
"As far as anti-discrimination with the LGBT community, if that helps them down the road statewide – I hope it does," said Dolan. But he added, that wasn't the intent: "All we can control is St. Louis County and that’s who we’re trying to protect. … All we can control is what we do here.”
Will actions on these controversial bills have ramifications at the ballot box? Of the seven councilmembers, only Dolan and Stenger reside in districts that are even remotely competitive. And Stenger cruised to re-election earlier this year – with nearly $200,000 remaining in his campaign treasury.
Campaign Trail, a weekly column, weaves together some of the intriguing threads from the world of Missouri politics.
