Government, Politics & Issues

A group known as Better Together is proposing a plan to merge St. Louis and St. Louis County. They're planning to get the measure on the 2020 ballot.

After decades of contemplation and debate, a group known as Better Together is recommending an end to the “Great Divorce” between St. Louis and St. Louis County.Better Together is proposing an ambitious plan to create a unified metro government and police department and limit municipalities' ability to levy sales taxes. The plan would be decided through a statewide vote.Proponents contend it will scrape away layers of local government that has been holding the St. Louis region back. Opponents believe the plan will create an unwieldy and large centralized government that could be implemented against the will of city and county residents.

Politically Speaking: Surveillance, Campaign Cash And City-County Merger

St. Louis Public Radio | By Julie O'Donoghue,

Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann

Published October 25, 2019 at 4:39 PM CDT

Dr. Will Ross of Washington University in St. Louis. — In this episode of Politically Speaking, we talk to the team from our sister podcast "We Live Here" about the first episode of their new season, which heavily features Will Ross of Washington University in St. Louis.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue, Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann and others talk about Missouri and St. Louis politics.

Here are the topics covered:

St. Louis’ discussion over how and when to limit surveillance — and who gets control over that process. The podcast refers to an article by Rachel Lippman on the fight between the Board of Aldermen and Mayor Lyda Krewson over surveillance.
The ways state legislators may be working around Clean Missouri — a package of laws meant to limit lobbyist influence in Jefferson City. The podcast references an article by Jack Suntrup in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that details University City Sen. Brian Williams’ campaign spending on outings with lobbyists during the segment.
The folks from the We Live Here podcast visit Politically Speaking to talk about the first episode of their new season, which focuses on the failed Better Together effort and complicated issues surrounding the push for a city-county merger.
Julie recommends listeners read Jane Smiley’s essay in The New York Times about Smiley’s recent trip to her childhood hometown of St. Louis. Smiley also talked about this essay on St. Louis on the Air.

Outgoing Music: “Coming Home” by Leon Bridges