As You're Riding the Metrolink to Rob a House, Don't Smoke in My Town

I live in St. Louis. St. Louis - home of the world's largest brewer, Anheuser - Busch. St. Louis - home to one of baseball's most storied franchises, the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis - envisioned by and put into place as the Gateway to the West by President Thomas Jefferson. St. Louis - home of the world famous Gateway Arch.

St. Louis - a jarring illustration of the contemptable failure of disjointed municipalities. Allow me to explain. The Greater St. Louis Region is split between the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.

The City of St. Louis encompasses approximately 61 square miles, is home to approximately 396,000 people, and is governed by a Mayor and Board of Alderman. The City Police maintain order, the City Fire Department responds to fire and rescue calls and City Ambulatory services respond to medical emergencies and transport patients to area hospitals. In spite of its shortcomings, Ward fragmentation and turf posturing, the City is experiencing a development boom and population resurgance, thanks in part to public and private dollar collaborations and also to the leadership of its visionary Mayor, Francis Slay.

Conversely, St. Louis County spans 524 square miles, is home to approximately 1,000,000 Missourians, and is governed by a County Executive and County Council - sort of. You see, inside the boundaries of St. Louis County exist 92 separate municipalities. NINETY - TWO. Translated, that's NINETY - TWO Mayors, NINETY - TWO Building Codes, NINETY - TWO Police Departments (Well, not quite. Some municipalities contract with the St. Louis County Police), NINETY - TWO Fire Departments, NINETY - TWO...Well you get the point.

The Greater Saint Louis Area possesses the individual and corporate leadership and the public and private resources to be a great place once again. If we can thrust from our shoulders the fragmentary structure that governs the region, these leaders and these resources can be harmoniously applied to accomplishing the aforementioned objective.

Let me give you two examples of the restrictive (and destructive) barriers to Region wide economic and infastructure progress the municipality system constructs.

METROLINK MARAUDERS
Since 1993, the St. Louis Metro Area has benefitted through our light rail system, Metrolink. The system was designed to serve the City of St. Louis, the Metro East (Illinois) and surrounding municipalities in St. Louis County. Plans were put in place to expand the service area to reach deep into southern, northern and western portions of St. Louis County. Twelve years later, the Metrolink is an asset for residents of the City of St. Louis and the Metro East. What about St. Louis County you may ask? To give you a real - life example of the handicapping nature of municipality oversight, let's talk about St. Charles for a moment. St. Charles is a municipality north and west of the City of St. Louis. When plans to extend service to St. Charles were brought to the St. Charles City Council, the matter was overwhelmingly defeated. Why? It was feared that residents from the City of St. Louis would ride the Metrolink out to St. Charles, rob houses while St. Charles residents were away at work, and then ride the Metrolink back into the City, flush with new televisions, radios, cameras and household items. Paints a funny picture, doesn't it? Just think for a moment of how RIDICULOUS and UNREALISTIC that assertation really is! First of all, if someone's going to rob a house, they don't need a Metrolink train to do so. Chances are they'll steal a car to rob a house. Now, picture in your mind a gang of thieves sitting on a Metrolink train, traversing the Region, making all the station stops in their forty - five minute journey. Now, after exiting the train at their station, our Rail Ridin' Robbers lug the loot all the way from the station to their "hideout". Paranoia Prevents Progress.

What's disconcerting about this particular situation is that St. Louis County desires and needs the Metrolink. When surveyed, a majority of St. Louis County residents say they would ride Metrolink if it were available. The region as a whole wants Metrolink expanded. The system plays perfectly in reducing the stress of commuting to work, decreasing pollution produced by automobiles and providing a safe alternative to driving for those "inbibing" from time to time. Municipalities are preventing this from happening. If an autonomous panel could be assembled at the County level, comprised of area leaders, and this panel could operate independently of the municipalities, the Metrolink system would stretch the region and benefit all. St. Charles residents could ride the train to Lambert International Airport...only five miles away. Residents in South County could forego the morning commute and read the local newspaper on their way to their downtown office every morning. North County residents could enjoy an evening on the town and leave the transportation to Metrolink. Until the municipalities are disbanded and consolidated under one governing structure, these positive outcomes will exist only in our minds.

PROFITS AND LIVELIHOODS UP IN SMOKE
Another deficiency of the municipality system is that it equips City Councils with the ability to effect changes that result in loss of business (and income) for business owners, a decrease in sales tax revenue (income to the municipality) and a plummet in take home pay among wage earners. My example of this issue is the Legislation du jour of banning smoking in bars in restaurants. These municipalities take it upon themselves to ban smoking to "improve the quality of life" for their residents. I don't know about you, but I resent someone thinking for me. Beside that point is the trickle down effects that I think are not given proper attention during the decision making process. Let me paint you a picture:

Joe Southside has owned a tavern for 25 years. He has a steady stream of regulars, does a good amount of business in food service and is fortunate to have a dedicated staff. While successful, Joe's tavern operates on a meager budget and provides little room for capital expenditures. His staff make a decent living because their good service and familiarity with customers is rewarded by generous tipping. Being a tavern, a large amount of Joe's customers are smokers, and the one's who aren't reasonably expect to be in the prescence of smoke while enjoying themselves at Joe's...after all, it IS A TAVERN.

In spite of the fact that Joe's tavern and the remainder of taverns and eating establishments in the municipality generate revenue for the municipality, income for its residents and eventually income tax revenue from those residents...I could continue, but you get the point, the City Council decides to ban smoking in all taverns and eating establishments. After all, a small group of "concerned citizens", who most likely don't patronize these establisments, has circulated a petition and demanded action. GUIDING PRINCIPLE #1 THE WILL OF THE FEW SHOULD NEVER DETERMINE THE DESTINY OF THE MANY
There is one glimmer of hope in the newly enacted legislation...if Joe walls off a SEPARATE smoking area and installs SPECIALIZED FILTERS AND SMOKE ERADICATION EQUIPMENT he can still permit his customers to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Small problem. Remember that shoe string budget? Joe has a choice to make. He can either:

1. Go into debt to pay for the improvements.
2. Terminate one of his dedicated employees to pay for the improvements.
3. Raise prices and ask his loyal customers to absorb the cost of the improvements.
4. Close the tavern.

Irregardless of the final decision, the end result will be less revenue for Joe, less income for his staff and less tax revenue (or if Joe leaves, none at all) for the municipality. Obviously, closing the tavern or letting a staff member go will have the most traumatic impact.

If St. Louis County could band together and pool the human and financial resources of its municipalities, it could partner with the City of St. Louis to become the World Class Region its capable of being. As a Region, we're selling ourselves short...and either we don't see that, or the municipalities are too concerned with self - servedness and protecting their "little kingdoms" to see that if the Region succeeds, they succeed as well.

Instead of being bound only by its imagination, the Region is tethered by its history and self - defeating attitude. On the other hand, positive change is emerging in the City of St. Louis. An unlikely venue, but quickly becoming a source of civic pride. Perhaps there's hope after all...