On their 2018\u00a0 ballots, many voters in St. Louis County may be surprised to encounter a quartet of proposed County charter amendments–plus a fifth that is, essentially, a no-brainer. Reading them over for the first time, they can seem obscure, and, as a result, voters may opt to skip over them. But don\u2019t. While they may seem obtuse and \u201cinside baseball,\u201d the proposals are actually worth consideration.<\/p>\n
And, incredibly, they are bi-partisan, supported by Republican and Democratic council members.<\/p>\n
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers an excellent analysis<\/a> of where these proposals came from, and what they are intended to do:<\/p>\n …County Executive Steve Stenger has frequently overstepped his boundaries, and the County Council is taking action to restrain him through several ballot initiatives. County executives have, for decades, treated the council as a rubber-stamp body \u2014 a formula for corruption and mismanagement.<\/p>\n Republican and Democratic council members have joined forces to put a stop to this, primarily by restricting the ability of the county executive to abuse his power and by clarifying the council\u2019s role as a necessary check and balance on executive power. We recommend voting yes on the first four county charter amendment items<\/a> as they appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n County Prop 1<\/a><\/strong> would codify the campaign-finance limits that the council wants to place on county elected officials. It asks voters to approve a $2,600 limit per election on campaign contributions by individuals or entities to elective office candidates. A key element of the proposition is its prohibition on donations from any person or entity seeking a county contract, extending from 90 days before contract bids are solicited to 90 days after the contract has been awarded. This provision would help eliminate the hint of undue influence in the awarding of government contracts.<\/p>\n County Prop 2<\/a><\/strong> is a response to the sneaky effort by Stenger\u2019s allies to slice off a chunk of Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park last year to build an ice-rink complex, including a St. Louis Blues practice facility. Prop 2 would require that future land transactions involving county parks be approved by voters.<\/p>\n