Webster Groves is a suburb just outside of St Louis off Interstate 44. It is generally considered an affluent town with good schools and fairly decent amenities. Property taxes have increased an average of 40% in the past 4 years. On April 8th Webster elected 3 new city council members. The campaign was uneventful with 4 candidates bidding for the 3 seats; they all looked and sounded about the same. I decided to go to the public forum held a local grade school and listen to the candidates in person. It broke down this way: Ms Hart was the encumbent running for her second term; Ms Salsberg works for St Louis County as a city planner; Ms Tolen was a neighborhood activist working to ensure her neighborhood would not get bulldozed and turned into a big-box plaza; and Mr Brown was a lawyer pledging to cut the property taxes.
When I heard Mr Brown speak I knew immediately who I was dealing with. He talked about how much he loved the Parks in Webster Groves and how he wished more people used the local playgrounds. He talked about taking his kids to the local swimming pool and enjoying summer nights with his family there. He talked about the Webster Groves Community's commitment to quality schools. Then he ended with how he would work tirelessly to reduce the tax burden on the people of Webster Groves.
All three of the other candidates made a similar pitch with the exception of talking about cutting taxes. Ms Tolen pointed out tax property taxes are not decided at the city council level but rather at the county and state level of government. Each agreed the taxes were high but the emphasis was not on cutting taxes, rather on ensuring the city's responsibility to ensure the money is spent wisely and without waste. They talked about ensuring road quality by not using blacktop on roads with heavy use. All three mostly talked about the importance of quality schools in our community.
Keep in mind at this level there are no Republicans or Democrats. These are just our neighbors wanting to do what they think is best for the community. I was happy to see Mr Brown lost. I am not sure if this is any kind of predictor at the national level, but I think is significant that Webster Groves chose not to elect the guy who was touting cutting taxes. In 2006 my wife, daughter and I walked in the 4th of July Parade with Claire McCaskill down Gore Ave - a street with mostly million dollar homes. We were met with stoney faces and silence. Who knows, maybe things are starting to soften up in Webster Groves MO. It is a welcome change.