Posts Tagged ‘Bill Corrigan’

Barrister Bill Corrigan‘s $1.7 million campaign to unseat St. Louis County Exec Charlie Dooley did not win the big prize (Dooley’s office), but one of his consultants has picked up a smaller prize of his own. Axiom Strategies, the firm of KC consultant Jeff Roe, was presented with a Reed Award last week for “best direct mail in a Republican county, local or judicial election” by Campaigns & Elections magazine for some work on Corrigan’s campaign. The mailer’s message, “Dump Dooley,” went unheeded. . .Associate Circuit Judge Thea Sherry has been upped to new Circuit Judge for the 21st Circuit, encompassing all of St. Louis county. She fills the seat occupied by retiring Judge John Kintz. ..The Albert Pujols Wellness Center, which offers patients access to a team of specialists of Down Syndrome at St. Luke’s is already gearing up for a Jan. ’12 benefit at The Sheldon. . .Cardinals’ asst. g.m. Mike Girsch and wife, Kelly, pulled up steaks at Tony’s, where author Harlan Steinbaum was toasted on his big natal day by pal, Judy Allen. Steinbaum is the author of “Tough Calls from the Corner Office,” in which he includes interviews with top ceo’s. He rejoiced over an upcoming edition of USA Today in which he hoped would carry an interview with him. Steinbaum is remembered by some as the son-in-law of the late Morris Glaser, founder of the drug store chain. Steinbaum was also a founder of MEG’s, a bellied-up discount drug store in Ellisville. . .John Kain has clocked out as g.m. of the Charles Cella family’s Truffles restaurant in Ladue to become sommelier at Thom Sehnert‘s Annie Gunn’s.

On television, Roy Blunt‘s newest ad blared, “My opponent is killing jobs!”, Bill Corrigan‘s pitch claimed,  ”. . .will stop the merger” and Tony La Russa, whose hair gets darker and darker, admirably plugged the Animal Rescue Foundation.  Suffering from San Andreas of the mind, the columnist was then poised for collecting items. The timing was exquisite.  Within one strip of south Lindbergh Boulevard, pickets from IBEW Local #1 held a sign in front of Chaminade College Prep, that read, “Shame on Chaminade,” in protest of the school’s hiring the non-union Birkel Electric for work on a new addition.  Pamphlets distributed implored parents to “ask for a 25 percent tuition discount ” to demand the same requirements as a result of paying less than area standards to the company.  Farther south, the free standing structure, that once housed Coco’s, has been under restoration for about a year to make room for Mike Fiala‘s newest Talayna’s pizzeria.  At Diane Breckenridge Barrett‘s interior design boutique, senior stylist Melissa Buckley was in the throes of pampering two luxury structures in China: one in Beijing; the other in Tang Shen, both designed by our town’s Lawrence Group.  Libby Storts, Diane’s daughter-in-law,  was selecting fabrics for the houses of Judy and Dennis Jones and Don and Suzanne Danforth.  (Libby’s hub is Brick Storts, IV, who is partnered in CIS Communications, owner of five cell towers.)  George Tompras and family’s Kreis Restaurant was being prepped for another night of frivolity, where the unique, hence, irreplaceable Jeanie and Dr. Don Bassman had been spotted holding hands over dinner. Over at Schneithorst’s the charming Patty Battram, widow of May Co.’s senior vice chairman Dick Battram,  entertained her sons, Jeffrey and Rick of Bella Homes, who had just completed remodeling her penthouse at the Crescent. At another table,  80 year-old tiger and Lashly Baer barrister Brainerd Latourette said he’s still doing part time volunteer duty at St. Luke’s. And, a few blocks away, Martha and Al Small were hailing the success of their grandson Zach Hyatt‘s cinching the sale of his and biz partner Jonny Umansky‘s pilot script, “Young Turks,” to NBC.  Zach is the son of Deborah and Mark Hyatt, and is a grad of Parkway Central High and Syracuse U.

It is St. Louis County Exec Charlie Dooley‘s lot – and advantage – to be underestimated by his opponents.  With his wife, Susan at Chez Leon, Gene McNary, exec director of the Missouri Gaming Commish and a former St. Louis county exec himself, took a few shots at Dooley.  “He’s a nice guy,” McNary began.  “But, it’s embarrassing that he’s running the county.  I’d like to beat him!”  McNary, who will leave his current post in July, last won an election in 1986.  Still, some county stalwarts think that the feisty McNary would have been a stronger opponent to Dooley than Ladue attorney Bill Corrigan. . .So, you’re wondering where some of the money goes here from the federal stimulus funding, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009?  Ask dad. Dad knows. How about $45 million for Metro Arts in Transit (AIT) for a number of new public art projects?  Metro Arts has received that much and is currently on the prowl for artists.

BILL CORRIGAN

“About 40,000 jobs have been lost in the county since Charlie Dooley took office”, said GOPer and attorney Bill Corrigan, who hopes to beat Dooley at the polls in the race for county executive.  “Furthermore, there’s no entrepreneurial atmosphere to promote small business and growth.  Our current county government is incompetent and broken. There’s also an unfair tax system.  Since Dooley took office, the violent crime rate has gone up 30 percent. In the county’s own application for $8.5 million for federal funding, earmarked for a new crime lab, it reveals that 25 percent of the crimes in St. Louis county have remained unsolved.”  Corrigan, a yesteryear worker on a GM assembly plant, a MoDot trash picker-upper and a Teamster, who loaded pickup track lift trailers, paid his own way through Notre Dame. His wife, Ann, is a lawyer, who teaches in the pre-law program at SLU’s undergrad school.  Over coffee at First Watch, Corrigan concluded, “I’d love a debate with Dooley on issues of leadership and vision.  If he’s transparent, he’ll debate.”

If Republican Bill Corrigan is – as he said – running in full-tilt for countywide office, why doesn’t his campaign finance report filed on April 15 disclose payments to individual staff members?  Certainly, some working journalists around town report receiving calls on behalf of the Corrigan PR machine from flackmistress Susan Ryan, who performs similar media chores for Democratic St. Louis circuit attorney Jennifer Joyce and others.  Meanwhile, a wag sent along an email noting an amusing caveat to Corrigan’s campaign spiel about jobs putatively lost in St. Louis county.  “Corrigan’s own law firm has elected to move to St. Louis county. Isn’t that a personal endorsement of Dooley economic policy?” wondered the writer.

The Missouri Ethics Commission has dismissed as “unsubstantiated” a complaint against attorney (and Charlie Dooley‘s adviser) John Temporiti filed by the campaign of fellow attorney Bill Corrigan.  The columnist is now waiting to see if Temporiti files a lawsuit against political pro Lloyd Smith, the new exec director of the state Republican Party, who signed the complaint against Temporiti under oath.

Although it is still months away from the November election between County Exec Dooley and his Republican challenger, lawyer Bill Corrigan, the two campaigns have already made some “important” decisions.  Dooley has selected blue and gold, while Corrigan has opted for red, white and blue on parchment.

Somewhere in her family, Alexis Tucci had to have inherited the genes of Cecil B. DeMille or David O. Selznick.  Only they and Tucci could produce a spectacular such as the Mayor’s Ball in City Hall t’other eve, crafted by Tucci.  Usually the corridors are as empty as an Elaine Viets book signing, but Friday night they were wall-to-wall, costumed party-goers as well as those in formal attire.  Why not? It was the eve of Mardi Gras festivities around town and the guests partied and jammed beyond belief. The aforementioned Dooley and Hizzoner Francis Slay were hugging and recalling how earlier in the day, Dooley pulled off his best joke yet. While Slay and others were at a Hardee’s launching of Heat Up St. Louis, they looked in vain for Dooley, whose presence was expected. Finally, someone caught a side-splitting Dooley at a drive-up window.

Speaking of attending functions, Guv. Jay Nixon was invited to the ball, but was a no-show much to the anger of some power brokers. “He doesn’t even care about St. Louis”, said one of them.  Another Dem chimed in about county exec hopeful Bill Corrigan and pointed out, “He’s been elected to Pulaski Bank’s board.  You know, the bank that has not yet paid back the TARP funds?”

With his wife, Gienne, at  his side,  Parks & Rec. chief Gary Best tipped that a conservancy is being formed to raise money for the Gateway Mall park. Nearby, St. Louis Sheriff Jim Murphy lamented about his nephew, Judge Joe Murphy, another victim of lung cancer. “It’s treatable – he’s now on chemotherapy,” said Murphy. Affable 25th Ward Alderman Shane Cohen enthused over having gotten a grant from the Justice Dept. for his district to cover police and prosecutorial services as well as the neighborhood watch program. Taking it all in were Deb and Cong. Russ Carnahan, who admitted he enjoys listening to Rush Limbaugh whenever possible. Getting admirable stares were the stunning duo of Teresa and broadcaster John Brown, while nearby were Michelle and St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson, who expressed comfort about what he described as a “coming together of all factions in the department, but several forces don’t want that.”  A few toasts were raised to Brian Wahby, chairman of the city Democratic Central committee for having pioneered the Mayor’s Ball way back then.