Posts Tagged ‘Mayor Francis Slay’

Rev. Fred Phelps, the Kansas City pastor who has picketed funerals of soldiers to draw attention to his wacky theology, has selected a new target and a new battleground.  Phelps and his micro-congregation have announced plans to turn up as scheduled at the Jan. 7 performance of pants-impaired Lady Gaga at the Fox Theatre.  A press release from the rev. denounces Lady for being a “hussy”  and for “seducing a generation.”  A national pop-culture website, www.popeater,com drew this comment from buttoned-down and gay-friendly mayor Francis Slay: “I respect his right to protest, but this instance seems more like pop music criticism than a political protest.  I hope her fans have fun and spend lots of money here.  Other than that, there’s ‘Nothing Else I Can Say (eh eh).”   – an amusing nod, notes the popeater.com writer, to Lady Gaga’s song, ‘Eh, Eh (“Nothing Else I Can Say).”  But will hizzoner, who once famously refused to honor an alleged wife-batterer like Ike Turner, turn up for Lady Gaga’s show?…  Mayor Slay was on a roll with a visit by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who had planned to fork over a $15 million grant to allow the city to replace the South Dock at the Municipal River Terminal, which the mayor said will also preserve jobs.  In the lobby fast-talking PR types were politely pushing TV camera crews to raise up their camera stands since Locke is much shorter than Slay. Slay then gave Locke a tour through the inner sanctum and rattled off a litany of White House visitors with grant monies

NEWSOME TWOSOME: Charlie Gitto’s downtown stop was where Dani Wehmer was feted on her birthday at a party tossed by her soulmate Ricky Dicker of Wedge Tire fame. Not only was she presented an engagement ring but also a proposal for marriage. She accepted. A September marriage is now in the works. . . Barrister Gentry Sayad is clocking out at Armstron Teasdale to head up the Asia office of Minneapolis-based Fredrikson Baron. His office will be in Shanghai.

HAPPY HOLLYDAYS: Howard Hayes, the St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) chairman, said that about 200 people each year buy city property on which to build. “We’re rebuilding one block at a time,” he said. “The city owns about 8,000 acres.” Hayes was among the party-goers at the Democrats’ holiday frolic at the IBEW hall in south city. As far as Paul McKee‘s plan in north St. Louis, Hayes opined, “If you don’t like his plan, where’s yours?” County Exec Charlie Dooley sang “My Girl” for fellow-Dems, when not glad-handing the folks in the crowd that included state reps Jake Zimmerman, Mike Corcoran, Jack Hummel, Michele Kratky and Sue Schoemehl.  County council members celebrating were Babara Fraser and Kathleen Kelly Burkett and U. City mayor Joe Adams, St. Louis city aldermen Stephen Gregali and Jennifer Florida, Hazelwood mayor Matt Robinson, Missouri state sen. Joe Keavney collector of revenue Gregg Daly and Florissant councilman Keith Schildroth, a 2010 candidate for the 76th Dist. in the Missouri House. “My strength as a councilman has been my work by old-school politics,” said Schildroth. “I go to residences and talk to the people.”  Others in the crowd were Jeannie King, Mickey McTague, Mary Elizabeth Dorsey, Doug Clemens, Sean Weller, Marianne Solari, Byron DeLear, John Gwaltney, Rhoda Womack and Eileen and Leo McGeoghegan.  One of the most sought after figures there was marketing baron David Woodruff of Blue Pear media and political campaigns. His client list consists of among others: Mayor Tommy Sowers (Rolla) for Congress (8th Dist.); Joe Adams for state senate (14th Dist.); Rep. Michael Corcoran for state senate (24th Dist.); Marty Zuniga for the house (100th Dist.) of Oakville. Woodruff also does consulting and fundraising for St. Louis Ald. Shane Cohn, Sue Schoemehl and Michele Kratky.

FURTHERMORE: St. Louis county police commish Greg Sansone – steady as he goes – with Elisabeth Ottolini of cutsie Ceylavie Catering in Chesterfield, spotted over lunch at Annie Gunn’s. . . Don’t stop Adriana Fazio – too busy making stuffed sirloin meatloaf and pistachio cake at her Adriana’s on The Hill. . . After about a year, Mike Fiala continues to eye the former Coco’s space on Lindbergh Boulevard for another Talayna’s. . .Yesteryear Balaban’s chef David Timney is ditto-ing at Mangia Italiano, where pals say he’s providing pasta for Dierbergs and Straub’s. . .The SLUTS (St. Louis Urban Traders) may just end the year with twinkie rewards.  SLUTS’ membership is limited to gay men. . . Pediatric ENT specialist Dr. James Forsen and his wife, Janis, are beaming with word that their daughter, Libby Forsen, was chosen as a junior maid at the Veiled Prophet Ball. . . Plaudits for Geile-Leon Marketing and John O’Connor, who support Project Restore on a pro-bono basis.  The Edwadsville, Ill.,-based agency has provided much-needed drinking water for the Ugandan villages of  Namulonge, Buso and Kasambia for use this winter.  The Project Restore team has traveled to Uganda this month to install new rain harvesting systems to holding tanks. . .

BOTTOMING OUT: Bride to husband: “The best things I cook are meat loaf and peach cobbler.”  Husband to bride: “Which one is this?”

St. Vincent Home for Children got a $45,000 boost the other night from donors at the Four Seasons Hotel.  That’s where hosts Jeanne and Rex Sinquefeld,  Rachel and Travis Brown of Pelopidas and Laura Slay of Slay and Associates plied hundreds of guests with a dinner and music by a Motown-sound band (Arvell & Company).  Sinquefeld and his brother, Jerry, lived at St. Vincent in the 1950s, after their family fell on hard financial times following the death of their father. Rex said to guests, “This organization has an important job.  And, with families struggling in a down economy, our task becomes even more urgent.  The children who come through the center need every bit of tender loving care, and every second of recreational, social, emotional therapeutic and spiritual help we can give them.”  Donors on hand included: Mayor Francis Slay; County Exec Charlie Dooley; Lt. Gov. Kinder; Vince Mannino of R.G.Construction and his wife, Patti; Charlie Brennan of KMOX; Diana Bourisaw of Midwest Charter Solutions; Mark Carlie of Stone Carlie & Co.; Dan Mehan of the Mo. Chamber of Commerce; Sam Fox of the Harbour Group and his wife, Marilyn; Lauren Herring of IMPACT Group; Bob Duffy of The St. Louis Beacon; Antonio Segovia of Monsanto and Guy McCormack of the University of Missouri-Columbia and his wife, Norma.

At his 90th birthday party at Tony’s, attorney Thomas J. Guilfoil paid tributes to the guests and his law partners and reminded everyone, “It takes a good English lawyer to know the law; it takes a good Irish lawyer to know the judge.”  Surrounded by friends, Guilfoil was embraced by Mayor Francis Slay, who proclaimed that a board room in Room 201 will be hereafter named the Thomas J. Guilfoil room.  Asked what if Paul McKee‘s NorthSide, $5.4 billion development of 500 acres fails to come to fruition, Slay replied, “It would be marketed to developers each seeking say 30 or 40 acres, along with all the properties there the city owns. If it (NorthSide) doesn’t go, we can market it in a better way.”  Slay brought down the house, when he recalled a member of the St. Louis School board, who put a curse on him.  He said, “I got letters, a mass card from the Pink Sisters and a letter from a priest, that read, “If you believe in blessings, you’d better believe in curses.” F.Y.I. Fresh out of law school, Hizzoner was hired by the Guilfoil, Petzall, Shoemake law office and remained there for 20 years.  Partners Gerhardt Petzall with his wife, Barbara (a prof at Maryville) and Jim Shoemake, with his wife, Rita, were on hand.  Jim said, that many years ago, Rita had been in Europe and shopped with one of the firm’s clients, Mark Tucker, owner of the Me, Too shoe distributors, when they ran into Sylvester Stallone, who grew up with Tucker.  “Tucker asked Sly if he was also in the shoe business to which Stallone shot back, “No, I’m in fucking show-business,” quoted Shoemake. Former BJC urologist  Dr. William Catalona of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, a client of Shoemake’s for many years, is now developing a “a more accurate alternative to the PSA exam”, offered Shoemake. Catalona is medical director of the Urological Research Foundation.  A font of information, Shoemake is chairman of the board of Lindenwood University, which he hopes soon will become a class two college in the NIA. Another story unfolded about the time Guilfoil took newbie Slay to Chicago on Teamster’s Central States Pension Fund business (a client) and to meet with Allen Dorfman, who fronted the mob’s interests as head of the fund. “Walls were being torn away in the search for Jimmy Hoffa‘s body,” said Guilfoil. (Dorfman was mentored by Hoffa). “And a week after we met with Dorfman, he was murdered.”  Petzall and Slay told of how they went to Ecuador to try a case for the late Joe Simpkins. Most of the lawyers only spoke Spanish, that was translated by interpreters.  When the case moved to St. Louis, one of the lawyers said in his best Spanish dialect, “I’d like to go to Roxy’s (an east side haunt).” Also, on hand for the kudos were: Sherry Wibbenmeyer; Dianne Meyer; Victor Isart; Marisa and Pranee Nijaturus; Jeannie and Gen. Ken Lewi; Joyce Holson and Barbie Martin.

Zhao Xiaojiang, deputy mayor of Nanjing, China, St. Louis’ sister-city, coined a phrase for the river city: “Gateway to the East.”  The deputy mayor presented Mayor Francis Slay with a ceramic piece in gold and jade before 50 members of the Nanjing Foreign Trade group.  Hizzoner pointed out there were only 10,4673 miles between each city, which included “a kayak sail across the Pacific Ocean.  On hand for the meeters and greeters were: Tim Nowack, Cheryl Marty, Stella Sheehan, Ana Romero-Lizana, Sean Mullins, Joel Glassman, Doug Potts, Kitty Ratcliffe, Dan Mehan, Susanne Evans, Wilma Prifti, Sam Solomon and Joanne Gladney.

“He (Rush Limbaugh) is sort of a yo-yo,” mugged the popular

Limbaugh

broadcaster’s uncle, retired Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Sr. “But, had he been here (with the Rams), the team would stay here.”  Limbaugh, who was nominated for federal judge for the U.S. Dist. of eastern and western Missouri by President Reagan, is now with the law firm of Armstrong Teasdale. The columnist cornered him and his wife Anne at the Fellows of the St. Louis Bar Foundation gala at the Chase-Park Plaza.  Among the familiar faces in the

Mavis

crowd was Mavis Thompson, prez of the National Bar Association, whose spotlight is on diversity programs and resources in the legal profession. “The numbers are dismal among partners in law firms, associates, court staffs, law clerks and throughout the judiciary,” she said.  “We’ve made no headway with managing partners of those firms. We now have turned to corporations to tell their law firms ‘we will withdraw our business until you have a diverse team of lawyers.”  Thompson mentioned WalMart and AmerenUE as examples of her targets.  Kent D. Syverud, dean of the Law School at WashU

Syverud

was there with his wife, Dr. Ruth  Chen, a prof at the university.  Judge Richard Teitelman joined our conversation and

Teitelman

gushed about Syverud, ”He has a passion for teaching and the students come first.” Syverud, former dean of the law school at Vanderbilt, addressed the trashing of lawyers by some media, “That’s because lawyers speak for the unpopular views. It’s easier to attack the spokespersons than the clients.”  Applications for law school are up 20 percent nationally and Syverud said there are about 1,000 students in the WashU law school. “I teach a full load of 350 students this year.”  Retired Circuit Judge Anna C. Forder got kudos on the 30th anniversary of her appointment.  The 2009 Spirit of Justice Awards were presented for “dedication to the community” to: John R. Barsanti, Jr. Dan Buck; Ruth Ezell; Ryan Hummert; John G. Simon; Mayor Slay; Charles A. Weiss; Ronda F. Williams and Samuel Sung H. You

Buck

.

Tensions between the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Dept. and KSDK (Channel 5) eased a little Friday.  Station sources aver that the parent company forked over $3,000 to settle fines and penalties assessed on several vehicles.  Unpaid parking tickets had grounded some of the station’s vans and attracted the attention of the city’s boot crew.  Soreheads on both sides of the simmering dispute point to a story by newsie Leisa Zigman detailing overtime parking around Police HQ with setting off a flurry of ticketing to the station vehicles parked illegally.  Bosses at both the Police Dept. and Channel 5 have been mum about the situation. . . Catherine Werner, widow of former Post-Dispatch editor and former dean of the U of Nevada’s J School’s Cole Campbell, will join Mayor Francis Slay’s administration next month as an advisor on sustainability issues… Five and three.  Those are the numbers of new charter school proposals that Slay has accepted and rejected since asking for proposals for “best practices” charter schools from around the country. That was a factoid offered up by hizzoner at a State of the City meeting last week in WashU’s Fall Assembly Speaker’s Series. . .The campaign to make emergency radio communications in St. Louis county more reliable has received an infusion of cash from a predictable donor.  The Missouri Ethics Commission reports that Motorola Corp. a maker of two-way radios, has sent a last-minute contribution of $15,000 to Citizens in Support of E-911. Crepes in the City and Espresso Mod, two downtown stores popular with the sometimes fickle tight jeans crowd, have shuttered in the last week or so.  The Crepes folks blamed slow weekday business; the coffee people cited competition from the immensely popular Culinaria.  Meanwhile, rumors continue to swirl that south St. Louis landmark Chris’s Pancake and Dining is scouting for a downtown satellite location, most likely near Police HQ. (insert joke here!)… And St. Louis author and N.Y. Times best-seller) Laurell K. Hamilton is a very busy woman. Her latest, “Divine Misdemeanors” (8th in her Merry Gentry series), is due to hit the bookstalls in early December, and she has promised publishers (and, according to her fan blog, is toiling away on ) two new books (18th and 19th in her Anita Blake series) next year.

Slay Park

The re-christening of the once Arsenal/Ellendale Park – now, the Francis R. Slay Park – took place over the weekend with a crowd of hundreds looking on. For about 40 years, area residents used the park, at the corner of Arsenal street and McCausland avenue to play soccer and softball.  The bill, for the conversion, was signed Saturday by Mayor Francis Slay, who said to his dad, “You know, Pa, while the park is in your name, you can’t try to run it or even sell it.”  Elder Slay shot back, “Well, what’s the use of having it?”  State Rep. Michelle Kratky presented Slay, Sr., with a state resolution for his outstanding contributions to the region. Also on display were the architectural drawings showing eventual improvements, that will include footpaths, a baseball field with a dugout, a water garden and a gazebo. The older Slay, who will turn 82 later this year, retired after 40 years ih public service as committeeman, Mo. state rep, recorder of deeds and later became a businessman.  On hand for the doin’s were: aldermanic prez Lewis Reed; Ald, Steve Gregali -14th Ward, ald. Craig Schmid -20th ward, akd, Marlene Davis -19th ward and Jennifer Florida.  Others there were: Tom Shephard; Collector of Revenue Greg Daly; Director of Parks & Rec.Gary Bess; retired judge Paul Simon; Jim Sonderman; Cathy Ruggeri-Rea; Brian Wahby and Slay siblings Gerard Slay, Monietta Slay, Sharon Bourne, Tom Slay and City Hall’s Mary Ellen Ponder, Sherry Wibbenmeyer, Patrick Brown; Robyn Wahbe and Angela Thompson.

St. Louis mayor Francis Slay raised more than a few eyebrows by posing the following question in his blog:  Why do the region’s transportation agency and transportation planning agency have different buildings and duplicated staffs?  Slay goes on to suggest that now might be the time (and Metro’s prez Bob Baer might be the person) to combine the leadership of Metro and East-West Gateway Coordinating Council.