Saint Louis
CitySide
St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
 If the Cardinals Leave Downtown St. Louis, It's Lights Out for St. Louis
Public Hearing on Proposed Mississippi River Crossing
Missouri Governor Holden Signs Bill Which Changes Property Tax Policy
Loss of Cardinals Baseball Would Create Large Hole in St. Louis Economy, Says Mayor Slay
St. Louis Cardinals Say Downtown Is No Longer the Most Likely Site for New Ballpark
Senate Gives Initial Approval of Funding for Cardinal Ballpark
St. Louis Is One of the Best Places in America to Do Business Says Mayor Francis Slay
Revitalization of Downtown Begins With $35 Million Renovation of Old Post Office
St. Louis Aldermanic Ways and Means Committee Endorses Ballpark Agreement/Summary of Final Agreement
Ballpark Bill Draws Heated Opposition at Public Forum
Saint Louis Art Museum Donates $10 Million to 'Heart of the Park' Improvements
St. Louis Lands 2004 U.S. Olympic
Women's Marathon Trials
Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Site Dedicated
Mississippi River Trail Dedicated
Mayor Slay, Multi-Faith Religious Leaders Encourage Religious Tolerance
Taking Stock of Our City and Our Region
Missouri Attorney General Stops Internet Auction Fraud
St. Louis/East St. Louis Joint Economic Development Initiative Receives Nearly $3 Million in Funding
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Archived photo of Mayor Francis Slay with his statement at the beginning of his term, April 2001.
Mayor Slay Marks Mid-Term in Office
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), April 18, 2003 - This week marks the mid-term in Saint Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay's first administration. In a special announcement, the Mayor outlined his program on improving the quality of life in the City's neighborhoods.
"We have made a great deal of progress in our neighborhoods, especially when you consider the state of the national economy," said Mayor Slay. "Crime is down, property values are up dramatically, and the number of residential building permits is up. Blocks once given up for dead are coming back to life. Neighborhoods that hadn't seen any significant investment in decades are being rebuilt. Since I took office, the average sales price of a single family home in the City has risen by 20%. It is obvious that more and more homebuyers and investors are recognizing that the City of St. Louis is the place to be."
"A good neighborhood needs reasons to believe that things are getting better. Our families must be safe. We need to know our properties are increasing in value. We need places to walk, play and exercise. Places to shop. Places to educate our kids. Places to meet our neighbors. That's where my administration has focused most of its time and energy," Slay said.
Slay has focused his efforts on four key areas to turn the city around: improving public safety, improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods, improving schools, and improving the delivery of City services.
Improving public safety. Even in very difficult budget times, Slay has added more than 80 police officers to city streets. He has worked directly with top law officers on a targeted strategy to reduce crime. As a result, crime is down significantly. Homicide was down 24% in 2002, and it is already down 36% in the first quarter this year.
Improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Slay created the Neighborhood Life Initiatives. The first Neighborhood Initiative launched was the Problem Properties Program.
The program has three full-time dedicated police officers, a full-time staff of attorneys, and Problem Properties Court created to specifically deal with property owners and landlords. Problems such as derelict and abandoned buildings, slum landlords, and building code violations are being dealt with and cleaned up at an unprecedented rate.
Since the launch of the Problem Properties Program, more than1,000 buildings have been brought into compliance. One person has served 33 days in jail for refusing to comply and pay fees, 127 nuisance behavior properties have been abated, and through the REGIS system, police officers have located 650 defendants and cleared more than 1,500 dormant and outstanding warrants.
The second initiative launched was Clean Up St. Louis - a program aimed at cracking down on illegal dumping and trash accumulation in our neighborhoods. The program was created in response to thousands of calls received by the Citizens Service Bureau asking the city to clean up piles of trash, vacant lots with dumped trash, and historic residential blocks blighted by litter and abandoned cars. To date, more than 1,200 arrests have been made for illegal dumping, and more than 100 arrests have been made for accumulated trash violations.
The Slay administration is holding slum landlords accountable for the damage they do to our neighborhoods, and holding those who trash them accountable as well.
Public Education. Mayor Slay joined business, civic, clergy, teachers and parents to form a coalition to demand and produce dramatic improvement in the St. Louis public schools. Just last week, St. Louis city voters elected the coalition's slate of candidates to the board of education. The four candidates now represent a majority on the St. Louis public schools board of education.
In addition to the school board slate, Mayor Slay launched Teach for America in April 2002, which included 41 Teach for America corps members in the St. Louis public schools this year, and 95 total Teach for America members in the St. Louis public schools next year. Teach for America is a group of our nation's best and brightest teachers who are dedicated to improving academic achievement in the St. Louis public schools. Slay raised $700,000 for this effort.
Slay is also getting parents to take responsibility for their children. The Truancy Court was set up to hold parents responsible for students who miss massive amounts of school time. There were only 3 cases in the system for the years 1997 through 2000. Under the leadership of Mayor Slay and Judge Betty Battle Turner, there have been 607 cases through 2003.
Improving City Government. Potholes are filled more quickly, more people are getting building permits in one day, and response times for requests for service are improving. Mayor Slay's new City View program, which makes city government more efficient and holds managers accountable, is already saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
The mayor also has tackled long-standing problems at the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners and more recently the Metropolitan Sewer District.
"We are going to build on what we have accomplished in the first two years, making the city safer, making dramatic improvements in the schools, and making the city a better place to live. As the national economy turns around, we have positioned ourselves to take advantage of new opportunities to create jobs and expand our tax base," Slay stated.
"There is much more work to be done. Improvements in the national economy will make a big difference," stated Slay. "City government and the City of St. Louis are both works in progress, but I think we are off to a good start."
See Archived story: Francis G. Slay Wins St. Louis by Landslide
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