Call Publishing, Thursday, April 3, 2014 - Page 4A

By Mike Anthony

Lindbergh Schools votersshould approve bond issue

Lindbergh Schools voters will con-sider Proposition G, a $34 million bond issue, when they go to the polls Tuesday.

The Call urges voters to approve the measure, as we believe it’s necessary to address the district’s aggressive enrollment growth. Without the pas-sage of Prop G, we believe the aca-demic success Lindbergh has enjoyed — being ranked No. 1 in academic achievement in the state for four con-secutive years — will be jeopardized.

As proposed, Prop G — for Growth — would increase the district’s debt-service tax rate by 21 cents, to 68.3 cents per $100 of assessed valua-tion from 47.3 cents. A four-sev-enths majority — 57.14 percent — is required for passage of the measure.

If approved, proceeds from the bond issue would fund the construction of a 650-student elementary school on the nearly 10-acre Dressel School site at 10255 Musick Road.

District officials also propose to use $3 million of the bond proceeds to fund some critical needs at Lindbergh High School, including doubling the size of the cafeteria, creating two science classrooms from existing classrooms, converting a record-stor-age room into two new classrooms, modernizing the library and replac-ing the wood floor and bleachers in Gymnasium 3.

With a turnover in housing stock and the district’s academic success, Lindbergh’s enrollment surge is re-lentless. From 2007-2008 to 2012-2013, the district’s residential enroll-ment increased by 569 students.

Of the district’s five elementary schools, four currently exceed their capacity. From 2013 to 2018, district officials project residential enroll-ment will increase by 464 students, not including an estimated 120 addi-tional students from new subdivi-sions being constructed.

The District Growth Committee, which was comprised of parents, community members and staff, stud-ied the issue at length and recom-mended the construction of a sixth elementary school on the Dressel site.

The Board of Education and Super-intendent Jim Simpson agree with the committee’s recommendation.

Currently, the district has enough students to fill a sixth elementary school. As it stands, even if Prop G is approved, the new elementary school would not open until the 2017-2018 school year.

Given all the facts, we believe Prop G is the only logical solution to ad-dress Lindbergh’s growth, and urge voters to approve it next Tuesday.

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To the editor:Over the years, I have helped with the

campaigns of many of Crestwood’s elected officials, some more than once.

The standard I use to help decide whether to support those who run for a second time is simple: Once elected, how do their votes reflect the principles and campaign promises on which they sold themselves as candidates? There are only two people I helped who, once elected, failed to meet this standard: Roy Robinson and Gregg Roby.

It came as little surprise to me then when I discovered that, as of this writing, Roy Robinson is one of Gregg Roby’s biggest campaign contributors. But what is more troubling is that during the mayoral debate,

Mr. Roby, who claims to support com-plete transparency in government, had two opportunities to fully disclose the names of his campaign contributors, and refused to do so. Is this blatant lack of transparency and political doublespeak a preview of what we can expect if he becomes mayor?

When we cast our votes for mayor on April 8, Crestwood voters will be filling a leadership position with a three-year term.

It is a job that requires far more effort, skill and commitment than simply punch-ing a clock at City Hall. We need to be confident that the person who occupies the mayor’s seat is guided by firmly held convictions which inform his decisions, regardless of political consequence.

Mayor Schlink is battle-tested and well-pre-pared for future challenges. He has respond-ed to criticism with composure and honesty, led the city with dignity while overseeing contentious redevelopment discussions, and continues to actively work day and night on our behalf on multiple fronts, helping to secure Crestwood’s future. Mayor Schlink is a principled public servant, not a politician.

The choice is clear: The most qualified candidate for mayor of Crestwood is Jeff Schlink, and I hope you will join me in voting for Mr. Schlink on April 8.

Martha DuchildCrestwood

Editor’s note: Mrs. Duchild’s husband, Paul, serves as a Ward 3 alderman.

Choice is clear: Schlink most-qualified candidate to lead Crestwood

To the editor:After attending the recent Crestwood mayoral candidate forum,

I was so taken back with Mayor Jeff Schlink’s repeated claims of providing leadership during his term that I felt compelled to write this letter.

In the past three years, our city has regressed, primarily because there has been no vision, no plan and certainly no leadership. Lead-ership requires taking a stand and making controversial or unpopu-lar decisions when needed. Yet on critical votes, the mayor refused to cast a tie-breaker. I can appreciate his reluctance in delicate mat-ters, but the job requires him to act in just these types of situations.

Three years ago, he asked for our votes and we, the residents of Crestwood, complied. It seems reasonable that we should expect the same from him when called upon. He can try to justify his inaction any way he wishes, but the fact remains that he failed to fulfill one of the fundamental obligations of the job, leadership.

Leadership also requires consensus-building, yet Crestwood con-

tinues to suffer from a board that will not work together. The mayor bears the responsibility to work with all members of the board.

Not long ago, one alderman admonished Mr. Schlink for his poor communication. We cannot expect to have consensus with-out open communication and, clearly, this has been an ongoing problem with this administration.

Leaders build teams that utilize the strengths of every team mem-ber, all focused on a common goal. Make no mistake, we all make up the team in Crestwood. However, under Mr. Schlink’s leader-ship the board is split, citizens are discouraged, business owners are frustrated and employee morale has never been lower. Ours is a team in disarray.

Mr. Schlink believes he has had some accomplishments in the last three years, but to claim that he has exhibited leadership is, frankly, an insult.

Tom BremehrCrestwood

Crestwood regressing because of lack of leadership, resident says

Newspaper makes endorsements for contested election racesVoters will make some critical choices

next Tuesday when they go to the polls to elect members of the Lindbergh and Mehlville boards of education.

Sunset Hills voters also will have a choice, as Mayor Bill Nolan and two al-dermen are being challenged by write-in candidates, and a former alderman is chal-lenging Aldermen Rich Gau in Ward 1.

Four seats — three three-year seats and one two-year seat — are up for election in Lindbergh.

Five candidates — Cori Akins, board Vice President Don Bee, board member Vicki Lorenz Englund, Al Faulstich and board President Kathleen Kienstra — are seeking three three-year seats on the board.

Three candidates — Christopher Clegg,

Daniel Sampson and Gary Ujka — are seeking the two-year seat on the board.

For the three three-year seats, we believe voters have an easy decision since Bee, Englund and Kienstra have a proven track record of excellent service to students and the community and have exercised sound fiscal stewardship during their time on the board. We urge voters to re-elect the three.

For the two-year seat, we believe voters have a more difficult decision, as both Ujka and Sampson would make excellent board members. But given Ujka’s longtime expe-rience as an educator, we believe he should be elected to the board next Tuesday.

With Superintendent Eric Knost’s selec-tion as the new superintendent of the Rockwood School District, effective July 1, what the Mehlville Board of Education needs is experienced board members.

Five candidates — current board Secre-tary Rich Franz, former board member Venki Palamand and newcomers Randy L. Howard, Jean Pretto and Samantha Stormer — are seeking three seats. All five should be applauded for their desire to serve the community.

This newspaper endorsed Palamand last year when he ran unsuccesfully for a third term, writing, “We’d be hard-pressed to think of a bigger advocate for students and teachers than Palamand.”

(See CONTESTED, Page 6A)

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More letters to the editor are featured on Page 6A

Page 6A - Call Publishing, Thursday, April 3, 2014

• ContestedWrite-in candidate challengesNolan in city’s mayoral race(Continued from Opinions, Page 4A)

Ironically, we also noted last year that he did not receive the endorsement of the Mehlville National Education Association, or MNEA. What a difference a year makes, as the fi ckle MNEA has endorsed Palamand this year. We believe Palamand has been unwavering in his commitment to students, teachers and the district, and once again, the Call endorses Palamand.

While Franz has been a lightning rod for criticism — some of it deserved and some of it inaccurate, in our opinion — because of his outspoken views, we believe voters should examine his record during his three years on the board. Franz has voted for nearly every major forward-motion initia-tive — tuition-free, full-day kindergarten, the district’s fi rst-ever auditorium, the new tennis-court complex and increased class offerings, to name a few — yet some use broad brushstrokes in an attempt to paint him as anti-public education.

Hardly. Unlike some current board mem-bers who are ready to rubber stamp what-ever the administration or teachers desire, Franz has challenged the administration’s recommendations, on occasion. We believe Franz’s service merits him a second term and urge voters to re-elect him.

The three remaining candidates have individual strengths and weaknesses and each would serve the district well, but we believe Stormer with her fi nancial acumen is the best qualifi ed and should be elected.

A business development manager for the largest non-emergency medical transporta-tion company in the state, Stormer’s job responsibilities include writing requests for proposals for multi-million-dollar ac-counts on a daily basis.

In Sunset Hills, write-in candidate Mark Furrer is challenging Mayor Bill Nolan.

Furrer is opposed to a QuikTrip proposed for the east commuter lot at Kennerly and Weber Hill roads, owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation. Furrer is earnest and articulate, but we believe Nolan’s experience as an alderman and his two terms as mayor make him the best-qualifi ed candidate for the job.

In Ward 1, Gau is being challenged by for-mer Ward 1 Alderman Douglas McGuire.

While either candidate would serve the city well, we believe Gau’s exceptional service the past two years merits him a second term.

In addition, write-in candidates Donald Placke Jr. and Donna Ernst are challenging Ward 2 Alderman Tom Musich and Ward 4 Art Havener, respectively. Given their track records, the Call endorses Musich and Havener for re-election.

Prop G right solution for enrollment growthTo the editor:As parents of elementary school-aged

children, we could not think of a better way to provide continued excellence in educa-tion than to be a part of and fully support Lindbergh Schools’ Proposition G bond issue that is on the April 8 ballot.

We are chairing this campaign because we believe building a new elementary school is the right solution for the rapidly increasing student enrollment occurring within the district — what a wonderful problem to have.

Young families with small children con-tinue to move into our community — they see and hear about Crestwood being ranked one of the Best Places to Live; local municipalities like Sunset Hills, Fenton and Green Park offer great homes in qual-ity neighborhoods. Young families also want what Lindbergh Schools provides: outstanding student achievement in all phases of a child’s learning, beginning at Lindbergh’s Early Child Education facility and continuing up to the national award-winning Lindbergh High School.

Time and again when we volunteer at our children’s schools — Long and Concord elementaries — we are stopped by parents who tell us that they are so happy that Lindbergh offers a safe, learning-enriched environment for their sons and daughters.

So you can see why we offered our com-mitment to a needed, worthwhile proposition — we want what is best for Lindbergh kids and the community. We have been com-pletely satisfi ed with Lindbergh’s successes in all forms of academic and social merits.

Lindbergh Schools has exceeded expec-tations in our children’s educational expe-rience. We want that to continue for them, their classmates and for the future genera-tions of Lindbergh students.

That is why it is so important to vote “yes” for Prop G on April 8. Please encour-age fellow parents, neighbors and grand-parents to give their community’s children the resources they need today in order to be the pioneers of tomorrow.

Jennifer AbercrombieDave Reinhardt

Yes for Prop G committee co-chairs

Board incumbents will keep Lindbergh strongTo the editor:Lindbergh Schools is No. 1 in education

in our state.One reason is the stewardship of board

members Kathleen Kienstra, Donald Bee and Vicki Lorenz Englund. These incum-bents are also fi scal hawks, as evidenced by the recent announcement that the board saved taxpayers over $3.5 million through a bond refunding. What more can you expect from these candidates? They bal-ance the interests of the students and the taxpayers and do so with great success.

Then we have Cori Akins and Al Faul-stich. I recently attended a Crestwood PTO meeting where the candidates could speak.

Mr. Faulstich did not appear, which speaks volumes. Ms. Akins did speak. When asked if she supported Prop G she stated she “would do what the taxpayers told her to do,” and then said she “had not made up her mind.”

We need strong leaders, not ones who re-fuse to state their real agenda, that being to vote against Prop G.

(See STRONG, Page 10A)

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