Anti-McKee petition drive falls short
A bid to put Paul McKee’s NorthSide redevelopment plan on the February ballot has come up short.
Thursday was the deadline for signatures on a referendum challenging an agreement signed last month by St.Louis Mayor Francis Slay to give McKee the right to move forward with his $8.1 billion plan, and nearly $400 million in tax-backed financing.
To put the measure on the February ballot, organizers needed to collect about 4,400 signatures. They got 4,165.
"We fell short," said Michael Moore, president of a group that was behind the petition drive.
Asked why, he pointed to the short window for signatures — city law provides 30 days after an ordinance is passed to gather names for a referendum — and to the arrest of a local activist last month for putting flyers on cars in his neighborhood about the issue paydayloans. Charges were later dropped.
"That deterred some of our volunteers," Moore said.
But, they plan to try again.
A lawsuit now pending in St. Louis Circuit Court could send the matter back to City Hall for another round of votes, which would then open another 30-day window for a referendum. If the suit fails, Moore said his group plans to launch an initiative petition to add some elements to the plan that better reflect the neighborhood’s desires.
"Next time around," he said, "we’ll have more troops."
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