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>> Thanks for joining us for Last Call.

This is where we get to some of the topics we couldn't get to on our uh broadcast.

Alvin Reid, Hall of Famer, going into the St.

Louis Media History Hall of Fame on the 23rd of April.

I have a question for you, Mr.

Sports Columnist for uh The St.

Louis American.

The Chicago Tribune editorialized this week that Chicago should reach out to the governing body of World Cup soccer and ask that if Guadalajara remains violent, and we had a lot of violence there this week, why not send those World Cup games to Chicago?

I'm thinking Chicago, their airport's nothing like ours.

Why not?

>> Neither one of them.

>> Or at least be a booster.

Why don't we apply for those World Cup games?

>> We should.

We honestly should.

problem is we just are we don't have a stadium available that has enough seats and I you know FIFA is one of the most corrupt organizations in the sporting world probably the most corrupt and it's about the suits it's about the money tickets are going for like $6,000 a piece right now in Kansas City um that's another part of it it's already in Kansas City but you're right anytime any situation like this pops up we should raise our hand and say send it here Boston uh Foxboro has got a problem with security.

Who's going to pay for it?

And they their city council says they're not voting for the final go-ahehead on all this until they know who's going to pay these bills.

So, there's two opportunities possibly, but we just don't have the stadium.

>> Yeah.

They don't they do not allow a stadium like the dome.

Like, you have to have that modern thing that can retract.

And they don't they will not allow you to have the artificial turf.

You have to have like the natural thing.

So, it goes back to the old Rams stadium clause.

If you would have if you would have done what the Rams wanted, maybe we could have FIFA.

>> He's on my side.

>> Okay, so where would it be in Chicago then?

Bears >> at Bears St.

So >> Chad, they have natural turf.

>> I wonder when they're going to move to Hammond, Indiana, I heard too, by the way.

>> Well, they're about to get a sweetheart deal, but they're going to stay in Illinois.

Guarantee you.

By the way, have you seen the governor's commercials?

He's like thin and walking the streets, but he talks about that thing.

He didn't mention the Bears, but he talks about preserving stuff.

So, yeah.

But yeah, they they Chicago will probably make a for real effort to get those games because the situation down there, trust me, I'm not going to soccer game in Gualahara.

>> Well, I don't know if you saw it, but Vah Gregorian, who used to be a reporter for the St.

Louis Post Dispatch >> and his wife >> and his wife Cindy Billharts.

Yes.

They got caught up in the uh violence in Port of Port.

Right.

Yeah.

>> Wow.

So, uh, >> they're okay though.

I presume >> they are.

And V right.

He's a fine writer.

>> No, he's a great writer.

He's a great writer.

He's a great I love writing his stuff in the Kansas City paper.

>> Jacob, I want to ask you about the uh police budget.

The as you know, we've got a police board that has been appointed by the governor except for the mayor who has uh an official what what do you call that?

Uh what's your last exeicio seat on the police board?

So, the police board, which is not responsible for the city's budget, has decided to increase the police budget in the city of St.

Louis from $147 million a year to $24 million a year.

That's about a 35% increase.

Okay.

The mayor has said that's going to cost the city employees jobs and payraises.

What's your take on this one?

>> Well, I think like I said before, I think we have to look at it holistically that the city of St.

Louis appears to be in big trouble.

I mean, we've had an exodus from downtown.

Uh there's $250 million in critical building and infrastructure needs.

They only have 48 million a year to even begin to tackle that.

Meanwhile, more are going to fall into the critical category.

The water division has $700 million in needs.

And now you're gonna say that, you know, the surpluses certainly have not been $57 million, which is what the this new above and beyond police thing is going to be.

Um, I'd say it's dark times if the if the governor and the state decide to go forward in this way.

All I can hope is that they're I don't know.

They're trying to go dark so that they can fundamentally reorganize the city or do a merger or something.

I don't know if it's a roundabout way of doing something.

When when I read it, I thought, "Oh, so and this is how negotiations start."

>> And Chris Sarosino basically said, "Hey, we're still talking about it."

So you come in and you ask for a bunch of money.

The other side says, "My god, that'll kill us.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

Now they're going to sit down and negotiate something."

So yes, I mean, do I There's no negotiation needed.

>> No.

According according to the law, there's not.

Chris Sarosino.

Chris Sarosino told reporters, "Hey, we'll talk about this.

There's always negotiations possible."

I didn't say there.

>> They got the votes, Joe >> Charlie.

There never has to be a negotiation, but there always are.

>> There is nothing that forces a company to negotiate with my union.

But they do.

>> No, it does.

If they want if they want workers, this is a completely different situation.

>> No, it is not.

No, it is not, Charlie.

the police department and the city back when the state had it before she called them pigs one time.

Okay, one of these things.

So why don't we wait?

Well, I mean we can always go off, you know, halfcocked opinions are great.

I love >> I don't think this is halfcocked at all.

The numbers are in your paper.

>> You've got Chris Sarino saying we're going to talk about this.

>> He's a wonderful guy.

And by the way, his son played in the for the Italian team in the Olympics.

But with all due respect, uh, he is on the side of the police.

His brothers were all police commissioners.

>> Okay.

Then ask, let me let me ask you a question, Charlie.

Why would you tell the press, we can talk about this if you were saying, "This is our final offer.

Take it or leave it."

Why would you say, "Let's talk about this?"

Why would you say?

>> So you can get out the door.

Because the board is set up to give the police anything they want.

It was a bad idea.

I stand behind it.

Was a bad idea.

And it's it's playing out in real life.

to even bring that number is it like like the mayor said that's insulting that's not negotiation that's insulting that's lording over us and like I say it's total disrespect for the city and they are trying not only to negotiate but to um strongarm >> what is the difference though between the the previous state control par period era and and today >> they never asked walked in and said like hey the budget we are seeking will bust the city and cause quote unquote from the mayor.

Massive layoffs never happened.

>> So, a huge amount of this money is for capital like buildings and needs.

My question is, why does the police thing have to be at this excellent level when the city hall roof is leaking in?

It needs a a $3 million thing.

I mean, if the city is impoverished, it should all be impoverished together.

The one department shouldn't be way above the rest.

I I think >> well and I I think what one thing you have is you have a police department that feels like that they have not been placed above anybody for the last 10 years.

>> Well, the one guy said we need we need the best facilities, the best capital, everything.

>> What I'm saying is the idea quite frankly the city has looked at the when the president of the board of alderman was holding defund police signs.

Okay, please tell me that you thought the police department loved that idea >> and the police department is underpaid visa other $20,000 when you when you >> Joe, we got to move on to the last topic and you're going to be the one to uh take this one on.

Speaking of uh buildings that need help, the uh Lawrence Roose Government Center in Clayton, home of county government, needs new sprinklers.

It's going to cost a ton of money.

So, the uh county government has been thinking about sending almost all of its functions to North the old Northwest Plaza.

Okay.

But now uh the county executive has said no, he's going to suspend negotiations for 30 days because who knows why.

What?

One of the reasons is he was upset that the GLERS, two brothers who happen to own Northwest Plaza, hired uh Jeff Rainford, maybe Ed Rodie and some others to do some communication with the county council.

>> The the GLES with very close ties to former county executive Steve >> Sn.

But I don't see how that's relevant >> and the feds never indicted on that.

>> Well, part of it that wasn't part of it, but guilt by association.

And I suppose in the minds of some people >> like Sam Paige.

>> Well, thanks for your response.

>> Yeah, thanks Joe.

So, >> did you get all that?

Did you get all that?

I I think what it does really is it shows the absolute dysfunction that has taken over both the county council and the county executive office.

So, I was glad for the delay.

I quite frankly don't think they should do anything together until Sam Page leaves because they're not going to work together.

This is going to be you say yes, I'm going to say no and vice versa.

I mean, first of all, I thought it was a little disingenuous to say, well, Jeff Rainford and Ed Roie involved.

They're long.

I mean, what are you going to do a development now that never includes the people who always get involved?

So, I thought that was a little disingenuous.

And what he did do is he brought in Gary Earles, a former county exec county administrator who's now living in Arkansas to do some work when Stephanie Leon Strereer, the streets department head, was to do a very capable job making a point.

I mean, like I said, he brought he brought his gunslinger in to to maybe kind of handle the situation.

But I think it is okay to say like, "Hey, look, you guys represented somebody who was not good for St.

Louis County to the point where he like went to prison.

I I don't trust you.

I think that's fair.

Okay.

Like, not saying that y'all are crooks or anything like that.

Like, I just don't trust you all on this negotiate.

No, the people representing them.

Oh, and by the way, just just the whole thing, I'm with you.

Just put it on this marriage to end, right?

Because if if if we don't move on this until the um primary, okay, which is August, then whoever wins the Democratic nomination is probably going to win the race.

Next, >> just put it on the >> next time people wonder though why we're looking at data centers.

Think about what Jacob Kirn so articulately just sort of mapped out.

We're in trouble.

I mean, we're in big trouble.

So, that's why data centers are not going away.

>> All right.

I I get that.

>> And the city needs to sell water.

They have excess water.

>> We got a whole river.

>> All right.

That will conclude this edition of Last Call.

Thanks so much for joining us.

We'll see you again next week.