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>> Hey, it's May.

It's beautiful outside.

Winter is long gone.

Summer is almost here.

So, welcome to a happy night of Donnybrook.

a little bit sad because it is the one-year anniversary coming up of the tornado.

We're going to talk about that and a lot of other good St.

Louis news joining us tonight.

Oh, well, first of all, I'm Alvin Reid sitting in for Charlie Brennan, in case you hadn't figured that out already.

But we have media veteran Wendy Wiese with us tonight.

>> Almost forgot my name again.

Call me Wendy Williams.

>> Pretty much not that time.

Uh, Bill McClellen of the Post Dispatch, one of our founders.

Sarah Fenske from St.

Louis Magazine, the 314 podcast.

And in my usual chair is Joe Hollewman from the St.

Louis Post Dispatch.

Well, I did mention that we're coming up on the one-year anniversary of the tornado that hit St.

Louis on May 16th, 2025.

And Bill, a lot has transpired uh over the year, including today official announcement of how the um RAM settlement funds will be divvied up, of which I think uh 120 million or is it 150 million will be going to um tornado repair and other programs such as that.

So, one year later, Bill, if we wanted to maybe uh give the administration and the community as a whole a grade, what would what would you give us?

Well, I would give the administration, we're talking about the mayor, I'd give her a D. I wouldn't give her a failing grade because I I blame the federal government in large part for not getting things done.

But in the immediate aftermath of the tornado, there was such a sense of a community and we're going to get things done.

And I I think that maybe swept up in that uh feeling of spirit that she overpromised and and I remember her saying like, "You can judge me on what happens to the victims of the tornado and we're going to get them housing and and of course everything fizzled out."

And that's a community support.

It's really not uh the mayor's fault entirely at all, but I'd give her a D. I think I would kick it up a little bit to a C minus.

Part of that being in her recent press conferences where she's admitted that there were things that she could have done differently.

So, I'm I'm really agreeing with everything Bill said, but the idea that she said yes, mistakes were made.

I could have done a better job.

My office could have done a better job in some ways.

And I think it does maybe come in because of the overpromising part.

And maybe that's being new to the office where you're going to do all these things and then you get in there and find out it just doesn't move that fast.

And so I agree with Bill though I say that she I think she did a good job by admitting to some mistakes.

>> Well, this is great inflation.

>> Well, I'm going to go one further and uh I'm going to give her a C+ because this was this was baptism.

I there I can't think of more of a baptism.

I was hyperventilating reading the interview with Mayor Spencer and the reporter from St.

Louis Public Radio.

Hyperventilating thinking how I mean what a what a complete mess.

And when you talk about an area of town that is already so impoverished with so many dilapidated condemned buildings that had to be factored in that changed the formula.

a federal formula that was like nailing jello- to a wall.

It seemed to be fluid.

So, I I would give her a C+.

I agree with you.

I think her her willingness to admit, which is something that so many politicians really struggle with, that she might have overpromised.

I think that does get her a little bit of grace even with a lot of people who might be uncomfortable at at most.

>> I'm going to give her an incomplete.

And here's why.

Here's why.

I I know you guys are like, "Okay, profile encouraged.

Sarah, way to >> stole the exact phrase I was going to use.

>> But here's here's what I'm thinking about all of this is it has been a really rough year and it has taken a long time to stand up these programs and get things up and running.

But I think contrary to what Bill says about everything has fizzled out, I think there are things that are now happening.

It was like spending the ARPA money, which we still haven't fully spent.

It literally took years to get these systems into place.

And they now have some systems in place where, and I hate to count this as progress because this seems like just the worst and saddest progress, but they are demolishing now actively this week.

They have begun demolishing a lot of damaged structures that need to be demolished.

And they have other programs that are now standing up.

People can get applications in.

They're trying to work with people.

They've had social workers now on the ground.

So everybody who needs somebody to connect them to aid, there's like this point person you can go to who knows how to navigate this system.

It took far too long to get to the point of having that.

But we are now there and I think you are going to start seeing some some additional progress.

I think the thing that has been heartening to see is that while it did take that long for the city to get its act together, there were a ton of nonprofits and nonprofits that didn't even specialize in disaster relief that like flooded that zone and helped to make it so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

>> Well, I I agree, sir, but I I just thought that the momentum in those early days when everybody was trying to help, we we lost that.

>> And I think you're right.

And you know, one of the things I had the city's chief recovery officer on my podcast maybe like three or three or so weeks ago and I think um you know people were waiting to be told how could we best help which is like is there some central charity like what is the initiative behind?

I said why haven't you >> directed those of us who'd like to give where to give?

It almost feels overwhelming to people.

I have so many people asking me who should I donate to and he said oh we're going to be doing that.

Why does that take so much time?

Um, now you know the Urban League has kind of been a a centerpiece in all of this.

So that was one place I guess people immediately could have given to.

The press conference that was held earlier this week was held, you know, um, near right there near their headquarters.

There were residents of nearby neighborhoods there.

They weren't happy with the mayor and I'll give uh, Mayor Spencer credit.

They One question was asked I I asked is there questions.

There was one question and then the thing was over.

I don't know if they the good residents were given a chance to ask the questions, but the mayor went over to them, spoke with them.

They weren't happy.

Okay, they were not rude to the mayor, but they let her know in no uncertain terms that they weren't happy how this had all turned out.

And it was just a bureaucratic mess is what they were telling me.

And so they weren't happy just on the divvy up of the um RAM settlement funds of which like I said tornado relief will get some.

The city um I guess downtown will end up with less than they really wanted.

So my grade was a C minus.

That's what I was going to say too, Joe.

I will say that that grade can be improved upon.

My worry is this and we I guess we've all seen it.

There's going to be a lot of committees and a lot of not forprofits and there's going to be a lot of things that have to be approved before they go out.

I still think it might be another year before >> all of this money actually gets to >> North and alderman have not signed off on this package at this point.

They don't have a single alderman other than President Megan Green who has officially signed on endorsing this legislation.

They got to get eight votes and I think you're going to see an unbelievable amount of negotiation and horse trading that is going to happen in the coming weeks.

I don't think this is a done deal at all.

I think the mayor would like for it to be a done deal.

I think Megan Green has signed on for it being a done deal, but I I think you know you're going to see people go, I want to get more for this.

I want to get more for that.

And they are going to be swapping votes like mad.

>> I think it was a good idea.

I think we mentioned last week I thought this bill was a good idea only in that it put some numbers down on paper >> so that they could start rolling logs about it because there's going to be downtown people who want more >> like Sarah said everybody's going to want a little more so let's take it from here and they're going to go no no no don't take it from that pod take it so we've got some place to go I will give him a credit for at least saying here's the blueprint now let's get to work so I guess that's a plea to the alderman sit down and get to work >> yeah and I got to give Megan Green credit you know she had a baby I believe it was 9 days ago, she had the perfect excuse to be like, "Oh, I'm on maternity leave."

You're like, "I'm not going to, you know, I haven't had time to assess this."

She put her name behind what she wants these numbers to be at this point.

It would have been easy to duck that call.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

Uh speaking of uh that that her son is named Theodore, so all we need is a Simon and we'd have it.

Alvin, >> one of the great things we do at Channel 9 is we feature local artists.

And I know those of you who watch the show pretty closely know the art behind me is new this week.

And that's from artist James Bolan.

So, thank you, James.

Beautiful picture.

It's not a yellow brick road, but it's uh paved to happiness, should we say.

Okay, Sarah.

I'm not too happy with this police board.

I know that you probably uh aren't either.

Now, the latest is they have sued and they are demanding, I guess, $67 million uh between now and the end of June, which would pretty much, I guess, break the city.

Um the mayor is not happy with them.

Maybe it's just a little back and forth, lawsuit for lawsuit, but uh this struggle goes on.

>> Yeah.

They are saying that they deserve under the law 25% of the city's reserves, which we have saved up over the years and that, you know, we need that cushion and 25% of the Ram settlement funds.

And the mayor has been saying for a while now that this is what they're up to.

And I think a lot of people were like, really?

They think that they're owed 25% of the Rams funds.

Is she exaggerating?

Well, now we know she was not exaggerating.

I think this is quite a shot across the bow.

The alderman are so insulted they couldn't be bothered to come to the budget committee hearing to make their case for why they need the money they need and now they're serving everybody with a lawsuit.

It's just it's hard to imagine how we come back from this point.

>> I I will defend the the lawsuit in that the police board suit because they can get an expedited process.

And I've said this before.

Everybody's come to conclusions of how this is all going to end before anything can start.

A judge needs to tell both sides what is the general fund.

They need a legal ruling.

So there's a very practical issue.

So but when the city filed a lawsuit wanting basically that same thing, everybody was okay with that.

Police board files a lawsuit and says here's what we think the general revenue fund is and now they're the bad guys.

I think both sides are looking for if you sit down at a table and you're saying our formula is based on the general fund.

You can't go anywhere until someone tells you exactly what is the general fund.

Does it include Rams money?

Does it include reserves?

What's in it?

Then when you get that pot of money, you can decide where do we go from here?

And it's a negotiation.

And I think that you talk about the police board being striden.

the city has hasn't been friendly to negotiators.

>> Well, let me cut you off for a minute, Joe.

I you know, I I disagree with you.

I I was a big supporter of the state taking over because I thought I understood the police argument that g they they don't want civilian control when they didn't trust Mayor Jones, Kim Gardner, Corey Bush, Megan Green.

I thought they made sense and we'll go back to what it used to be.

But this is not what it used to be.

I mean, the the business people on the police board did not used to be actively trying to get the city's money and we'll have a judge rule on this.

They worked with the city and it and you know, I I just think that the police board is out of out of whack.

>> I'll I'll say you you make a point, but they also the police board never had to work with a city where some of the members have adopted a policy of defund the police.

So both wait a minute wait a minute.

Yes.

Look there there is a practical and there's a philosopher and she is absolutely not a defense police and they can't get along with her >> and there is the philosophical thing of you say why are the police acting like this for the last 10 to 15 years they've basically been told you don't need any more money.

Where's extra money for police?

>> They got a 7% raise under and dropped 125 positions to get it.

We have less police officers get more money, Joe.

But I think this kind of holding up the city and uh you know, we'll bankrupt the city if we have to.

And this lawyer, I don't remember ever a lawyer for the police board being this aggressive.

And I thought, you know, I mean, he's king of the traffic court.

I mean, and I'm not making fun of him, but he he wasn't a bigname lawyer, and now he's suddenly the most important lawyer in town.

I think that's crazy.

>> And I understand.

I mean I I absolutely I do understand both sides.

I know that sounds so that's very very lame but in my opinion when you take custody of anything when you take custody of the governance of anybody the police you know name the schools whatever you then are primarily you are invested in that.

So to to force all of that responsibility on a city that is already on the mat and bloodied, it just seems to me for us to say that these are for I I was the one who said, you know, that these business people have nothing but the best for the city in mind.

That doesn't square with with this kind of a lawsuit.

>> I believe that every budget, including the city of St.

Louis, has fat in it.

It depends on who you want to cut.

And there has been a decision at times that it's going to be police and positions.

We have far less police officers now than we've ever had.

>> But haven't they done everything they can to recruit at this point?

>> Who they?

The police department.

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

>> Okay.

So, >> but where's the money for it?

>> You can recruit all you want.

>> They cut these positions because they weren't able to find people to do it.

It wasn't like a situation where people are like, "Okay, we're cutting this because we don't want these these."

It's like, hey, if this is just sitting here and we're not filling these anyway, this makes sense budget-wise.

Give them a raise.

>> I don't know.

And I just don't think the police the old police board that I remember and that I thought, hey, this is a good idea to go back to was not aggressively attacking the city.

>> Neither were the alderman attacking the police either.

So, >> and and that I honestly >> I I don't think that the alderman right now are aggressively attacking the police.

>> I think some are.

I don't see anybody on the board of alderman currently attacking the police.

There is no rhetoric coming out of that board right now.

I do not there's also no I think it's very convenient for you and that's why you're very convenient for who me to make it about defunding the police something that hasn't been heard in this city and >> No, it's not making it convenient for me because I live in the city and I'd like to see more police officers and for it being safe.

So there's nothing convenient about it.

>> Sarah lives in the city too now.

All right.

>> Well, but it's then it's why is it convenient for me?

I got convenient for your argument.

>> It's because I believe in that argument.

>> All right.

Okay.

Meanwhile, in uh Jefferson City, redistricting was passed and the state supreme court unanimous unanimously voted that the new districts will hold.

Emanuel Cleaver's district will now be split up and run from Kansas City to I think Wentzville.

It's Columbia actually, but u the state supreme court approved it.

However, there are some nuances where we're going to vote in August and it might change in November.

Joe, what's up man?

I you know it's it's the political battle, the great gerrymandering race because we all know this is the first time anybody's ever gerrymandered a district.

So uh I think it's a battle that we've seen take place in several states.

Uh California and Virginia have tried to answer it and gerrymander in their states to get more Democrats in.

So I mean I think it's a giant political battle done for completely political purposes and whoever has the political advantage at this time seems to be winning.

All the the court said this time though wasn't is this a great idea.

They were simply saying that Governor Kioa had a right to do it and the uh legislature had a right to vote on it.

So they're not going to stop at saying, "Well, you couldn't do that."

They're saying, "No, he can do that."

So >> I I know the I I don't know the real legal arguments, but I I felt bad for the people who were out there collecting petitions and are then told that well Hoskins the sec, you know, Miss Denny Hoskins isn't going to make any decisions until after the primary or the day of the primary.

I thought I it doesn't it doesn't seem like that's the way it should work.

>> Yeah, it seems like it seems crazy.

Like my understanding of this is we're going to vote in the August primary.

based on a certain map and then we could vote in November to overturn that map.

And it's great we're going to have the right to do this, but it all feels so backwards, so screwed up.

You can start to see why people are losing their faith in democracy.

>> Yeah, but it it is absolutely bizar.

It's bizarro world, but it I I always hear President Obama's voice.

Elections have consequences.

And when the, you know, when the tables are turned and the Democrats are in power and those elections are on the line, then it's, you know, it's it's in play then and everybody it it's just the only thing that changes is the people, you know, the the number of people who are doing the screaming and whether they >> Well, the other thing that's changing is this mid decade redistricting, right?

Like you mentioned Obama, he got walloped in the his uh the midterms when he was elected and just admitted he got walloped.

He didn't try to change everything around in mid decade.

>> Yeah, this feels like a big change.

It feels like what we're doing here is screwed up in a way that's going to make everything so complicated.

>> Well, I think but I think that's the you know, we're getting down here.

So, nobody's saying there's a problem with gerrymandering, which is the drawing of ridiculous, illogical districts as long as you do it at a specified time.

I mean, to me is not the strongest argument.

I wish I wish they would have a just a computer or A1.

We'll use our data centers and and they could do it.

But but I think it's wrong to to be doing it midcade.

>> There's only two people that don't want that computer thing.

The Democrats and the Republicans.

>> I I would agree with you.

>> Well, I think the whole everything is dangerously political.

You can apply that to the police board and the police and >> and the word crazy has come up on like we're three for three.

>> Well, this one's not going to get any better.

The artwork was fine though.

The artwork?

>> Yeah, the artwork is not crazy.

>> I like that.

>> No, we all agree on the artwork.

>> I'm not so sure.

>> And we're and we're we're going to go four for four because Wendy, the county council is I I won't say after Sam Page again.

They they stay after S Page.

Now, this time what?

They want the the feds, the FBI, the local authorities, the Canadian Mount Police, >> you know, his his side.

Yeah.

side gigs.

I mean >> um I cannot for I for one I I believe in the sanctity of marriage.

I really do.

But when this when this when these two bodies whether you you know the county executive and the county council, we should all have a you know that should be that that will be the new great divorce.

You know, it's not the county and the city.

It's the county council and Sam Page.

My god.

You know, go away.

Don't look at each other for the rest of your life.

trying not to interrupt YOU BUT HE'S TRYING TO GO right >> he is he is trying and you know rid of her days very you know powerful lady has definitely got a memory um but the whole you know I'm in charge if he ever leaves the country a year before that she you know that she propelled um that was kind of a master stroke but like I said he wasn't on the queen Mary in the middle of the ocean so if there were questions he could answer them by phone.

My only my only question and I do agree he's trying to do some volunteer work, but if you are the county executive and if you are administering anesthesia and I'm your patient and you get a call from the department of public works in the, you know, St.

county.

I don't want the guy who's putting me under for surgery to be worried about taking the So, it's just the whole the the whole uh what's the word I'm looking for?

You know, side gig side gig crazy, you know, the whole side gig thing for for officials, whether you're the police, you know, police chief or the county executive.

It's just wrong.

Well, you know, and I I will say that as much as anybody, I've criticized Sam Paige on this show, >> but the council just needs to take a W >> because really all they wanted was Sam Page to be gone.

They didn't want Sam Page to be their county executive.

Guess what?

He's not going to be.

>> So, just say you won, move on, try to fix some of the problems, right, that are out there.

Now, it's one thing if he was running for reelection.

That would be a whole different ballgame.

Is he going to do this?

If he was doing anything inappropriate, is he going to do it for four more years?

He's not.

He's quitting.

He's leaving.

So, >> the other that what confuses me is this doing the anesthesiology for free.

You know, volunteer work.

When when I go in, they charge me.

I mean, how do you get the And what do the other anesthesiologists think of this?

>> Partners.

I I I >> I think they're behind all this.

I think they've gone to the county council and they're like, "You got to cut this off.

We have anesthesiologist working.

>> We're trying to make a living out his Sam's giving it away.

>> Is there an anesthesiology union or something or we can get >> like in all fairness I think like I'm a little anxious about this because I agree with you all.

This just seems like come on guys just like separate like let this go.

If I were Sam Page I would have quit my volunteer job.

If I was the county council I would have stopped them.

I think everybody's just nuts in this.

But here we are at this point where they made this referral uh you know that this needs a criminal probe and the prosecuting attorney is like, "Well, I have the same conflict I had before.

I'm referring this up to the attorney general."

Well, we know how this goes in Missouri.

We've got a Republican attorney general.

We've got a Democrat county prosecutor.

He could or county executive.

He could end up criminally prosecuted for volunteering at a hospital.

Again, he's already in I still think all this will go away.

one because some of these people have to run in a primary in August.

I think they'll forget about San Page.

All right.

On the Hill, uh Joe, they're going to have drones flying around.

I guess I won't call it policing the area, but I guess for additional security.

Uh I'm 50/50 on it.

How about you?

>> I have a general problem with drones.

I I find them >> so ripe for invasion of privacy uh that I don't care.

I I so I will generally object until someone can change my mind on the use of drones in a domestic situation.

Uh now highway safety if you want to have a drones or cameras parked on highways and major interstates but these are drones that can be piloted and flown through neighborhoods.

And I have a fundamental freedom problem with that.

The other part is and this is even a a a separate problem.

It's not even a local police department that's the ones running the drones and monitoring it.

It's some company in another state.

Like they care about the privacy of some place in St.

Louis.

They don't even know where it's at.

But if the people who live in that area are okay with it.

And one would assume that the alderman and the state reps, people who have a dog in that fight, if they're okay with it, then I'm okay with it.

I just don't know if I want it flying over my house or down my street.

>> I don't have a problem with drones anymore than I mean I I I have given up the I mean once upon a time when the Patriot Act was being discussed and people were saying oh my god no and then suddenly there are cameras on every single light pole you know every there's that we are being photographed all the time and if I mention something on a conversation with my husband then we have the commercials on our smart TV five minutes later.

So I think our privacy is has already been compromised.

But when you talk about shortages on the police force, that's one of the reasons why I'm not I'm not bothered at all.

>> You know, one thing that one thing that drones could do really well, I think, is in in lie of these high-speed chases.

>> If we just had a couple of drones up there that they could call and they say, "We got on King's Highway at such and such.

We need a drone because we we've got a stolen car."

and and have the drone follow the car and and I'm like you Joe as far as if the people in the neighborhood want want drones for neighborhood safety it's the same as you know hiring off to the police I think it's okay >> yeah the reason I'm torn I was going to say like you know what I don't want drones like flying over Kirkwood but if everybody on my block said like let's put a drone up on our block it doesn't move it's just on our block I don't have a problem with that >> keep an eye on the reads >> right there's a lot going on right all right we're going to move to letters now Perhaps we should ask all of the nimbies who oppose data centers if they are willing to give up their Amazon accounts and refrain from using email, Tik Tok, YouTube, Facebook, etc.

Or maybe they know something about how the internet works without huge networks of servers.

That from Andrew G. Padleski Florison.

If it works, how long do you think the landbased ones sucking up all of our power will last?

They are high-tech for sure, but even 20 years ago, there was a technology flip every four to six years.

These towns and cities see dollars in their eyes with tax and incentives, but it might be a far cry for them to be around 20 years from now.

That from Rick Peterson.

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Our artist in town, I think it was Mr.

Bolan.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Joe, for sitting in for me who is sitting in for Charlie.

All right, we'll see you on Last Call in just a couple of minutes.

Thank you.

Donny Brook is made possible by the support of the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation and the members of Nine PBS.