Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

Well, it’s almost election time. So Republicans once again are engaging in fearmonger talk of a merger of St. Louis city with the county.

Despite what GOP candidates and other fools say, a county executive can’t snap his fingers and make it happen.

Step 1: Per Article VI, Section 5 of the state Constitution, to start the process two-thirds of city voters would have to vote for the dissolution of the city as a county.

Step 2: The Missouri Legislature then needs to change hundreds of statutes, starting with the official definition of Missouri as a state with 114 counties and one independent city.

Step 3: The courts have to rule on a merger procedure, and so on til around Step 7: County residents must vote to approve the annexation.

That’s a lot of steps. Won’t happen.

City-county merger talk is just Republican code for keeping blacks out of the county.

Glenn Koenen
Oakville

Editor’s note: Democrat Glenn Koenen ran unsuccessfully for the 95th District Missouri House seat in November 2016 and the U.S. House 2nd District seat in November 2012.