South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Ex-Crestwood alderman wonders if banks have perfected time travel

To the editor:

Mayor Robinson is 100 percent wrong when he claims the questions I asked and the Call’s editorial caused the banks to shy away from responding with bids to Crestwood’s scheme to refinance the debt with an annual-appropriation note.

In the Call’s Nov. 2 edition, Mayor Robinson of Crestwood is quoted, “I feel really sure that some of the statements made last (Oct. 10) meeting really caused some banks to back away. I know that for a fact.”

Mayor Robinson said that questions and criticism about the city’s debt refinancing scheme from local residents and the media caused banks to shy away from submitting bids. That is what he says is one of the reasons for only one bank responding to the request for proposals.

My question to the mayor is where and when did the banks read the questions and editorial?

I’ll provide a little time line for his honor to help him answer my question:

• The Board of Aldermen meeting in question was held on Oct. 10.

• Bids were due Oct. 18.

• The Call newspaper carries a story and Mike Anthony’s editorial in its Oct. 18/Oct. 19 issue.

• No other newspaper has yet to carry the questions I asked that the mayor claims to “know for a fact” caused some banks to shy away from Crestwood.

• There has been no other editorial on this issue before or since Oct. 18/Oct. 19 by any other paper.

How could the banks have known what was asked or said if the only paper to cover the quotes came out the day the bids were due?

The banks were not at the meeting. Does the mayor think the banks have perfected time travel and obtained a copy of the Call before it was printed? That’s scary.

One of the questions that I asked at the aldermanic meeting was: “What would the city do if no banks responded to the bid offer?”

I was told that would not be a problem and that several were ready to bid. He assured me that was the case, not to worry.

Turns out he was wrong again. Only one bank responded to the request for bids.

I imagine the real reason for the banks’ actions has more to do with the mayor’s failure to provide a plan for the city’s future.

Instead of spending his time and energy blaming everything on past administrations and blaming citizens who might dare to ask about his actions, maybe he should own up to the fact that his opposition to the Proposition 1 general-obligation bond issue in April 2005 was wrong. Doing so may have got him elected, but it was wrong and is now resulting in the city paying an approximately 2.5 percent higher interest rate by using his note scheme rather than what the general obligation bonds would have cost.

Maybe what the banks are shying away from is the mayor’s putting getting elected ahead of doing what he knew was best for Crestwood.

Tim Trueblood

Crestwood

Editor’s note: Mr. Trueblood was a Ward 2 alderman for the city from 1993 to 2006.

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