To the editor:

Within weeks of Crestwood City Hall agreeing to a $25 million transfer of public money to private hedge fund investors, our elected officials are now moving to ship millions more of our community’s money to the fabulously wealthy plutocrats administering St. Louis County.

Despite their — absurd — belief that the highly subsidized mall redevelopment will revitalize our city’s bottom line, Mayor Gregg Roby and the Board of Aldermen are hoping to save money by outsourcing our police force, allowing the St. Louis County Police Department to take over the work in exchange for lots of money and a complete surrendering of local control.

Of course, just like in the early stages of the mall giveaway, Mayor Roby is publicly stating that nothing has been decided, all reports are preliminary and that our elected officials are researching the best options, but now we know that City Hall moves very fast — and without regard to public opinion — when it comes to giving our public money away.

They’ve already decided outsourcing is good and necessary, and all the political posturing now is just for show, to send the illusion that the officials at Detjen Drive care about the people of Crestwood, and not the big-business interests that are steamrolling American municipalities from sea to shining sea.

Our aldermen and mayor seem absolutely willing to give our entire town away, while asking for nothing in return, except credit for “fixing the mall.”

It’s all the same problem — rather than doing what is smart, challenging and sustainable, our elected men and women are choosing what is easy, simple and expedient.

It will end up a tragic mess, as anyone who has made that trade-off could easily tell you.