Election: TOMORROW!

Just a quick note on the night before the election.

If you’re a City resident – esp. if you’re a City resident in the 20th ward – please vote tomorrow. It should be a nice day, weather-wise, and it’d be great to see the low-turnout predictions turned upside-down.

A couple of last-minute requests:

If you know of someone on your block who has talked about City issues, please encourage them to vote for progressive change in our ward.

If you would knock on your immediate neighbors’ door, reminding them to vote, it’d be greatly appreciated. Or give them a call, if more convenient.

If you could find time to help us out by working a polling station or by knocking on a few blocks worth of doors, please give the campaign office a call. We could use the extra hands, hearts, eyes and ears on the street.

And if you notice any type of irregularity in your voting experience, let us know, so that we can work with election officials to make sure that all votes are counted.

Let’s bring home a great ending to the campaign tomorrow. Vote Galen Gondolfi, Democrat, in the 20th ward Aldermanic primary!

See you at the polls…

Q-and-A with Galen Gondolfi

Caught at the campaign HQ on Saturday, before leading a group of volunteers into the field for a last, big round of door visits, Galen stopped to talk for a few minutes about the campaign and Tuesday’s election.

Q: Three days out, what’s the feeling?
A: We feel incredibly confident. There’s a lot of momentum and a lot of energy. It’s all about the GOTV effort, at this point. We feel really excited about Tuesday, we’re ready to take it on.

Q: Are there certain comments and feedback that you’ve heard from residents, which were items you didn’t necessarily expect?
A: To be honest, I’m not surprised by what issues people have expressed concerns about. It’s quite evident in our neighborhoods what the issues are, and those are the ones being talked about: vacant properties, crime, the lack of small businesses and a lack of opportunities for youth. There actually haven’t been a lot of surprises. Residents have been talking about what I feel are very evident issues that need to be addressed in the 20th ward.

Q: Being on the ground every day, what have you learned about the ward?
A: I’ve learned a lot. I learned a lot and I’ve been impressed, actually. The more I’m out there, the more excited I am to be out there to partner with people and to make a difference. Everybody has an opinion and it’s quite an opportunity to hear a multitude of perspectives on various issues. People are more concerned and want to get more involved than we give them credit for, so we need to provide opportunities for residents to participate. That’s what I really think this campaign has been about establishing. A beach-head, so to speak, for residents’ voices to be heard.

Q: There’s been a lot of talk about turnout and there’s been talk that it could be low. Why is it so important for people to make it out this week?
A: Oh, it’s most imperative. It all comes down to counting votes. We need as many of those votes as possible. The 20th ward has historically had low voter turnout, which is making it even more important to have those voters come out, as opposed to a ward with a larger voter base.

Q: If there’s one thing that you’d want people to know about you and the campaign, at this point, what would it be?
A: That we have had a tireless work ethic and our commitment’s been to being out there. Our level of energy has been unabated, but I also want to mention that we’ve stuck to our guns, staying away from any purported “character issues,” while talking about the issues.

Call for Poll Workers

Whether, or not, you live in the 20th Ward, you have a great opportunity to pitch in for a progressive, new voice for the Board of Aldermen this coming week. The campaign’s looking for volunteers to work the ward’s polling stations on Tuesday, March 6.

The time slots are varied and you can take a shift that fits into your workday.

For details, call: 314-772-3628.

Promise of Campaign Integrity

In the past week, door hangers and multiple mailers have been arriving at homes in the ward from an unofficial, shadow group attempting to besmirch this campaign and those involved in it. This has corresponded with a noted increase in “comment” activity on local blogs, with many postings taking on a decidedly negative tone. Some of these mailed, attack cards are now circulating on local blogs, so there’s no point in acting as if they do not exist.

In many ways, these types of tactics are unfortunate by-products of current campaign styles. That said, we’re not taking this situation lightly and the campaign will address these matters after the election.

However, for the next week, this campaign will continue to appeal to voters on the issues. If you have any concerns, questions or comments, CALL THIS NUMBER: 314-772-3628. You will get a call back directly from the candidate or campaign chair. Your call will be treated with respect and courtesy. Those will be the watchwords of this campaign, from the day of filing until the conclusion of this race on Tuesday, March 6.

Until then, we look forwad to our opponent’s denunciation of this negative campaigning, while we also look forward to one more week of reaching out to voters, discussing the things that matter in our ward.

Commitment Mailer

Another mailer going out this week! Ward residents can expect it in their mailboxes within the next couple days, those of you outside the ward can peek at the key points here:

Full-Time Alderman
My job of serving the residents of the 20th ward will be a full-time commitment. In fact, it will include evenings and weekends. Serving residents has no boundaries. I will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Ward Office
I will have a ward office on Cherokee Street with posted hours of operation so that residents may either drop-in or schedule one-on-one appointments with me. I will be available to you right here in our ward as opposed to City Hall.

House Calls
If you would like for me to visit you at your home or show me a specific problem in the ward, I will be there. I will offer one-on-one service to our residents. Serving residents effectively requires more than returning phone calls and e-mails; it requires face-to-face communication.

Direct Community Service
I will work alongside you, with you, to get things done. I will get my hands dirty. I will be an Alderman that goes beyond attending meetings and answering phone calls. I will be a visible and effective Alderman.

Housing Mailer

For those of you in the ward who’ve not received our most recent Housing Mailer, we’d like to let you know about the four, key tenants to Galen’s housing initiative:

Redevelop Vacant Housing
Our ward includes some of the city’s most beautiful and historic architecture. While it is great to witness the redevelopment and rebirth of some of our larger homes, many of our smaller homes sit in decay, block after block. If elelected Alderman, I will work hard to attract developers to rehab homes of all sizes.

Increase the Level of Home Ownership
Homeowners are the backbone of our neighborhoods. As a housing professional in the community development field, I have helped many families achieve their dream of homeownership. If elected, I will apply that experience to assisting residents in becoming homeowners.

Stabilize Multi-Unit Housing
Research shows that having an owner-occupant in multi-family homes increases neighborhood stability. I will support redevelopment plans that would foster an increase in owner-occupied multi-family homes.

Increase Landlord Accountability
While there are many responsible landlords, we can no longer tolerate irresponsible absentee landlords who allow properties to fall into disrepair. If elected Alderman, I will sponsor legislation that puts pressure on these landlords to either improve their properties or face legal action.

Please call the campaign at 314-772-3628 to further discuss improving housing in our neighborhood.

Urban Review STL Endorses Gondolfi

Thank you Steve Patterson for this endorsement:

I like incumbent Craig Schmid, he is open and honest and genuinely cares about his ward and the city. He has stood up against his follow aldermen at times and has been punished as a result. I have a great deal of respect for Schmid. Unfortunately, I also think he is stuck in a previous decade where running out the bad element was the first order of the day. Thanks to Schmid, the ward and neighborhoods where he serves have changed for the better. Yet, I don’t feel his strategy has changed with the times. He is opposed to rental units to the extreme yet we’ve all been renters at one time or another. His vision for the ward is likely that every single property is an owner-occupied single family house and the commercial districts are very respectable. Well, this ain’t St. Louis Hills. It is a dynamic area where a
mix of residential units and some colorful businesses are entirely appropriate.
I’m not totally cool with Galen Gondolfi, I’m concerned he might go too far and focus only on affordable housing. However, I feel that I have heard enough to think he is not simply a one-issue candiate (alcohol sales on Cherokee). His background in urban planning certainly warms my heart. On March 6th I urge 20th Ward voters to elect Galen Gondolfi.

The weather is beautiful, and things are going good!

Hello,

This is Glenn again, and I hope everyone out there is enjoying our spring-like weather.  Things are going great at the campaign, and people are excited about the opportunity for progressive change in our ward.  Every day people tell us that they have been frustrated with the ward’s current leadership, that Galen’s vision is just what they have been looking for, and that they are going to go out and vote for Galen on March 6th.  As always feel free to call me at 258-4149.

Hello

This is Glenn Burleigh, the campaign manager, and I just want to say hello to all of the people coming to see our campaign’s blog.  As we move into these last few weeks, we will be stepping up our campaign.  We are moving ahead and doing the things that we need to do, to insure that on March 7th Galen will be our new Alderman-elect.  I hope that everyone finds the blog informative and stops by to check it every now and then.  Feel free to give me a call at 258-4149.

For those of you that might be interested in volunteering, we will have plenty of opportunities.  There are plenty of activities and we will do our best to make sure that anyone who want to be involved has a place in our campaign to better the 20th Ward.

Benton Park West to Host 20th Ward Candidates Forum

Benton Park West to Host 20th Ward Candidates Forum

St. Louis, MO – On February 15, 2007, Benton Park West Neighborhood Association will host the 20th Ward Candidates Forum. President Eric Winters will serve as Moderator with a sub-committee of residents facilitating the forum. The forum will include the two Democratic candidates, incumbent Alderman Craig Schmid and Galen Gondolfi, business owner on Cherokee and a former President of Benton Park West Neighborhood Association.

The Benton Park West Neighborhood Association Board has selected three initial questions with the remainder of the questions being collected from the audience previous to the start of the debate and narrowed down by the sub-committee.

The 20th Ward Candidates Forum will be the feature of the February Benton Park West Neighborhood Association meeting. While it is highly encouraged for all residents in the 20th Ward (Benton Park West, Gravois Park, Marine Villa, and Dutchtown neighborhoods) to attend, all Alderman whose wards cover Benton Park West are invited to attend along with the Neighborhood Stablization Team officers who have responsibility in the 20th Ward.

The Benton Park West Neighborhood Association monthly meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Five Star Senior Center located at 2832 Arsenal.

The Mission of Benton Park West Neighborhood Association is to “Enhance and strengthen the neighborhood and its residents by promoting beautification, commerce, communication, diversity, and safety. The neighborhood association makes efforts to support, renew, and sustain Benton Park West’s unique human and physical resources, serving as a voice for the neighborhood, and helping to ensure quality living.”

If you would like more information, please contact Eric Winters at (314) 776-6022 or the neighborhood office at (314) 771-0803. Please visit our website for additional information about Benton Park West: www.bentonparkwest.org.