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.

AFSCME Endorses Gondolfi

February 13, 2007

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, Local 2730 Endorses

Galen Gondolfi for 20th Ward Alderman

In recognition of the work that Galen Gondolfi has done to better the lives of St. Louis’ working families, the executive board of AFSCME Local 2730, chaired by Pres. Quincy Boyd, has voted to endorse Galen Gondolfi in the March 6th Democratic primary. Local 2730 represents the employees of the St. Louis area Department of Mental Health facilities and is among Missouri’s largest state employee locals.

Upon receiving the endorsement, Gondolfi stated, “This summer Quincy, myself, and dozens of volunteers, including many AFSCME members, canvassed the 20th ward, to help gather the signatures necessary to get the minimum wage increase on the November ballot. That success has directly impacted the lives of many people living and working in the 20th ward. I would like to say thank you to the members of AFSCME Local 2730 for joining us then and for now deciding to endorse my candidacy.”