And the Award for Sensible Government Goes To …

Alderman Anthony Smith of Bellefontaine Neighbors, come on down! You’ve won the June 2008 award for daring to ask just why the hell your medium-sized suburb in St. Louis County needs a full-time mayor with a full-time salary. The Post-Dispatch has the story here. My sharing of his concerns really has nothing to do with the questions about travel in the article; my question is, why is the mayor full-time to begin with? Full-time mayors are needed in large cities, not suburbs. As a fourth-class city, Bellefontaine Neighbors has the option to hire a city administrator to run day-to-day operations. As a larger-than-usual fourth-class city, it should do just that.

Suburban mayors should be part-time policymakers/cheerleaders for their community, not full-time economic development officers trying to give TIFs away like candy. It was stupid when Kinloch (population 449) made its mayor full-time last year. It was admirable when Frontenac ended its short experiment with a full-time mayor and went back to a part-time position with a qualified city administrator. Bellefontaine Neighbors would do just fine with a part-time mayor, and I wish Alderman Smith the best of luck in his efforts. I hope he at least gets a second next time he makes the motion.