Archive for March 2021

We wanted to know how environmental issues affect babies and birthing people during childbirth, one of the most delicate life processes. In the U.S., Black babies are two times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications then white women. So in this episode, we hear from a documentary filmmaker about humanizing Black birthing people, a neonatal hospitalist about the effects the environment has on newborns and mothers and an executive director of an Equal Access Midwifery Clinic about supporting people of color through the birthing process.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann, Corrine Ruff and Jason Rosenbaum about the campaign to preserve the city’s earnings tax.

Daly, who was first elected collector of revenue in 2006, has provided $50,000 from his campaign bank account to help keep the earnings tax. Every five years, St. Louis voters have to decide on whether to renew the 1% tax on income for people who either live or work in the city.

Here’s what Daly talked about on the show:

• How the earnings tax constitutes nearly a third of the city’s budget and goes toward a host of important services. He added that if it were to gradually go away, as it would if Proposition E doesn’t end up passing on April 6, the city would have to find another revenue source to replace the lost income.
• Why it’s important for people who work in St. Louis, but don’t live there, to keep paying the earnings tax. The statewide initiative requiring a vote to retain the earnings tax every five years does not require residents of surrounding counties to weigh in on the matter.
• Legislation that would allow people who live outside the city to ask for earnings tax refunds if they’ve been primarily working from home during the pandemic. Daly said state Sen. Andrew Koenig’s bill would likely cost the city millions of dollars if it were enacted.
• Whether the campaign to retain the earnings tax will be complicated by the mayoral general election happening at the same time. This is the first instance since 2009 in which the April general election is more decisive in the mayor’s race than the March primary.

Daly is a southwest St. Louis native who has spent more than 40 years in St. Louis City Hall. He worked for a number of Board of Aldermen presidents over the years, including Tom Zych, Tom Villa and Francis Slay. (Villa said in a 2016 episode of Politically Speaking that Daly was one of his students when he worked as a teacher.)

Daly became license collector in 1998 after then-Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed him to the post. He won election to the collector of revenue’s office in 2006 and has been reelected ever since with minimal opposition.

Because he’s rarely faced any credible challengers over the years, Daly has one of the most well-funded campaign committees in city politics — with more than $500,000 on hand as of January. He considered running for mayor in 2017 and 2021 but decided against it.

Follow Rachel Lippmann on Twitter: @rlippmann

Follow Corinne Ruff on Twitter: @corinnesusan

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Gregory F.X. Daly on Twitter: @gregoryfxdaly

State Sen. Barbara Washington is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where she spoke with St. Louis Public Radio political correspondent (and fellow graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism) Jason Rosenbaum about key issues in the 2021 session.

Washington represents Missouri’s 9th District, which takes in a portion of Kansas City, Raytown and Unity Village. She was elected last year after serving in the House for a little over two years.

Here’s what Washington talked about on the program:

• Legislation overhauling policing practices that includes a provision removing the residency requirement for the Kansas City Police Department. Washington said she’s opposed to that idea.
• The debate over COVID-19 liability legislation, which passed the Senate earlier this session. But since lawmakers did not adopt an emergency clause, people will be able to sue businesses without any limitations until Aug. 28.
• Some of the bills she’s working on, including a measure seeking to expand urban farming around the state. She also plans to be involved in the debate over tax increment financing.
• Whether her colleagues would still express rhetorical opposition to the nearly $2.8 billion in federal coronavirus relief money arriving in Missouri soon — and to a separate proposal within the American Rescue Plan that would provide over a billion dollars if Missouri expands Medicaid.

In addition to holding a degree in journalism from Mizzou, Washington earned an MBA and a law degree. She is the first Black female attorney to ever be elected to the Missouri Senate. She said being an attorney gives her the ability to look deeper into the wording of bills than her colleagues who aren’t attorneys.

Washington was first elected to the Missouri House in 2017 after her predecessor, Randy Dunn, resigned to take a job in Nebraska. She won reelection in 2018 before deciding to run for the open 9th District Senate seat last year. Washington easily won the Democratic primary, which was tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Barbara Washington on Twitter: @beedubya1967

St. Louis is consistently listed as one of the worst “Asthma Capitals” in the country by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. During the pandemic, environmental issues such as dust from demolitions and housing conditions make it even harder for people to breathe. In this episode, we hear from a chronic disease epidemiologist and health education coordinator about an initiative to create healthier homes, an educator who collects racial and ethnic data to help us understand environmental issues in our region, and a reverend putting matters into his own hands to help his community live in a healthier environment.

State Rep. Tony Lovasco is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Republican from St. Charles County talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll about the big issues that he and his colleagues are dealing with during the 2021 session.

Lovasco represents the 64th District, which takes in parts of St. Charles and Lincoln counties. The cities he represents include O’Fallon, Moscow Mills and St. Paul.

Here’s what Lovasco talked about on the program:

• 2021 finally beginning to resemble a normal session. Most of the 2020 legislative session was derailed when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the state.
• The prospect of Missouri getting billions of dollars from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan. Lovasco said the legislature should have a role in how that money is divvied up.
• The American Rescue Plan’s financial incentives for states like Missouri to expand Medicaid, money that could presumably pay for the state’s 10% match for years. Lovasco discussed whether that would soften Missouri Republicans’ opposition to expanding Medicaid.
• Why Missouri Republicans want to reinstate parts of a photo voter identification law that was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court. He talked about how his colleagues are reacting to bills to expand charter schools and to institute education savings accounts.

Lovasco has worked in computer sales for more than 15 years. His pathway to the Missouri House was somewhat unusual. After an unsuccessful bid for the St. Charles County Council in 2018, state Rep. Robert Cornejo resigned to serve on the Labor and Industrial Relations Board. Lovasco was picked as the Republican nominee and won the seat with more than 60% of the vote.

Lovasco won reelection in 2020 with more than 68% of the vote. He serves as vice chairman of a House committee looking into criminal justice issues and is also a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Tony Lovasco on Twitter: @TonyLovasco