PubDef has video of 5th Senatorial District candidate Connie Johnson’s presser yesterday, and it’s a doozy. The first part is Johnson delivering a statement in which she defends her residency and more importantly rips her opponents. Stalking horse? I don’t think so. Hubbard gets it for raking in contributions from Sinquefield and McKee, amounting to a third of his warchest. Wright-Jones gets a lashing for her attendance record while a real estate crisis hits St. Louis. The second part is the grilling Johnson gets from local reporters on her residency.

A couple of thoughts on this. First, as I’ve said before, I don’t expect that Rep. Johnson will be disqualified, because Missouri law has a very loose definition of residency, and further, that as long as Johnson runs a half-way decent campaign, nobody will care about this residency flap in the end. Several lawmakers in the St. Louis area won election with far more tenuous claims to their districts than Johnson has.

That leads me to my next point. Johnson did a good job in her statement of hitting her opponents hard, as two rivals nervous about her candidacy and eager to distract from the big issues. But she never directly mentions what those big issues are, nor does she mention what accomplishments her opponents are trying to distract voters’ attention from. I still haven’t heard her make a positive case for voters to choose her as a state senator. The most I got out of that statement was that she does indeed live in the district, and that she seeks to maintain the historical African American representation of the district. Well, she’s hardly unique in that race in either of those cases.

Pubdef’s videos, and Connie’s statement, are below the flip.

Part 1:

Thank you all for coming out this morning.

I have called this press conference because I, like most Americans, am tired of the politics of hit and run. I like most Americans am weary of the politics of distraction and dishonesty. And I like most Americans, believe that elected officials have a responsibility to serve their constituents-not themselves.

From the moment I entered this race my opponents have in one fashion or another panicked. Rodney Hubbard panicked and was able to convince his Right wing Republican Billionaire to kick in 50 more contributions–1/3 of his total and Robin Wright Jones panicked and filed a frivolous lawsuit in order to bring some light and attention to her struggling year old campaign for this Senate Seat.

For the record I am flattered by their fear and I appreciate their recognition of the impact of my candidacy. However, for the record, I am deeply concerned about their tactics and where these tactics take us as a community and as members of the Democratic Party.

Ten months ago I told the St. Louis Post Dispatch that I would not be part of events that would facilitate the elimination of an African American Senate Seat. Ten months ago I said: “As a statesman I have to look at the big picture and the big picture is the importance of preserving history and having African American representation in the 5th Senatorial district.”

As fate or providence would have it, four days before filing closed, the only white Candidate in contention decided not to run. There was now no danger of our community losing representation. So, I had a decision to make-do I now run for this Senate Seat? Do I run for a seat that has been historically, from Jet Banks to Paula Carter, located in the heart of North Saint Louis?

My decision was an easy one–of course I would run.

I would run because now I would be able to lay my head down at night knowing that not only would my Community be able to ensure African American Representation, but they would now have the choice of the most qualified, principled and credentialed African American Representation.

My decision to run was founded upon a love of community and a passion to ensure equal representation for all. These belief sets are also shared by the Democratic Party.

My opponents however have pounced upon my filing and attempted to use it as a means of distraction from the serious issues that confront our communities.

Downtown St Louis for the past 6 years under the direction and leadership of realtor Robin Wright Jones and the 63rd district, is in the middle of a real estate crisis-unfilled lofts, bankrupt developers, and a huge muddy empty hole in the middle of Ball park village. I have often wondered as Minority Whip, why Ms Wright Jones was missing so many important votes. I now see that she was quite busy-manufacturing stories and crafting frivolous lawsuits.

My other opponent is busy as well-missing votes, currying favor for the opposition and gathering right wing Republican cash.

Unfortunately, in the world of politics from Baraak Obama to Hillary Clinton, money does represent the bulk of the fuel that goes in to a political campaign. Operating on this political theory, my opponents hope that you will be so distracted by their lies and complaints about when I filed or where I live that their actions will hurt my fundraising efforts.

Well, I am here this morning to say enough. We as Democrats have a responsibility to address our serious issues–not manufacture, because we need money, political opportunities at the expense of the truth and at the expense of our constituents.

To this end I will have had my Attorney file the necessary motions that will put an end to this frivolous lawsuit filed by my desperate opponent.

Mark my words-I will be vindicated-these lies will not stand and I will be on the ballot in August.

Term limits, as they are presently mandated, do as much harm as good. Certainly, the motivation for enacting them was understandable: citizens were fed up with a system where incumbents could scarcely be blasted out of office with anything short of an IED. But the eight-year term limit solution produced, at best, a situation where somewhat experienced lawmakers lead rank beginners through a complex process.

Uh-oh. Joint efforts of any kind do best with a mixture of newcomers with fresh ideas and people who’ve been around the block often enough to predict where the bumps and snarls will occur. Legislatures are no different. Let me invite any of our current legislators who read this posting–or anyone else, for that matter–to provide examples of problems that could have been avoided in recent sessions if a few old timers had been around.

And aside from creating glitches that should have been foreseen, the whole impermanency thing begets another problem: it contributes to the partisan fissures that cripple our state government. People who know what the lege used to be like say that reps could disagree on the floor and then go out for a brew together in the evening. Sure, I understand that part of the reason that no longer happens is the essential meanness of so many Republicans now. But part of the reason must also be that there’s little incentive to bridge the gaps when either you or the people you’re fighting with will be gone in a year or two.

Last spring, Senator Jolie Justus of Kansas City tried to overcome some of the sour aftermath of on floor bickering by arranging a weekly happy hour.  That was a good idea, and perhaps she’ll follow through on it this January. It might help.

The problems that arise during legislative sessions because of term limits are only half the difficulty. The other half is what happens when people get termed out. The race in the fifth senatorial district is a perfect example: all four Democratic reps in Maida Coleman’s senatorial district (Robin Wright Jones, Rodney Coleman, Connie Johnson, and Tom Villa) are termed out–but not ready to leave state government. Two have announced for Coleman’s seat (she, too, is termed out), and the other two still might. It’s a mess.

Some legislators solve the termed out dilemma by turning to lobbying. Carl Bearden is the latest example. It’s good to let Dems have a shot at that yahoo’s seat, but when the short term limits were created, perhaps no one foresaw the unintended consequence that termed out reps would swell the ranks of lobbying leeches.

Meanwhile, in many districts, one or both parties are having trouble building farm teams good enough to keep supplying strong candidates to fill the frequent openings. Let’s see: how long has Albert Pujols been in the majors now–five years or six? I’d hate to see him shoved out of the sport in 2009. If baseball had term limits, it would hurt the quality of play. Few rookies can arrive from the minors and make an immediate impact on a team. Winning teams need a combination of seasoned veterans and up and comers.

The answer isn’t deep sixing term limits but lengthening the time allowed in office. And, in fact, the rumor is that a Republican, no less, plans to bring up the possibility this session of changing the limit for reps from eight years to eighteen. I’d cheer for that.

The good news about the fifth senatorial district in the city of St. Louis is that it will almost surely go to a Democrat.  But an awful lot of people are fretting about how to keep that seat in African-American hands.

And in case you wonder why that matters, let me say that in one sense, it doesn’t.  All four of the district’s representatives–Rodney Hubbard, Robin Wright Jones, Connie Johnson and Tom Villa–are term limited out next year.  Two have announced they’re running.  Two more are considering it, and one of those last two is white.  But all of them would do a good job of representing constituents in that district.

Say what you want about Rodney Hubbard taking money from Rex Sinquefield and pushing school vouchers, wag your head in disappointment that Tom Villa opposes abortion and stem cell research.  The bottom line is that all four of them want to do good for their people.

So what’s the big deal about having two black candidates–or maybe three if Connie Johnson jumps in–and one white man?  The two–or three–African-Americans would divide the vote; and if Villa gets in, he’d almost surely take the seat.  It wouldn’t be a tragedy, but consider the history of the city.  Racial tensions loom large, in the past and at present.  Villa, or any other white candidate, would make three white senators out of three in a black majority city.  Not the best scenario for soothing those tensions.

I talked to Connie Johnson last week about her possible plans.  As we mulled over the situation, she pointed out what great respect she has for Villa.  He’s in his third political incarnation now.  He was first elected to the House in 1974, and in those days before term limits, stayed long enough to become the Majority Leader from 1980 to 1984.  After that, he went into city politics, became president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, and  eventually made an unsuccessful run for mayor.  After that, he dropped out of politics for five years; then came the third incarnation:  in 2000, he was elected again to the House.  Johnson points out that he knows more about the rules of the House than any other member–and has as much right to run for senator as anybody.

As for Johnson herself, she says that nobody should rule her out of the running and points with some pique at people who’ve told her that since she has a good job as a lawyer at Armstrong Teasdale, she should leave the field to Hubbard or Wright Jones, who don’t have fallback employment.  As far as she’s concerned:  “When did the state capitol become an employment agency?”  She loves politics, loves working for the people in her district, and feels she has a right to run.  After all, she says, considering all the glitches the legislature had last year from poorly written bills, they need more attorneys.  And currently, the legislature is almost at an all time low.  “On ten percent of the bills we pass, the next year they come back and we do cleanup.”

Johnson also points out that she has gotten six bills passed in her seven years in Jeff City, even though she’s in the minority party.  And they haven’t been bills dedicating a library to so-and-so either.  They’ve had substance.  She got a bill passed to assist rape victims.  Previously, the victims had to pay for their own rape kits, which cost $1200.  Now the state pays.  And rape victims are no longer required to take a lie detector test before they can testify.  After all, victims of other crimes don’t have to take lie detector tests.

She also got a bill passed to aid DNA exonorees.  Previously, such people were given a bus ticket and told they could apply to the courts for damages–but doing that of course would take time determination, and knowledge of how to go about it. Now, they receive $50 for each day they were incarcerated and social services to help them readjust to society.

So, in light of her qualifications and her desire to help people, she’s considering joining the race.  Is she just adding one more good choice to the pot?  Or muddying the waters?  More on that question tomorrow.

Photos above are–top right:  Connie Johnson; top left:  Tom Villa; bottom right:  Robin Wright Jones; bottom left:  Rodney Hubbard  

So much for rumors that Robin Wright Jones was holding out on announcing that she is running for Maida Coleman’s state senate seat (district 5) in hopes of getting some concession from Mayor Slay.  

Robin is officially announcing her candidacy today at 10:30.  

That means that two people are definitely in the race, Robin and Rodney Hubbard.  Robin is a progressive straight down the line (as I’ve written here and here.)  Rodney, popular in his district, is taking flack from lots of Democrats for accepting cash from Rex Sinquefield and for supporting pro-voucher legislation (as I wrote about here and here).

Robin has lined up endorsements from state senators Maida Coleman, Joan Bray, and Rita Days.  Representatives endorsing her are Jeanette Mott-Oxford, Juanita Wilson, Pat Yeager and Esther Haywood.

Before Robin even got going good, Rodney had sewed up a big endorsement:  Lacy Clay.

Everybody seems to assume that Representative Tom Villa, a socially conservative Democrat (pro-life, anti-stem cell) will run as a spoiler in that race, but who knows?  He hasn’t said he plans to, and he’s likely to play it close to the vest, perhaps right up until filing time in February.  

But his possible candidacy isn’t even the only other one to consider.  Representative Connie Johnson is also taking under consideration the possibility of running.  If she does, though, she too is likely to wait until the February filing date to announce her intentions.

If she and Villa both run, that would mean that all four representatives from Maida Coleman’s senate district are running for the seat.

Pictured above:  top left–Wright Jones, top right–Hubbard, bottom left–Villa, bottom right–Johnson

Originally, Robin Wright Jones had let it be known that in late September she would officially declare her candidacy for the seat in state senate district 5.  That didn’t happen–because of a fall she took while exercising–but she was supposed to do so about October 20th.  That date, too, has passed.

Remember that Wright Jones’ entry into the race would give that district two African American candidates and the likelihood that a white candidate, Tom Villa, would enter as a spoiler.  If Villa or any white candidate were to win, that would give the city of St. Louis white senators in all three of its senate districts.  And that’s just not acceptable to a lot of people.

Dave Drebes at MO Scout (subscription only) has reported a couple of rumors about what might happen to keep Robin out of the race.  About three weeks ago, the rumor was that the mayor might do something to Robin (since Hubbard has more political capital with Slay) to keep her out of the race.  Three days ago, Drebes was reporting a different rumor:  that Robin herself has been putting off the official announcement in hopes of getting something from Slay to stay out of the race.

Of course, Robin could prove that latter rumor to be hogwash simply by announcing.

Senate district five is as downtown as it gets:  its eastern edge is the Mississip.  It’s a district where the Republicans may not even put up a candidate, so the primary is the general election.  And in the primary, we have two black candidates already declared (Robin and Rodney) and a white candidate, Tom Villa, likely to enter the race. 

District five is a majority African-American district, but not by a huge margin (58 percent), thus making any white candidate a potential spoiler.  Even if Vila, who is a conservative Democrat, doesn’t enter the race, Robin says she would expect a spoiler.

The split of the black vote distresses African-American leaders in the city, inasmuch as the other two senate seats from within the city limits are held by whites:  Jeff Smith and Harry Kennedy.  The notion of three white senators from a city with such a high proportion of African-Americans has them wringing their hands.  Still, no white candidate can afford to be cocky about winning.  Both Hubbard and Wright Jones can garner lots of votes.

Robin, as the only progressive in the race, will appeal to the city’s liberal central corridor.  The Central West End includes a lot of white voters.  Nor is Rodney expected to confine himself to North St. Louis where he’s best known.  He’ll work that central corridor as well, and insiders all agree that he’s a workhorse of a campaigner.

Robin also expects that she’ll draw votes from voters of both races as the only woman in the primary.  As far as she’s concerned, being a woman and a progressive will be a strong combo.

As for Rodney’s stronghold, North St. Louis, Robin vows that she’s not scared of that.  She was raised there, lived there until seven years ago, and has lots of community ties.

She wouldn’t be in the race if she didn’t think she had a good chance to win, but, even aside from the threat of a spoiler, Rodney is tough competition.  One reason is that Robin got a late start with fundraising.  In September, she took a fall while exercising and hit her face. She didn’t want to start the race, as she says, looking like the elephant man.  Right now she has about $4000, with commitments from many small donors that should amount to something in the five figures for the coming quarter.

While she was waiting to get started, though, Rodney sewed up a bunch of endorsements, including Lacy Clay’s–and raised $82,000.  It’s true that $30,000 of that came from Rex Sinquefield and may have to be given back if the Ethics Commission rules that over-limit funds must be returned.  But if so, Sinquefield is set to return those funds via the 100 PACs he just set up.

Let’s see then.  Rodney has money, energy, and popularity in his House district.  Robin has progressive views and supporters, community ties in Rodney’s district as well as her own, and the advantage of being the only woman in the race.  The two of them face the likelihood of a white spoiler.  It’s going to be a hell of a horse race. 

Robin Wright Jones, running against Rodney Hubbard for the open state senate seat in district five, calls herself a 100 percent progressive.  She backs that statement up by noting that ProVote gives her 100 percent on her voting record on progressive issues (as opposed to Hubbard’s 44 percent).

District five runs along the Mississippi River from the Chain of Rocks bridge to the River Des Peres and to the west, zig zags between Grand and Kingshighway.  The population is 58 percent African-American, and many of the residents–of both races–are poor.  Those neighborhoods, she feels, need progressive representation in the legislature.

One of the issues Robin is most passionate about is the fate of the troubled city school district.  She told me, when I interviewed her by phone on Monday morning, that she sees the state takeover of city schools as part of the bigger picture of Republican attack, via No Child Left Behind, on this country’s public schools.  (If that seems like a grandiose claim to you, read my posting “Of All the Nerve”.  No Child Left Behind is aimed straight at the destruction of public education.) 

Robin’s background explains her passion for public education.  First, she’s a former teacher herself.  Second, as a single parent, she raised two boys in North St. Louis, back in the eighties when the crime rate there was at its highest.  She sent her sons to the public schools, to the Academy of Math and Science, a magnet school, where they excelled.  They were each in the top five in their class, scholar-athletes who are now college graduates with good jobs. 

So Robin knows and believes that good things can and still do happen in the city schools, and it weighs on her to see them underfunded and turned over to an appointed school board that has no plans to improve them.  She says that when she has talked to Rick Sullivan, the head of the appointed board–well, maybe he’s the appointed head.  Blunt hasn’t allowed the senate to vote to confirm him, so legal problems are likely brewing over any decisions he makes–but anyway, when she’s talked to Sullivan, he’s all about the takeover with nothing to say about how to improve the schools.  The elected board, on the other hand, is headed by Peter Downs, a parent in the district who is committed to improving the schools.  Wright Jones would much prefer to see the elected board in charge. 

In any case, she opposes tuition tax credits for private schools and disapproves of her opponent, Rodney Hubbard, for accepting $30,000 from Rex Sinquefield [pictured in an ad at left].  She predicts that taking that path will harm not only city schools but all Missouri schools in the long run.

The schools will not make headway, though, Robin knows, without a variety of parallel improvements.  Her background as a public housing administrator has made her sensitive to the ways that each problem of the poor exacerbates all the others.  Until decent jobs help stabilize families–jobs that have disappeared as our government has allowed outsourcing–kids won’t have their basic needs met.  In that environment, they’re not educable.

New York mayor Ed Koch once said that a city must have viable schools, firemen, and police forces.  You need all three or you don’t have a city.  Robin points to the troubles with all three in St. Louis–state takeover of the schools, the demotion of fire chief Sherman George and the vote of no confidence in police chief Mokwa.

What then, I asked, should be done to help the city deal with its problems?  Wright Jones says that, for the time being, Democrats can only fight a holding action.  The situation in the city cannot significantly improve until we have a Democratic legislature and governor.

I published two postings last week here and here about Rodney Hubbard.  Tomorrow, I’ll provide another posting about Robin Wright Jones.