I appreciate and am fully aware of the opportunity for all to submit content as well as to post on 40 South News. I will respond to the recent exchange in three parts . . .
First, I am an active and avid 40 South reader. I value Doug’s daily posts and rarely receive his emails without almost immediately opening and reading the stories. Regardless of the content or subject, the posts keep us informed and give us a digital glimpse of what is happening on the streets immediately surrounding us in Maplewood and our adjacent communities. This is Social Media working as a tool for us.
I also firmly believe that anything one types from behind a keyboard should be something they would freely say, with no regrets, as a part of a face-to-face exchange. Accountability for ones comments is critical. It’s my opinion that anonymity and pseudonyms online should never offer one the opportunity to make statements they would likely never make in conversation.
Second, regarding revisions to Maplewood’s Comprehensive Plan, from the day I filed my petition for Mayor of Maplewood, I have advocated a complete re-evaluation of our Comprehensive Plan. In discussions with City Staff, Council Members and countless residents, I have repeatedly stressed the long-overdue analysis of the document, drafted in 1990, with only limited revisions since that time. My message and my campaign literature are clear – this effort sits atop the list. 40 South commenter ‘Kevin’ succinctly states that the Comprehensive Plan is intended to “guide and regulate” municipal actions – in layman’s terms, it’s both a road map and a wish list. Far too much has changed in the landscape of Maplewood over the past 2 decades for us to have not already evaluated this pivotal tool. Additionally, I find it ironic that Mr. Greenberg’s concern for the out-of-date nature of this document has taken 14 years of active Council status to surface.
Third, I have chosen to base my campaign on human interaction. The most effective way for residents to get to know ‘Patrick Jugo’ is to interact directly with me.
- I have been circulating through the neighborhoods, distributing my campaign flyer and having personal conversations with any resident that desires the exchange
- I will be a participant at the LWV Candidate Forum at the MRH Theater on Tuesday 3/7 at 7p.
- I have scheduled (2) Meet-n-Greet opportunities, for a casual, in-public opportunity to convene. The first is at Foley’s Tavern on 3/1 from 5-7p and the second is at Saratoga Lanes on 3/10, from 5-7p. These are not fundraisers – just a public, social, yet informal opportunity to acquaint.
- Finally, I am scheduling several ‘coffees’ in the homes of willing hosts, where small groups of residents have an open opportunity to engage
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Regardless which candidate ultimately receives your support, I ask that you ALL exercise your right to VOTE on April 4.
Stay True to Our Roots . . . While Planning for the Future.
Patrick Jugo
Editor: Patrick Jugo is running against Barry Greenberg for mayor of Maplewood in the municipal election on April 4. Both will take part in a League of Women Voters-sponsored candidates forum on March 7.
I agree with my fellow Maplewoodians that this openness from the candidates for mayor is most definitely a good thing. Of course, there are some issues that I have with Mr. Jugo personally calling out Mr. Greenberg, but I understand why he did it.
What I hope that the next mayor, whomever they may be, does is that they are an active community member on top of their normal duties as mayor. Last night, there were no representatives from the city (councilperson or mayor), that showed up to the Soul Food Supper at MRH. Even someone like Lacy Clay, our US Congressperson, couldn’t attract our current mayor, who hasn’t shown up to a public event in the city since the Ryan Hummert Memorial Dedication in July, any of our council people or any of our mayoral candidates. There were school board members and even State Rep. Gina Mitten, but no one from the city of Maplewood. Opportunities like these are precious to our elected officials, as this is where they can learn directly from the people what’s happening around our community and what the people want done. It could also possibly improve our city’s relationship with the schools, which would benefit everyone.
To quote Lacy Clay from his speech last night at MRH: “Put down the phone, get off the computer, and go meet people. There is where you’ll get the most problems solved.”
GO VOTE APRIL 4TH!!!!
I disagree with Mr. Jugo’s conclusion that my concern for the outdated state of the comprehensive plan is only now surfacing. The comprehensive plan has been discussed many times by Council and staff and has been a lower priority than a lot of other city business due to the cost of the process, the lack of developable property in the city and other factors and a decision was made not to spend the $50,000-$100,000 at this time. I personally feel that it should be addressed in the next three years and that is something I feel that I have a better chance of moving forward with as mayor and with new Council members coming on board. What I find ironic is that Mr. Jugo has attended less than a handful of City Council meetings in the last 14 years that I have served and yet he is able to draw conclusions as to what my agenda is. I also find it ironic that in the years that he has lived across the street from me that he never once mentioned a desire to take action to assist our aging population, yet this is one of the agenda items he advertises. I helped organize a lecture series for topics of relevance to our seniors and have worked with AARP, the City of Maplewood and the City of Richmond Heights to help bring programs to our community to further those goals. And I would like to think that I haven’t stopped with just senior citizens. Our children are our future and our school district needs to be strong. I have served on the ECC building committee, worked in promoting many of the MRH district’s programs, handed out numerous scholarships as president and member of the Maplewood Kiwanis club and I look forward to an even closer relationship between the school district and the city going forward.
Even though it might be easier, there are initiatives that I don’t have to be mayor to accomplish. I was involved with St. Louis Earth Day and the Green Dining Alliance to help create the nation’s first Green Dining District. I don’t know if Maplewood would have been named the 2016 EPA Green Power Community of Year had I not got the ball rolling by initiating our Sustainability Commission. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the boards and commissions, some of which Mr. Jugo has served on, in their role of unpaid contributors to the process. It points out that We got mail last week from at&t offering the service on Marietta. $70/month is a collaborative effort between elected officials and staff to make these kinds of improvements in our community. I pride myself in working with the civic minded individuals that have selflessly and conscientiously served on Council during my tenure. If anyone has disagreed with some of the decisions and stances the majority of the council has taken in the past it would probably be me. At the same time, I have no doubt that the Mayor and the other council members are doing what they think is in the best interest of the City, not themselves. Even with the disagreements, this Council has never disgraced the City by resorting to statements and actions that have made negative headlines in neighboring communities.
I also need to acknowledge the relationship between our elected officials and staff. Our city manager and department heads have assembled a team that any city would be proud to have. They have given Council guidance, objective advice and backup information that has made our tasks as elected officials so much easier. I feel that, as mayor, I can accomplish even more to help keep Maplewood moving in the right direction.
I want to resonate what Joe and Beth said. In addition, the action items listed under “Planning and Implementation” are all a great start. I do hope the effort devoted to retaining “optimal core businesses”, is expanded to other areas of Maplewood in an effort to bridge the east/west divide and provide the same walkable and vibrant business community throughout the city. All those items, with a relatively low cost to implement, would continue growing Maplewood as “the” place to be.
I am also interested in learning more about the “Infrastructure Developments”. Yes, the streets are bad. But the City has been working on them yearly as funds allow. As for “Public Facilities”, the new firehouse is just being completed, I can’t imagine we need improvements there. This frees up space for the Police station that currently resides in City Hall. City Hall might need a spruce. But as far as I am concerned, spending money on cosmetics when we need a new Comprehensive Plan, Zoning structure, better streets, and recreation facilities, seems frivolous.
All in all, thank you for putting forth your thoughts and making yourself available to meet with residents. It can’t be easy to put yourself out there like this, so I appreciate your openness, honesty, and willingness to be involved.
The last day to register to vote for the April 4 Election is Wednesday, March 8. Request a packet by mail: https://s1.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/request
It is nice to see both candidates are interested in speaking to the public. Different strokes for different folks on the way they go about it but both seem to have a desire to mix online and in person to some degree. One question that I hope to have addressed at the March 7th Forum is how the candidate plans to continue to seek input once elected Mayor. And just as importantly, since only one person, how does the Mayor seek to encourage council members to be more active in talking with constituents?
One of the more interesting aspects of this piece was the need for Mr Jugo to directly mention Mr Greenberg’s name -“Additionally, I find it ironic that Mr. Greenberg’s concern for the out-of-date nature of this document has taken 14 years of active Council status to surface.” It is a slight dig and may point toward Mr Jugo having a more aggressive stance at the Forum. As for the content of the statement, it is a fair concern to have, but it should also be noted that as his resume points out, he was a member of the P&Z and that he is not without blame himself for having an updated comprehensive plan.
Agreed, Joe S.
I encourage everyone to vote on April 4th!