Jeff Rainford

Lewis Reed V. Francis Slay: Attacks In Mayor's Race Reach New Level With Lying Charges

"Mayor's Senior Staffers Lie to the Public in Attempt to Cover Up Scandal." So says the latest header on a press release from the campaign of Lewis Reed, the Board of Aldermen President hoping to unseat longtime St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. And with it comes the sense that the mayor's race has pe ... More >>

St. Louis Labor Controversy: Is City Forcing New Employees To Sign Anti-Union Agreement?

Is this the "most draconian anti-employee policy in the history of the City of St. Louis?" So says Lewis Reed's mayoral campaign which is spreading the word about an internal memo that they -- and other union leaders and Reed supporters -- are arguing reveals an incredibly anti-union policy that t ... More >>

Lewis Reed v. Francis Slay: Did the Mayor Attack his Opponent by Reducing Wife's Hours?

Political motives prompted the office of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay to reduce the hours of Mary Entrup, a housing court judge who just so happens to be the wife of Aldermanic President Lewis Reed -- who is running for mayor. So says Lewis Reed, who, in a chat with Daily RFT, slammed the mayor's of ... More >>

French Firm, Veolia, Wins Consulting Contract with St. Louis Water Division

The St. Louis Water Division has inked a new, five-year consulting contract with a private utility service company called Veolia, and some department employees are less than thrilled with the news. The city has made no formal announcement and the contract is still in "negotiation" according to a ci ... More >>

Some Firefighters Can Live Outside City Limits, State Supreme Court Rules

Yesterday, the Missouri Supreme Court basically told St. Louis city firefighters: "If you have seven years of service under your belt, go ahead and move outside the city limits if you want."So they can finally leave, at last. But will they? "Some will, some wont," says Jeff Rainford, Mayor Francis S ... More >>

Proxy Twitter War Between Mayor Francis Slay and Board President Lewis Reed Heats Up

As Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed prepares to announce today he'll run against Mayor Francis Slay in the election next spring, their respective camps are increasingly battling it out on "the Twitter."

Alderman Butts Heads with Mayor's Office Over Opening of O'Fallon Park Rec Center

A disagreement between 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French and Mayor Francis Slay's office is threatening to further delay the opening of the brand new, $20 million O'Fallon Park Recreation Center. On Friday, when the aldermen returned from their summer break, French took the opportunity to point out ... More >>

Proof Downtown Partnership Bitched to City Hall About Occupy St. Louis

Kiener Plaza was a tent city before Partnership for Downtown St. Louis bent the mayor's ear.​A couple weeks ago Occupy St. Louis accused Mayor Francis Slay of kowtowing to corporate interests when he informed demonstrators (via his blog) that he would soon demand that they end their encampment at ... More >>

OccupySTL Protesters and Reps from Mayor's Office Hold Meeting; Civility Ensues

Albert SamahaHow long will Mayor Slay let the OccupySTL tents stay in Kiener Plaza?​Forty or so OccupySTL protesters and a handful of reporters stood outside the Broadway Central entrance of the Edward Jones Dome, in the rain, waiting for someone to open the doors. They could see security guards a ... More >>

Senate Removes $300 Million in Incentives from China Hub Bill

The China Hub bill looks a bit like this today.​Those pushing for a bill to build a cargo hub at Lambert St. Louis International Airport were dealt a setback today. Senators meeting in special session removed a provision in the bill that could provide as much as $300 million in incentives for buil ... More >>

Eddie Roth: City Hall's House Organ at Post-Dispatch Now Working for Mayor Slay

Image via stloday.comEddie Roth​One could say that Post-Dispatch editorial writer Eddie Roth wrote himself into a job. As Mayor Francis Slay announced Tuesday, he's hired Roth for a new title within his administration called "Chief Performance Officer." Roth begins work August 8. He'll be paid a s ... More >>

Comment of the Day: St. Louis Hater is a "Gutless Turd"

Today's comment comes in response to a comment made yesterday on a story about a pair of soldiers who were mugged while in St. Louis this week for "Marine Week." Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for Mayor Francis Slay, has said that the Marines were drunk during the incident and had changed their story ... More >>

St. Louis Thugs to Marines: "We're Looking for a Few Good Men -- To Mug!"

The Marines last night were without their swords, but they did have a pocketknife.​The few. The proud. The wallet-less. Two military men in St. Louis for "Marine Week" are recovering following an early-morning mugging downtown. According to police, the Marines -- ages 21 and 22 -- and another man ... More >>

St. Louis Firefighters Get Hosed; City Eliminates 30 Positions in First Layoff in Years

Fighting fire with fire-ings, naturally.​St. Louis plans to fire 30 firefighters -- the most it can terminate without closing engine houses -- in anticipation of the fire department's pension fund increasing by $4.7 million next fiscal year.The layoffs are the first time in recent memory that the ... More >>

Mayor Proposes Taking Fire Ax to Firemen's Pension

Slay: Blowing the whistle and prepared to make the cuts.​Mayor Francis Slay's office this morning outlined its plan to curtail run-away costs within the St. Louis Fire Department. According to the mayor's office, the budget for the fire department has increased 40 percent over the past decade than ... More >>

Washington Avenue to Get Beefed Up Security; City Hall Reacts to Violence Blamed on Bars

Washington Avenue safe and sound. ​In the wake of a murder early Monday morning on Washington Avenue, officials with the mayor's office, police department and downtown business association have pledged to impose sweeping new security measures inside the city's popular nightclub district.Following ... More >>

Lure is not responsible for all Washington Avenue's trouble, but it's taking all the blame

State Voters to Weigh In On St. Louis Earnings Tax

Sinquefield: Clears a hurdle yesterday.​Correction to this article printed below.A controversial petition campaign funded by St. Louis billionaire Rex Sinquefield has enough votes to make its way onto statewide ballots November 2, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced yesterday. The ballot m ... More >>

City Tries to Balance Budget by Cutting Jobs

In an attempt to alleviate a $46 million shortfall in the city's budget, the Civil Service Commission yesterday decided to cut employee benefits, increase furlough days and, most drastically, lay off workers, including two dozen firefighters. Firefighters, needless to say, is not pleased with this ... More >>

St. Louis Solicits Bids For Casino to Replace the President

City rolls the dice for a new casino.​Now that the license for the President Casino is up for grabs, St. Louis officials are scurrying to bring a new gaming facility to the city. Rodney Crim, executive director for the St. Louis Development Corporation, announced yesterday that the city is issuing ... More >>

Nativity Scene Featuring St. Louis Cops and Politicians is Noticeably Void of Wise Men

The anonymous moderators over at the police discussion board St. Louis Cop Talk have an amusing painting on the site's homepage. Below is a copied image of the doctored artwork. We here at Daily RFT believe we have decoded everyone in this oh-so-special nativity scene. Question is: Can you ... More >>

Did Rainford Rig Olympics for Rio?!

Jeff Rainford​Is it just Unreal, or is that St. Louis' Chief Ball Buster Jeff Rainford calling the shots against the Second City?!www.espn.com​

Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed Responds to Audit and Chides Street Department Over Bike Lanes

Paul McKee's Yard-Maintenance Update: Mow Your Own Lawn, Mister!

Update: Mow Your Lawn, Mister McKee?

Red Alert: Everything they really don't want you to know about those pesky traffic-light cameras

Red Lights and Greenbacks

Arrested Development

A look at north St. Louis from ground zero.

Wag the Man

Red Light, Green Light

Did the city deliberately tailor the ordinance and bid requirements to favor only one red-light camera company?

Hell No, We Won't Go!

A south St. Louis neighborhood raises a ruckus over plans to demolish homes for a shopping center

Slayer

Could the mayor's uncanny habit of making enemies wreck the charter-reform effort?

Demolition Man

To save St. Louis public schools, Bill Roberti and his band of hired guns plan to blow things up. Who'll pick up the pieces when they're gone?

Professor Schoemehl

Different factions scramble for the spring school-board elections, but ex-Mayor Schoemehl looks like one of the few who's interested.

Déjà Vu

The Cards overreached -- now San Francisco shows them the way

Late Fee

Mayor's office goes to bat for Bell but gets shut down by Darlene Green

Gimme, Gimme

Badges and fire hoses trump affordable housing and health care for the poor

Splish-Splash

Busted waterworks balloon shows Slay hasn't learned a Cardinal rule

Terrible Twins

Nightmare for a rookie mayor -- Schoemehl and Biondi on the prowl with a Big Idea

Joyce Abusive

Nobody's ever voted for Joyce Aboussie, but the congressman, the governor, the mayor and the county executive don't do anything political without her.

Freedom on a String

Nance says City Hall didn't influence the Clergy Coalition's delay on home rule

Songs of Shame

Slay and Rigali arias soured by lack of decisive action and bully-boy politics

Perfect Attendance But No Presence

Slay shows up for work, but what gets done?

Party Disloyalty

The 20th Ward delivers for the Democrats, then gets dumped

Citizen Callow

The mayor names a PR wiz to a city board and ends up with a PR problem

Best Evidence the New Mayor Knows Carolyn Tuft's Value

Slay's inaugural speech

A Black Eye Affair

A minority firm takes a hit for no good reason

Tyus Up

The new mayor, in backing a winner, likely will end up a loser

The Rainmaker

Public-relations pro Jeff Rainford helped end a 27-year drought in the St. Louis school- desegregation case, but he's still bothered by the bucket of cold water Mayor Clarence Harmon threw on the victory celebration

The Privileged Class

As a Feb. 2 reckoning approaches for city voters and schools, an escape clause surfaces for Ladue