Jeff Smith for Missouri

Dear Friends,

I apologize in advance for the length of this missive, but last Wednesday was probably the most interesting day of my first session. I want to explain why, because I think it’s important for you to know why I make the decisions I make.

Near the end of session, once each chamber of the Legislature has passed numerous bills, the Senate leadership decides to hear a handful of House bills, and the House leadership decides to hear a select few Senate bills. Except for passing the budget, neither body is bound to take up legislation passed by the other.

Dear Friends,

I know I haven’t written for a while. I try not to bombard you with emails – especially the ones asking for money. And I know you’ve probably heard all you can take about Scooter Libby, Alberto Gonzales, and David Vitter to last you for a while. So I won’t pile on.

Instead, I’d like to invite you to the 2nd Annual Jeff Smith 3-on-3 Basketball Tournamentand Community Fairon July 28th at Fairground Park.

Dear Friends,

Thanks to so many of you who attended the second annual Jeff Smith 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament recently. For those who couldn’t attend I wanted to let you know that the event was a huge success, and we’ve already started planning for next year. We added several new components this year: a community service fair, a variety of health screenings, and the distribution of hundreds of books and bags of school supplies to kids in attendance.

Dear Friends,

I hope this note finds you well. Let me give you a sense of what I’ve been up to lately.

First, I’ve been getting around the district. I’ve attended functions throughout the city, from the St. Louis Hills neighborhood’s Art in the Park to annual fall festivals in The Hill, Clifton Heights, and The Grove. I’ve visited dozens of non-profits across the city, touring the new homes sprouting in the historic Ville neighborhood thanks to Northside Community Housing, discussing potential legislation to address the sub-prime loan crisis with leaders from Beyond Housing, serving lunch to the clients at Food Outreach, and meeting volunteer doctors with Gateway to Hope (GTH), an unprecedented initiative by doctors to treat (at no charge) breast cancer victims who otherwise would have no other option. (If you are a medical professional who can donate time or supplies, please reply to this email and let me know how you can help. This is an exceptional program, but it will only flourish through the generosity of people like you.)

Dear Friends,

Wow. We’re back in session and it’s been hectic.

Once I finish filing all of my legislation in the next few weeks, I’ll send a more comprehensive explanation of my priorities for the session (funding early childhood education, raising teacher salaries, and providing incentives for energy conservation). And I’ll try to give you the skinny on some of the negotiations surrounding a few important bills.

But for this week’s newsletter I’d like to describe an interesting dilemma I recently faced involving an opportunity I had to appear on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” a humorous late-night political talk show.

Dear Friends,

As you may know, I lost my first bid for office. When I was 29, I jumped into a wild 10-way primary for U.S. Congress. I decided to run for several reasons.

First, I wanted to end the reckless war started by George W. Bush.

Second, I believed that our system could use an infusion of fresh blood – and young people. In a nation that has accumulated $9.2 trillion of debt, a new generation of voices must rise – voices of the generation that – unless we quickly reverse course – will be forced to pay that enormous debt.

Dear Friends,

Last week, for the first time, a fellow public servant (my good friend Senator Scott Rupp, R-St. Charles) told me that he enjoyed fundraising. I immediately questioned his sanity.

When I first ran for Congress, I spent about six hours a day asking people for money. Sometimes they were my friends, sometimes acquaintances, sometimes total strangers. I asked them at their office, or over a meal, or usually and unfortunately, on the phone. After I narrowly lost, despite the fact that I knocked on over 5,000 doors, I always wondered if I’d have won had I spent more time meeting voters and less time courting contributors.

Jefferson City — This week, Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, will visit kindergartners at the Confluence Academy, South City Campus, at 4235 Compton Ave., St. Louis, on Friday, Feb. 22, to participate in a Reading Assembly designed to encourage students to read for study — and pleasure.

Sen. Smith will read to kindergartners from six classes, beginning at 2 p.m. According to school librarian Linda Patton, Sen. Smith and other special guests were invited to participate in the newly created program, which promotes reading through adult participation.

“It’s a real joy to share my love of reading with these kids,” Sen. Smith said. “Successful study habits and academic achievement begin in kindergarten, so there’s no better time to demonstrate the benefits of developing strong reading skills.”

Since last year, Sen. Smith has visited more than 30 schools in the city of St. Louis and expects to visit every school in the 4th Senate District by the end of the year. A university professor, Sen. Smith cites improving urban education as one of his top legislative priorities.

Sen. Smith is a co-founder of the Confluence Academies, a group of urban public charter schools, and has created programs to increase parental involvement. He serves on the Confluence Board of Directors and also serves on the Missouri Charter Public School Association’s Board of Directors.

South City is the newest of the three Confluence Academy campuses, which serve more than 2,300 students in grades K-7 in the Old North St. Louis, Walnut Park and South City neighborhoods.