Jeff Smith for Missouri

Jeff Smith has got game

By Toriano L. Porter
For the St. Louis American

Forgive James Walker, Jay Sloan and Lamont and Anthony Fields. The foursome captured first place at the Jeff Smith 3-on-3 basketball tournament held Saturday at Fairground Park by winning four games, even eliminating Missouri State Senate candidate Smith’s team in the process.

“We came out here to help support Jeff Smith (for the 4th District state Senate seat) and play a little basketball,” said the virtually unstoppable Walker, who lit it up all afternoon despite heavy defensive attention. “We beat him on the basketball court, but we’re going to let him hold the politics down.”

Anthony Fields said Smith’s grassroots approach towards the basketball tournament could help Smith sway some votes his way come election time in August. Smith, who narrowly lost his bid for the 3rd Congressional district seat vacated by Dick Gephardt in 2004 (won by Congressman Russ Carnahan), is up against 4th District candidates and state Representatives Amber Boykins and Yaphett El-Amin, former city Alderman Kenneth Jones and former state Rep. Derio Gambaro.

“By him doing something like this, I think it may help him win some votes over this way,” Fields said.

Walker agreed.

“If he maintains that kind of status and communication with the actual people who live here, he’ll be a good voice for the community and not just an empty voice with a lot of broken promises.”

Sloan chided Smith for Smith’s basketball defense, but applauded his efforts in reaching out to the community in a non-traditional way.

“Anybody who can take my crossover and still want to shake my hand afterwards – that’s what I call sticking with the community,” Sloan joked. He added Smith’s tenacity on the court matched Smith’s skill level. “He was way better than I thought he would be.”

That Smith can hoop should not be surprising. After all, the feisty five-foot-something point guard helped his Ladue Rams win a share of the Suburban South Conference Championship back in the 1991-1992 season. One of Smith’s teammates at Ladue, David Buckner, co-chaired the 3-on-3 tournament at Fairground and maintains Smith’s website at www.jeffsmith2006.com.

“We had a good turnout today,” Buckner said about Saturday’s hoop-fest, which was sponsored by Brown Suga’s, Ben & Jerry’s, MoKaBe’s, Marte Shoes, Big Shark Bicycle Company and Lawanda Gibson of ReMax Property West. (DJ Charley Chan provided his services on the ones and twos as well).

“Parents had a good time, kids had a good time and it was all positive. That goes to show that positive events can happen in North St. Louis neighborhoods. We’ve just got to have faith in the community and have more events down here.”

As for Smith, who stayed behind well after the tournament was over for another round of half-court “Bucket” with a few locals, he was just as pleased with the turnout as the 300 or so players, parents, sponsors and spectators who showed up for a dazzling display of street ball, amid scorching heat and humidity.

“St. Louis politics are traditionally seen through this tired prism of North Side versus South Side, white versus black. It doesn’t have to be that way,” Smith said of his objective for the tourney.

“For me, this is a natural. I’ve been coaching one way or another 14 years, and I thought this would be a great way to bring people together and have a good time.”

Photo caption: Jeff Smith, senate candidate for the 4th District, drives to the basket during the Jeff Smith 3-3 Basketball Tournament held in Fairgrounds Park Saturday.

GOP votes may be factor in Democratic Senate primary
By Jo Mannies
POST-DISPATCH REGIONAL POLITICAL CORESPONDENT
06/22/2006

Five Missouri Republicans are competing in their party’s statewide primary on Aug. 8 for the state auditor nominee.

Five St. Louis Democrats are competing in their party’s primary on Aug. 8 for the city’s 4th District state Senate seat.

Aside from the same number of hopefuls, the two contests ordinarily would have nothing in common.

But they will if Carol Wilson, a Republican committeewoman for the city’s 16th Ward, gets her wish.

Wilson, who also is vice chairwoman of the St. Louis Republican Central Committee, has a campaign poster displayed in her home’s front window. It’s for one of the Democrats running for the 4th District state Senate seat: Derio Gambaro, a former legislator who most recently headed the St. Louis Election Board.

Wilson says she may take a Democratic ballot in August so she can vote for Gambaro, who she deems is the most conservative of the Senate Democratic hopefuls. No Republicans filed as candidates in the 4th District, so the Democrat who wins in August will be that district’s next state senator.

The 4th District generally spans the western half of the city, and includes the southwest section where most city Republicans reside.

“For city Republicans, that Senate race is an important one,” Wilson said. She added that she has not brought up the contest at citywide Republican meetings, but “it’s being talked about quietly.”

Wilson is advocating that city Republicans “cross over” into the Democratic primary so they can influence who wins the 4th District.

Republican crossovers are somewhat of a tradition in St. Louis’ municipal contests, because so few Republicans file for citywide or ward offices in the predominantly Democratic city.

Republicans generally cast less than 20 percent of the city’s votes. But that bloc can be crucial. In the 1997 mayoral race, for example, a very public Republican crossover effort was deemed key to the Democratic victory of Clarence Harmon, then the police chief, over then-Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr.

But crossing over for a legislative contest this August could have a statewide impact. That’s because Republicans who cross over won’t be able to vote in their party’s primaries – which include the hotly contested GOP contest for state auditor.

On the surface, such defections could mean fewer local votes for the two St. Louis-area Republicans running for auditor: state Rep. Jack Jackson of Wildwood and state Sen. John Loudon of Chesterfield.

Both men say they hadn’t heard of any city Republican crossover effort. Both also emphasized that they do want city GOP votes. The three other auditor candidates are from outstate: state Rep. Mark Wright of Springfield, Platte County Auditor Sandra Thomas and prison counselor Al Hanson.

Judy Zakibe, the city’s 10th Ward Republican committeewoman, says that many city Republicans have a favorite in the state auditor race. But she added that she’s hearing from a growing number of city Republicans that they’re willing to forgo a vote in the contest, because they’re comfortable with the views of all the major state auditor contenders.

Zakibe added that the growing crossover talk is fueled by city Republicans’ fear of Democratic state Senate contender Jeff Smith.

“They do not want someone as liberal as Jeff Smith for their state senator,” Zakibe said.

Smith, an associate political science professor, is vying with Gambaro and three others – state Reps. Amber Boykins and Yaphett El-Amin, and former city Alderman Kenneth Jones.

Like most St. Louis contests, there’s also a racial aspect to the 4th District race. Smith and Gambaro are white. Boykins, El-Amin and Jones are African-American.

And there’s a religious component. A letter from lawyer Jim Wilson, a conservative Democrat and parishioner at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church, is circulating within the district to warn of Smith’s opposition to vouchers or tax credits for parents who send their children to parochial or private schools. Smith does support public charter schools.

Gambaro is proposing a tax credit program for need-based scholarships to help families who reside in troubled school districts so they can send their children to parochial, private or other public schools.

Gambaro says he welcomes all supporters, regardless of party. Smith says he does, too, but added that an organized Republican crossover effort could energize city Democrats who might resent GOP meddling. El-Amin and Boykins declined requests for comment.

Dave Robertson, a political science professor at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, said he’d be surprised if enough city Republicans crossed over to have much of an effect on either the state auditor’s race or the state Senate contest.

Harmon and Bosley might disagree.

By Jo Mannies – STLtoday.com
06/20/2006 1:31 pm

As the 4th District state Senate contest swings into the final seven-week stretch, Democratic hopeful Jeff Smith released this week a list of endorsements from three progressive groups and the Democratic organization for the 28th Ward (arguably the city’s most progressive turf.)

Various blogs, such as Archcitychronicle and BlogSt. Louis, have already noted the progressive-group endorsements, which came from: Personal Rights Of Missourians Political Action Committee (PROMO PAC), Missouri Votes Conservation (MVC), and the Missouri Equal Rights Amendment Political Action Committee (ERA PAC).

As Smith pointed out in his release, PROMO is “one of the state’s largest and most active equal rights organizations.’’

Pamela Merritt, chair of PROMO’s PAC, praised Smith as “an outspoken champion of LGBT equality in the Missouri Senate.’’

The MVC is an arm of the Missouri League of Conservation Voters. The Missouri ERA PAC supports candidates it deems as fighting to to protect women’s rights.

Smith said in an interview and in his release that he is proud to show “the progressive community rallying around my campaign.’’

But there is a question of whether promoting such endorsements could prove divisive among voters in the 4th District, which spans the western half of the city and takes in many of the city’s more socially conservative territory in southwest St. Louis.

One of his rivals, former state Rep. Derio Gambaro, is wooing socially conservative Democrats and some Republicans (who are hearing some appeals that they “cross over’’ in August and take a Democratic ballot.) Gambaro has been touting his 8th Ward endorsement, which echoed the social-conservative argument.

The contest’s other two major candidates, state Reps. Amber Boykins and Yaphett El-Amin, are making their strongest appeals in African-American neighborhoods, but also are seeking votes from elsewhere in the district.

At this point, neither Boykins nor El-Amin appear to be targeting progressive voters and groups with the same intensity as Smith.

(El-Amin is among those legislators calling for a special session to restore Medicaid benefits to the working disabled. But she also has received donations from pro-school voucher groups and is deemed more socially conservative when it comes to gay rights and abortion.)

Smith cited his endorsements from the Democratic groups in the socially conservative 16th and 23rd Ward Democratic groups as evidence that his support “spans political lines’’ and includes people who may not support his views on every issue, but back “my work ethic, my drive, my ability to be an aggressive legislator.’’

It’ll be interesting to see how all this plays out in the coming weeks.

By Sylvester Brown Jr.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/25/2006

“I wouldn’t give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn’t have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out for the other fella, too.” – Jimmy Stewart,

“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”

Real-life politicians hated director Frank Capra’s 1939 film. But Stewart’s portrayal of Jefferson Smith, a plainspoken, politically idealistic politician awash in a town dictated by power and corruption, resonated with audiences.

Fed up and frustrated with President George W. Bush’s first three years in office, Webster Groves film producer Frank Popper, 57, went looking for inspiration. In early 2004, he found it in a candidate whose name, style and ambition matched that of Capra’s hero.

Political insiders gave legislative novice Jeff Smith, a political science instructor at Washington University, little notice or chance of succeeding Rep. Richard Gephardt, who had given up his seat in Congress. Most assumed, based on name recognition alone, that Russ Carnahan, the son of late Gov. Mel Carnahan, would win.

But Popper, after spending only “30 seconds” with Smith at a local bookstore, saw something those in-the-know seemed to have missed.

“It was a gut feeling,” said Popper, an award-winning producer of commercial and nonprofit films. “Jeff was young, articulate and dynamic.”

Two years later, Popper and his co-writers and producers, Michael Kime, a lawyer with Sauerwein Blanchard & Kime P.C., and entrepreneur Matt Coen, are abuzz with excitement. Their documentary, “Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore,” won the Audience Award for Feature Film on June 18 at the Silverdocs Film Festival in Washington. If fate holds true to the path of “Street Fight,” the 2005 Silverdocs “Audience Award” winner, the film created by Popper et al. could clinch an Oscar nomination.

Popper, Kime and Coen’s road to the Silverdocs began after an initially reluctant Smith agreed to allow Popper to tag along to shoot his gruff, gritty and grueling campaign. The film opens with shots of Smith’s family adamantly refusing to fund his campaign and voicing their doubts about his chances of winning the congressional seat.

“I don’t think a person with the mind that he has should waste it on politics,” Smith’s grandmother, Idah Rubin, says in the film.

After comments from political analysts and Post-Dispatch columnists (Bill McClellan, Jo Mannies and yours truly) and a reporter from the St. Louis American newspaper, the film segues into early assessments of Smith’s height and lispy voice, delivered by campaign workers and supporters like Steve Brown: “This scruffy kid, wearing a suit that looked like he got it from Garanimals, said he was 30. I didn’t believe him. . . .”

“Even though Jeff looks like he’s 12 and sounds like he’s been castrated, he was the most brilliant and articulate candidate,” quipped Artie Harris, Smith’s campaign communication director.

Just as the governor’s children in Capra’s film convince their father to give Jefferson Smith a shot in the Senate, Jeff Smith’s young volunteers add the spark in Popper’s documentary. Their hard work, anger, hope, tears and enthusiasm, perfectly synchronized with a musical score of blues, gospel and a drumline from Webster Groves High School musicians, give the film its edge-of-your-seat, along-for-the-ride energy.

Popper’s film doesn’t have a “David conquers Goliath” ending. It cinematically illustrates how political clout and name recognition often trump quality, grass-roots campaigns. And, according to producer Coen, the fact that an unknown candidate lost by less than 2,000 votes also underscores hope, as demonstrated by Smith, who’s now running for the Missouri Senate.

“The ending makes it honest. It shows an arduous journey, but it also shows it can be done,” Coen said. “It resonated so well at Silverdocs because it taps into the bigger story playing out across the country.”

Silverdocs was an unreal experience for the filmmakers. Not only did they win a prestigious award and experience their documentary shown on the big screen before an audience of movie buffs, they also mingled with former Vice President Al Gore, director Martin Scorsese, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman and other notables. Upon their return home, Kime, Coen and Popper have been deluged with media requests for interviews.

“It’s been like a fast-moving train and we’re just trying to hold on,” said Kime, adding that the “real work” is just beginning. The trio is working feverishly to book the film across the country and focusing on “packing the house” for its local premiere July 27 at the Tivoli Theater.

Although the film documenting a political outsider’s difficult odyssey reflects the essence of Capra’s film, the filmmakers are in the midst of drafting their own against-all-odds story.

“We’re three guys who are hardly Hollywood types,” Coen told me. “We’ve managed to put together a film that’s been well-received, taps into a political reality, yet still leaves people with a sense of optimism that they can engage and truly make a difference.”

STLtoday.com: Political Fix
By Jake Wagman
04/08/2006

The Democrats have trounced the Republicans … in their annual softball game.

City Dem chair Brian Wahby reports that the Young Dems bested the Young Republicans 22-15 on the diamond Saturday at Forest Park. The event was a fundraiser for Our Little Haven care facility.

Wahby reports that State Senate hopeful Jeff Smith won “MVP” honors for a diving catch and toss out at shortstop. (If only the Cardinals had such spectacular play today at the Confines.)

While Wahby says the score is a forecast for November, their star shortstop will have to throw against his own party before he can step to the plate against the Republicans.

His crowded primary will be no picnic. Ur, I mean no softball game. Um, I mean it should be a swinging race.

Did I mention the Cards lost today?

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Starving schools

State Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville, recently introduced a proposal to have the government reimburse individuals and groups that provide scholarships to private or parochial schools in St. Louis. Ms. Ridgeway’s bill is designed to sound moderate, but it would encourage students to abandon public schools for private alternatives.

The St. Louis Public Schools have problems, but they will not be solved by programs that encourage students to leave. If Republicans really care about education, they should use public funds to give low-performing schools the resources to succeed. Republicans accuse Democrats of simply “throwing money at the schools,” but when a man is starving, sometimes the best thing to do is to throw a little food his way.

Our schools are starving. They are starving for money to keep teacher pay competitive and to hire teachers certified in all subject areas, including science and math. They are starving for money to renovate decaying facilities. They are starving for money to fund things—lower class sizes and innovative teaching techniques—that have been proven to improve educational achievement. As an educator, I see the challenges faced by St. Louis’ public schools. Our schools need help from the state Legislature, not policies that divert needed funds to private schools.

We have a long way to go to ensure that every St. Louis child has access to a quality education. Ms. Ridgeway’s proposal is a step in the wrong direction.

Jeff Smith | St. Louis

Jeff Smith 2006
Contact: David Poger

Today, St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Sharon Carpenter announced that she is endorsing Jeff Smith, Democratic candidate for the 4th State Senate seat.

Carpenter, the former Democratic National Committeewoman and 23rd Ward Committeewoman who remains one of the most influential figures in City politics, cited Smith’s dedication and passion for public service as reasons for her support. “Jeff demonstrated his dedication to our City long before he decided to run for office. Now, as a candidate, he has shown a tireless work ethic that will serve us well when he is elected.”

Smith said, “I’m honored to have Sharon Carpenter’s endorsement. Ever since I met Sharon, she has been a great source of wisdom about the politics, policies, and inner workings of our city. I look forward to working together on legislation that will continue making the Recorders’ offices throughout the state more efficient.”

Smith also announced the support of Joe Edwards, the businessman and civic leader best known for revitalizing the Delmar Loop, who said, “Jeff will be a breath of fresh air in the Capitol. And he’s exactly what this City needs.”

Smith said he hoped to emulate Edwards’s success in breaking down barriers. “Just as Joe Edwards has erased the line between St. Louis City and County in the thriving Delmar Loop, we are seeking to bridge the age-old divide between North and South in city politics.”

Over 140 people attended Smith’s recent fundraiser hosted by Francis R. Slay at the Cedars just south of downtown, and his campaign has already lined up over 170 volunteers who have begun canvassing the 4th district.

By Jo Mannies
STLtoday.com

St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Sharon Carpenter and University City businessman Joe Edwards announced Thursday that they are endorsing Democrat Jeff Smith for the 4th District state Senate seat.

Smith is among five Democrats competing for the post soon to be vacated by state Sen. Pat Dougherty, D-St. Louis, because of term limits.

Carpenter is the former Democratic National Committeewoman and long was the 23rd Ward Democratic Committeewoman (Mayor Francis Slay’s ward.)

The St. Louis American
Wednesday, March 22, 2006

While this is not an endorsement, the EYE sees that a black voter could do worse than voting for Jeff Smith for state senator.

Smith held a fundraiser at The Cedars, hosted by Gerald Slay, on Monday and declared that his campaign “will make it so that we don’t see St. Louis politics in the same tired prism of North Side and South Side.”

What is unique in Smith’s approach is that he is not making campaign promises, he is making promises about his campaign. In fact, his speech Monday centered more on defeating Republican opponents in Jefferson City than on the challengers for state Sen. Pat Dougherty’s senate seat in St. Louis. The African-American candidates, state Rep. Yaphett El-Amin, state Rep. Amber Boykins and former alderman Kenneth Jones, will be hard-pressed to win as many white votes as Smith will black votes.

One reason is that Smith is visible in the black community. He is the coach of a youth basketball team at Mathews-Dickey. He shared a story of what Gov. Matt Blunt’s cuts to Medicaid have done to a St. Louis family.

One of Smith’s players is slightly autistic. Unfortunately, his family was forced to choose between the boy’s medicine and paying for health-care coverage.

He said Republicans in Jefferson City should prepare for him to filibuster for “six or seven hours” to stop horrible cuts like those passed last year.

“Trust me, I can talk that long,” he said.

The St. Louis American
Wednesday, February 22, 2006

With filing set to open this week for state offices, the local election that will garner the most interest is the contest in the 4th Senatorial District. Because of term limits, incumbent Senator Pat Dougherty cannot seek reelection, and the race to succeed him is wide open. So far, four contenders have announced their candidacy: state Rep. Amber Boykins, state Rep. Yaphett El-Amin, former state Rep. Dario Gambaro and Washington University professor Jeff Smith. Smith’s claim to fame was his spirited novice campaign for the 3rd District Congressional seat in 2004, which ended in a narrow loss to Russ Carnahan.

Because St. Louis is a two-party city, black Democrats and white Democrats, the winner of the Democratic primary is most likely going to be the next 4th District senator. The history of voting along racial lines in the city will make it very difficult for a black candidate to win the primary with two blacks in the race.

While acknowledging this fact, Boykins says that experience in the Legislature should matter most to voters. Smith agrees and has told the EYE he will campaign on the issues. Boykins, El-Amin and Gambaro all argue that Smith’s lack of legislative experience is a problem for someone who wants to be one of 34 Missouri state senators. With term limits restricting a senator to only two terms, Boykins believes the voters cannot afford to have a rookie legislator trying to learn the ropes while in state office.

Unfortunately, unless lighting strikes and the voters are struck color-blind, the election will turn on racial demographics (and who can get the most votes out of their base). Boykins and El-Amin will split not only the black vote but also what Alice Walker would call the “womanist” vote. If black elected officials and party players really intent to elect a black candidate as 4th District senator, some serious negotiating needs to occur between now and the end of March, when the filing for state offices closes. Folks need to pick a horse – Boykins or El-Amin – now, if they want to see a black bottom in that seat.

On the other hand, if one attempts to set aside the goggles of race for a moment, progressives of any color or creed would have to admit that Smith – whatever his experience as a legislator – talks the sharpest progressive game in all of the state.