SierraScape December 2010 - January 2011
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by Ginger Harris
Transportation and Smart Growth Committee Chair

The results of the November election indicate that St. Louis doesn't always vote green. But of the 27 candidates endorsed by Sierra Club and running only in the Eastern MO Group area, 22 won their races–at a time when not-so-green candidates seem to have won many elections across the country. And one of the contests we lost was close enough to warrant an automatic recount.

Under the above title, six organizations in St. Louis co-hosted a state legislative candidates forum so our members could hear directly from their candidates and mingle with them afterward. Besides Sierra Club, our six co-hosts were: Ethical Action Committee of St. Louis Ethical Society, Jewish Environmental Initiative committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Votes Conservation Education Fund, Parkway North High School Envirothon team, and Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice. Don Marsh, host of KWMU's "St. Louis on the Air," hosted the forum.

The forum was open to all candidates for Missouri House or Senate who were certified to appear on the November 2 ballot in St. Louis City or County or very nearby, and who rsvp'd by September 30th. We invited candidates of all parties running in these districts.

The following candidates rsvp'd:

Barbara Fraser (D-24th State Senate district)

Candidates for State House, by district:

18th: Gary McKiddy (D)
59th: Jeanette Mott Oxford (D)
64th: Susan Carlson (D)
73rd: Stacey Newman (D)
81st: Rochelle Walton Gray (D)
82nd: Jill Schupp (D)
83rd: Patrick Brennan (R)
83rd: Jake Zimmerman (D)
85th: Vicki Englund (D)
91st: Jeanne Kirkton (D)
94th: Deb Lavender (D)
96th: Scott Sifton (D)
100th: Randy Lewis (Constitution Party)

Prior to the forum, Parkway School's Envirothon students created a web-based survey for the larger public to record how citizens felt about a range of environmental issues. Prior to the forum, they made the survey results available to the candidates and to our co-sponsoring organizations. The students also participated at the forum by posing some pre-planned environmental questions to the candidates at the beginning of the Q&A segment. Subsequently, Don Marsh read written questions submitted by the audience. Questions had to relate to an environmental topic and could not imply a right or wrong answer.

NOTE: Ten of the above state rep candidates were endorsed by Sierra Club, and of those, eight won their races.