BOA January–18th

This past week the Board of Aldermen held their weekly meeting, presided by Lewis Reed, President of the Board of Aldermen. The meeting was brought to order by Gabe Fleisher and President Lewis Reed.

In this picture Gabe (in green) is about to call the meeting to order.

Special Guest

Rabbi Randi Fleishner  and his son Gabe were President Reed’s special guest.  Rabbi Fleisher is  Rabbi at Central Reform Congregation, 5020 Waterman in the City of St. Louis. Rabbi Fleishner said the opening prayer.

Rabbi Randy Fleisher was born in the Chicago area and attended the University of Wisconsin for his undergraduate studies. In the years before he entered rabbinical school, Rabbi Fleisher worked for a citizen’s action group in Washington, D.C., taught environmental education to inner-city children in Connecticut, and helped to run a summer camp in Minnesota. At Hebrew Union College in New York City, Rabbi Fleisher directed the seminary’s soup kitchen and served as the student rabbi in Hickory, North Carolina.

Ordained in 2000, Rabbi Fleisher came to St. Louis to be the Assistant Rabbi at Central Reform Congregation where he takes on a variety of roles in that inclusive and spiritual urban congregation. Named Associate Rabbi in 2004, Rabbi Fleisher works alongside one of his rabbinic mentors, CRC’s founding rabbi, Susan Talve.

He is quite involved in the greater community, most notably with the Holy Ground Collaborative, a neighborhood-based interfaith and multi-racial collectives working for urban justice and renewal. Rabbi Fleisher is the past chairperson of the Jewish Environmental Initiative and serves as the Vice-Chair to Jews United for Justice, where he organizes the annual Heschel/King event. Rabbi Fleisher and his wife Amy were honored in 2004 to co-chair the Jewish Federation’s annual ‘Super Sunday’ fund and awareness raising event. He is on the rabbinic advisory council for Ayecha, a group that provides support for Jews of Color, and is the rabbinic advisor for Beth Olam, a new Jewish cemetery in St. Louis. He serves on the boards of directors of the St. Louis Chapter of the Urban League, Habitat for Humanity, the Jewish Fund For Human Needs, and Cultural Leadership. He also sits on the steering committee of the ‘Go to Health! Ambulatory Care’ program. In 2005, Rabbi Fleisher was recognized by the Coro Leadership Center with an ‘Emerging Leader’ award.

Rabbi Fleisher, his wife Amy, and their two children (Zoey Sky and Gabriel Shine) live in University City.

New Legislation

There were five bills introduced and read for the first time at this past week’s Board of  Aldermen meeting.   For a complete listing of all of the new legislation along with the complete agenda  of the meeting please click on this link:http://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/aldermanic-legislative-session.cfm

THIRD READING and FINAL PASSAGE

The following bills were debated, then third read and finally passed.

B.B.#235– Kennedy – An Ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission to change the zoning of property, from “C” Multiple-Family Dwelling District to the “F” Neighborhood Commercial District, in City Block 4837 (5012, 5014 & 5016 Enright); and containing an emergency clause.

                       B.B.#236– Florida – An Ordinance recommended by the Planning Commission, to change the zoning of property, from “B” Two-Family Dwelling District and “H” Area Commercial District to the “H” Area Commercial District only, in City Block 1495 (3522 Utah and 3521, 3523, 3527 & 3529-41 McKean); and containing an emergency clause.

                       B.B.#251– Roddy – An Ordinance designating a portion of the City as a redevelopment area known as the Northeast Hampton Berthold Redevelopment Area; establishing the Northeast Hampton Berthold Special Allocation Fund; authorizing certain actions by City officials; and containing a severability clause.

                       B.B.#252– Roddy – An Ordinance affirming adoption of a redevelopment plan, redevelopment area, and redevelopment project; authorizing the execution of redevelopment agreement between the City and Tri-Star Imports, Inc.; designating Tri-Star Imports, Inc. as developer of the redevelopment area; and containing a severability clause.

                       B.B.#97– Williamson – An ordinance enacting a curfew for Marie Fowler                                                Park and Phillip J. Lucier Park; containing an exception for  persons holding permits, and containing an emergency clause.

                       B.B.#233 – Flowers – An Ordinance establishing a four way stop site at the intersection of Logan Street and Lowell Street by regulating all eastbound and westbound traffic traveling on Logan Street at Lowell Street and regulating all northbound and southbound traffic traveling on Lowell Street at Logan Street and containing an emergency clause.

                       B.B.#259 – Flowers – An ordinance recommended by the Port Authority Commission, repealing ordinance 68909, which authorized an Option to Lease Agreement and Lease Agreement between the City and Grace Hill Settlement House, and enacting a new ordinance authorizing and directing the Mayor and the Comptroller to enter into a Lease Agreement between the City and Great Rivers Greenway  for certain land on the Unimproved Wharf .

                  B.B.#258– Young/Bosley/Conway/Howard/Florida/Roddy/Carter/

                       Krewson/Pres. Reed/Ortmann – An ordinance relating to parks; subject to the approval of the voters, an additional three-sixteenths of one cent sales tax on all retail sales made; containing an interpretation clause, a severability clause and an emergency clause.

These bills as required by ordinance were signed by President of the Board Lewis E. Reed and now are waiting the Mayor’s approval or veto.  

Seeing that no further business before the Board of Aldermen, President Lewis Reed adjourned the Board of Aldermen meeting until Friday January 25, 2013 at 10:00.