This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 1, 2013 - Dear Beaconites --
If you live in Kirkwood, as I do, or Edwardsville or St. Charles -- or any other part of our farflung region outside the city -- you might think the St. Louis mayor's race is not worth your attention. If you work for anyone but the federal government, you might think sequestration is just an inside-the-beltway brouhaha.
But, as Beacon coverage this week showed, people in our region are connected across boundaries to these issues near and far. These connections may sometimes be hard to see, but they're perilous to ignore.
Take the mayor's race, which will be decided in the Democratic primary next Tuesday. A classic political potboiler, the campaign has unfolded with multiple plot lines -- long-standing issues, old grudges, shifting alliances, new realities and emerging opportunities. With the primary a few days away, Mayor Francis Slay retains his funding lead and frontrunner status. Aldermanic President Lewis Reed has unleashed a flurry of allegations and issue papers. And former Alderman Jimmie Matthews has been notable for his pithy observations.
Throughout the campaign, Beacon reporters have aimed to cut through the noise and clarify what's at stake. This week, we concluded a series focused on issues with Dale Singer's analysis of economic development. Previous reporting by Jo Mannies, Jason Rosenbaum and Robert Joiner focused on such topics as crime, race and the prospect of a city-county merger, and we also profiled each of the candidates.
St. Louis may account for less than 12 percent of the area's population, but it still lies at the heart of the region's hopes and fears. The Beacon's election coverage was designed to inform city voters, of course, but also to inform those of us who live elsewhere yet have a stake in the issues and leadership at the region's core.
In a similar vein, the Beacon's coverage of sequestration bridges boundaries by explaining the potential impact on St. Louisans of what's happening -- or not happening -- in Washington. This impact is proving surprisingly hard to pin down.
Even simple facts -- how many federal workers live here and what they do -- are elusive. The White House broke down the cuts by state but not by region. According to employment statistics, the Missouri side of the region is home to about 26,200 federal jobs, but we could find no comparable figures for the Illinois side.
Meanwhile, though sequestration begins today, the cuts themselves are hard to get a handle on, Beacon Washington corresondent Rob Koenig reported. Federal agencies are still figuring out what will be cut and how those cuts will phase in.
Rob and others will continue to report on sequestration's impact here and on the role the region's representatives are playing in the debate in Washington. Come Tuesday, Jo and Jason will bring you city election returns and analysis of what they mean.
Whether we like it or not, our individual and collective prospects are shaped by forces that reach across borders. Beacon reporting makes those forces visible, showing what's at stake for you.
Sincerely,
Margie