Elliott_Davis's Blog

You ever heard the expression I need that like I need a hole in the head.

Maybe not that drastic but a new proposed million dollars monument for downtown East St. Louis comes close.

I did a You Paid For It report on it last night. The monument would be in the shape of a flower opening. called rebirth.. It would be put on a vacant lot flanked by a gas station and city hall, near the Metro Train tracks..just a few blocks away from a boarded up downtown. Right down the roa, streets that flood when it rains making them almost impassible because the sewers system is broken and the city hasn't had money to fix them..And I guess hasn't requested it from the Federal Govenment. But they're asking the feds for a million bucks for a downtown monument that won't do anything. 

  Monuments are like the icing on a cake..BUt in this case we're dealing with a problem cake that needs more than just a little icing. East St. Louis needs an over-haul from the ground up.

 I couldn't believe it when I interviewed the Mayor about this..and he told me with a straight face it was a good deal.

He reminded me of the Mayor of Creve Coeur Harold Dielman when I questioned him about a $3 million dollar over-pass. In fairness to Dielman though Creve Coeur is in a lot better shape than East St. Louis, and can afforded to look at a frill or two..(Just wish we didn't have to pay for it)

 But in the case of East St. Louis the new Mayor should stick with the basics. Things that citizens need to make their lives better, like sewers and streets, and jobs, and fewer abandoned falling down houses, and better schools, and community centers to give kids somewhere to chill...

 East ST. Louis needs the basics...

 The ICING can wait.