Historical May 1984 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
A political candidate once said that the city’s 28th aldermanic ward was the home of hippies, hairdressers, and Harvard graduates.
With boundaries that stretch from Dogtown to the Central West End, the area has been distinguished for the diverse character of its constituents. Such variety will also make the upcoming August election for 28th ward Democratic committeeman all the more interesting, say several observers.
The ward’s present committeeman, J. Kim Tucci, was selected by the 28th Ward Regular Democratic Organization and Democratic City Central Committee to succeed George Storey after his resignation from the post last October. Tucci, who is a friend and political ally of St. Louis Mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl, coowner of the Pasta House Company and president of the St. Louis Ambassadors, asserts that his three restaurants demonstrate his commitment to the ward. “Nobody has more commitment to this area than I do,” he said in a recent interview. “With the Palm Beach Cafe, the Flamingo Cafe, and the Pasta House on DeBaliviere, we’ve spent over a million dollars in the ward and provided 180 jobs. “We’re able to get things done in this ward because of the commitment of the people we have here like Alderman Dan McGuire and the others that work so hard.
But that’s what’s most important anyway—the people.
The ward organization comes second,” explains Tucci.
After city-wide redistricting over two years ago, the 28th ward also included part of the old 25th, which Tucci would like to work on unifying as committeeman, he says. “We literally have a new ward and need to get the eastern section (part of the old 25th) to play an integral part in activities here.
I feel that we can bring in people gradually.
And as I campaign, I’m meeting all kinds of people now who may eventually join the ward organization,” says Tucci. Tucci explains that former Committeeman Storey was not “forced to step down, as Fred Faust, one of his political opponents, alleges. “When George resigned he had been committeeman for twelve years and it was an entirely amicable situation. Fred’s a good worker and he puts a lot of effort into what he does for the ward organization.
But he has sour grapes because he wasn’t nominated by the committeewoman, Dee Suda, to be George’s replacement.
He hasn’t attacked me personally, but when he continues to say these negative things, he attacks the integrity of people in the ward organization.” Tucci believes that the ward organization has been able to keep things running smoothly and sweeps aside Faust’s allegation that Mayor Schoemehl, a 28th ward resident, takes a heavy-handed approach to political activities in the area. “Vince has the whole city to worry about, and we have only 21 patronage workers for the whole ward. Dee Suda and I work very hard as committeepeople,” Tucci says. Fred Faust, who owns Just Your Type typesetting at 393 North Euclid Avenue, says he is critical of Tucci’s appointment “because he came to one committee meeting and was named committeeman thenext. Usually, committed party workers are selected for this position, and anyone will tell you I’ve been extremely active as a precinct captain and registration worker and have helped find people to staff the polls,” he explained recently. “When George Storey learned that I planned to run for committeeman, he decided to resign because he knew he couldn’t beat me. It’s nonsense that George Storey was tired of politics when he ran for committeeman, was re-elected, and then decided to step down—all within a matter of months. I’ve also heard that Storey was supposed to be uncomfortable about his nephew, Dan McGuire, being alderman of the ward.
But that condition existed before either decided to run for either political position.
Dan McGuire has been George Storey’s nephew since the day he was born,” says Faust. Faust says that he questions Tucci’s “many irons in the fire,” and indicates that his involvement in diverse activities could add up to a conflict of interest. “With Tucci as committeeman I think there’s a serious question of how pure his political representation really is. I think I would have to ask myself if the action he’s taking would be motivated by Schoemehl, or his business interests,” says Faust. Faust says he feels the bottom line in Tucci’s appointment to the position of committeeman rests with his close political relationship with Mayor Schoemehl. “I’m certainly not anti-Schoemehl.
But I also realize that if something comes up that I’m opposed to, I’ll speak up.
This ward has always cherished its political independence.
But since the Mayor also lives here, the ward organization virtually does anything he asks with Tucci as committeeman.” Tucci symbolizes the kind of “mover and shaker” necessary to unify people in the ward and keep it a viable area, explains Alderman Dan McGuire. “When George Storey resigned as committeeman it wasn’t any backroom situation.
He had been a committeeman for some twelve or thirteen years and it was time for a change.
He was uncomfortable with the situation that I was alderman of the ward and that I was his nephew.
In fact, when I decided to run for alderman he asked me not to,” he explains. George Storey indicates that moves like Tucci’s appointment simply “don’t happen without a lot of thought.
When I resigned it was because the opportunity afforded itself.
The 28th Ward is a business area, and Tucci has always been active and familiar with people.
We were always looking for someone to bring the 28th Ward and the old 25th together, especially since the 25th had been treated so badly.
And we figured that Tucci was that person.
In order to bring visibility to a ward organization it takes money to keep a headquarters open. Someone has to have fund raisers and friends who will support the organization.
As far as that goes we wouldn’t have even considered Fred because he went behind my back. I didn’t find out until later that he was filing to run against me as committeeman.” Bill Wynne, an attorney who holds a position on the 28th Democratic ward organization’s executive committee, maintains that Faust’s criticism of Tucci’s appointment does not represent a “sour grapes position. Certainly no one is entitled to the position.
But Kim was present at two ward functions and had had no prior involvement with politics at the ward level here.
He had raised money for Mayor Schoemehl’s campaign, which is fine. I’m certainly not opposed to Schoemehl.
But the appointment of Tucci as committeeman was shoved down people’s throats and he has minimal qualifications for the job.” Wynne explains that he respects Tucci’s interest in the 28th ward from a businessman’s standpoint. “But at the same time we have the positions of business and the voters to consider. Quite often voters are against the position that business maintains, and I don’t think his business interest will particularly work in his favor.” Because Tucci was appointed committeeman over anyone else “who had paid their dues, he’s discounting people who really deserve the job,” says Wynne. “It used to be that the committeeman and the people of the ward had a very close relationship.
But in this case it appears that high finances have become the priority.” The 28th Ward organization recently moved into offices at 6010 Kingsbury, and had been without a permanent headquarters since last May when the lease at 350 N. Skinker ran out, says Alderman McGuire.
For about 10 years before, the ward organization was headquartered at 1900 McCausland. Meanwhile, the position of committeeman is a non-paying one that requires a lot of work and brings little glamour, maintains McGuire. “It’s the responsibility of the Democratic committeeman in the 28th Ward to get people to vote Democratic and get them organized and to the polls.
We feel Tucci’s the best man for the job,” he explains.
While Faust remains Tucci’s most vocal opposition, Lee Jacobs and Ivy Allen, relatively unknown in 28th ward Democratic activities, have filed to run as a committeeman/committeewoman team. Al Crancer, another new face to the 28th Democratic ward politics, has also filed to run for the committeeman position. “Nineteen-eighty-four is certainly going to be remembered as a political year,” explains one ward political observer. “But I’ll bet this race for committeeman is going to be one of the most interesting contests around.”
Originally published in The Paper, May 1984.
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Original source: SD_Times1984_05.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 4; PDF page(s) 1, 4.
