May 21, 2013 -- Another edition of John Hoffmann's Unapproved Chesterfield Newsletter is now available for you to download and enjoy. Among the topics in this edition:

SEE A HAPPY KID: The City Council meeting started with one happy person. Things went downhill from there. See the high point.

CITY PROSECUTOR REAPPOINTED…FOUR MORE YEARS OF DWI SUSPECTS PAYING $500 FINES FOR ILLEGAL PARKING and THIEVES PLEADING GUILTY TO LITTERING:
Tim Engelmeyer (left) appeared and spoke before the council. His reappointment was approved 7-1. He also inadvertently pointed out one of the major problems with the city court.


NEWSLETTER READERS ARE BETTER AT TRACKING DOWN DRIVERS WITH REVOKED LICENSES FOR DWI THAN THE LOCAL COPS ARE:
See the photos newsletter readers have sent us of a Chesterfield man with a revoked license and pending charges for a felony DWI as he drive to and from work.

ART GROUP GETTING KICKED OUT OF DIGS: Rumor has it a well known St. Louis area art group is not getting their lease renewed. Read who what and where.

LAYOFFS AT PATCH.COM: The end is near. More layoffs hit patch.com. Anaylsts say if patch stays around it will be a bulletin board and not a news source. Read the latest cutbacks.

WEST COUNTY JOURNAL HAS BEEN DEAD FOR A WHILE…FINALLY IS BURIED: Lee Enterprises finally buried the West County Journal. It had been dead for a long time.

THE ELLISVILLE ZONE: Read the latest on the craziness in Ellisville. Including the excuses in 2013 for not making public records available.

THE DETECTOR IS STILL WORKING: A baseball broadcaster accused me of having a sensitive special detector. It was working fine after the recent Ellisville City Council meeting. Read what it is and how it got pegged.

ALSO CHECK OUT THE NEW CITY HALL THAT MIGHT BE COMING TO WEST COUNTY: It is just what a dysfunctional government needs…a service department.

DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS!

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S
UNAPPROVED CHESTERFIELD NEWSLETTER 32.

May 14, 2013 -- The latest edition of John Hoffmann's Ex-Alderman Newsletter is now ready to download for your reading enjoyment. Among the stories in this edition:

IT WAS ANOTHER BAD MONTH FOR DEER ON THE ROADS:  Read how many fewer deer there are in town and how many more dented cars.

NEW DEVELOPMENT PLANNED FOR CLAYTON ROAD NEAR MASON…WE THINK: There is a new development planned for Clayton Road near Mason.  At least there is according to Ward-1 Alderman Skip Mange, who at times we believe still thinks he is mayor.  This time he has the plans for a high-end retirement community in Ward-2.  The plans have not yet reached city hall.  At least someone plans to build it closer to the EMS providers (across the street from the fire station.)

WITH A CHICK, CHICK HERE AND A CHICK, CHICK THERE. HERE A CHICK, THERE A CHICK, EVERYWHERE A CHICK, CHICK: A odd and totally inappropriate city commission is handling the "chickens in the backyard issue."  Read how the first meeting went.

OUR OWN WOLF IN SHEEP CLOTHES…ERR…I MEAN DONKEY IN ELEPHANT CLOTHES…Alderman Skip Mange praises how we get to pay more in sales taxes.

NEW STORE WITH 10,200 SQUARE FEET OF UPSCALE FURNITURE COMING SOON:  There is to be a "high-end" furniture consignment store coming soon to the Lamp and Lantern Shopping center.  Goodwill is the still the place for college students to head for apartment furniture…this place is aiming at a  higher demographic. There is already such a store at the old garden and patio supply building on Olive in Chesterfield and on Manchester in Kirkwood. Of course the Cherokee Street area is full of high end furniture which is referred to as antiques.

IS IT A REMODEL OR A WHOLE NEW HOUSE?  It is all in the manner you look at it…and it is hard not to see a whole new house.       

STOP SAVING LOG CABINS… IT IS TIME TO SAVE RANCH HOUSES:  Another original T&C 1960 ranch house is sold…for a "new home site." It sold very fast.  Read where.

A NEW BRIDGE WENT UP IN A DAY:  See where the city just installed a bridge.

RIGHT: A bridge delivered by truck.

DWI AND THIEVES UPDATE:  Read the response we have gotten on our DWI and Thieves Newsletter.

NEWSLETTER READERS SPOT REVOKED DWI DRIVER BETTER THAN COPS:
Readers of this newsletter keep sending photos of a local persistent DWI offender who has a Revoked Driver’s License.  

RUMOR MILL:  Read which local institution might be looking for new digs.   

WILL THE IRS GO AFTER UNILEVER?  Read why we think they might.

DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS!

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S EX-ALDERMAN NEWSLETTER 84.

May 10, 2013 -- Another edition of John Hoffmann's Unapproved Chesterfield Newsletter is now available for you to download and enjoy. Among the topics in this edition:

MAYOR POSTPONES REAPPOINTING CITY PROSECUTOR: The lead item on the last city council agenda was the reappointment of city prosecutor Tim Engelmeyer (left). Four days after our newsletter on DWI and Thieves and reduced charges by Engelmeyer the mayor postponed the reappointment for more time to study the issue.   

WE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THE MUNICIPAL COURT MORE TRANSPARENT AND EASIER FOR CITIZENS TO FOLLOW: Read our suggestions and see if you agree.

THERE WERE SOME INTERESTING SPLIT VOTES AT THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING: The meeting was over in 25-mintutes but there were two votes that show meetings and issues may get interesting in the future.

SEE WHO GOT A LAST MINUTE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION FOR A BIG CITY CONTRACTOR/VENDOR FOR THE APRIL ELECTION. Psst…it wasn’t the guy who got elected. See who forked over the money and how much.

NEW LAWYER FOR THE FIRE DISTRICT: Yep…there is a new legal advisor for the Monarch Fire District. I’m sure you are SHOCKED! Read the price difference between the old attorney and the new one.

$27,000 LAST MINUTE MONEY BY MONARCH FIREFIGHTERS WENT TO COLE MCNARY: We point out that we hope the firefighters and paramedics are better at putting out fires and making rescues than backing candidates. Get the details.

THE WOLFE IS BACK: Developer Dean Wolfe (right) announced on several TV newscasts how he planned to build a new mall next to the outlet mall he is building by the Missouri River. He just hasn’t bothered to tell the Chesterfield Planning Department.

SIGHTINGS OF CHESTERFIELD’S LATEST SERIAL DRUNK DRIVER BY READERS OF THIS NEWSLETTER: See what vehicle they SAW him in last week.

WE STEPPED FROM A PARKING LOT INTO A BUILDING AND SUDDENLY WERE IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE…Actually it was the latest Ellisville city council meeting, but that’s pretty much the same difference. Read our report that originally appeared in our last Town and Country Ex-Alderman Newsletter.

MORE FUN AND FOOD, INCLUDING OUR RECOMMENDATION WHEN YOU VENTURE EAST OF I-270: More music and food stuff…plus photos and drawings.

DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS!

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S
UNAPPROVED CHESTERFIELD NEWSLETTER 31.

May 7, 2013 -- WARNING! This newsletter is long! You might want to take this newsletter in sections. It is full of interesting stories, but they take a while to tell.

DRUNKS AND THIEVES: In this special newsletter we return and look at the job the city prosecutors in Town and Country and Chesterfield are doing. We looked how 20 cases in Town and Country that were sent to the Circuit Court after a defense attorney made a "jury demand" were handled by the local prosecutor.

In December we took a look at similar cases. Five months later we found not much has changed…Very Drunk Drivers continue to receive "no-record" probation sentences or illegal parking convictions with $500 fines.

IT IS WORSE IN CHESTERFIELD: We looked at 24 cases involving 20 people. The City Prosecutor Tim Engelmeyer (below left) loves reducing serious DWI and Theft cases to Illegal parking and Littering. Irony was when a woman whose BAC was .37 parked on the lawn of someone’s home, walked across the street and entered a strangers house, thinking it was hers…she actually did illegally park and was not charged with a parking violation.

MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: Tim Engelmeyer judges them, prosecutes them and then tries to get them to hire him to defend them. Does anyone think this is a conflict of interest…with the general public getting screwed?

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN THE SPRING 2013 DWI AND THIEVES SPECIAL EDITION

May 4, 2013 -- The latest edition of John Hoffmann's Ex-Alderman Newsletter is now ready to download for your reading enjoyment. Among the stories in this edition:

WHITE SMOKE OVER CITY HALL…NEW CITY ADMINISTRATOR AND POLICE CHIEF CHOSEN
The two new guys (below) are familiar faces. Read who got what.

FORMER LADY POLICE OFFICER GETS DELAY FROM CITY IN HER SEX HARRASSMENT LAWSUIT
Shannon Woolsey (right) had the gumption to bring to light her treatment for 10 years as the city’s only women police officer. Now she is paying the price for bringing a sex harassment lawsuit. Read the latest details.

Click here to download the revised lawsuit and related orders.

SERIAL DRUNK DRIVER CHARGED WITH FELONY DWI, LIVES IN CHESERFIELD BUT DRIVES TO WORK IN TOWN AND COUNTRY
Read the traffic record of Roy Garozzo (left), then see what kind of car he drives, where he works in T&C and a mug shot of him. Then if you see him be sure to get out of his way.

A TENNIS COURT AND A LOT OF TREES BITE THE DUST
A new home builder has taken down a new tennis court and a lot of trees. See where.

THERE IS A NEW MEMBER OF THE GANGS OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
We had missed him earlier after a Federal SEC Admin Law judge heavily fined him and stopped him from giving investment advice. Of course he is from Ward-2.

ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE…ANOTHER NIGHT WITH THE ELLISVILLE CITY COUNCIL
Read the latest goings on in Ellisville and guess when the outside lawyers’ bill will force the city start cutting back normal services.

IT WAS A LONG…LONG…NIGHT AT JOHN MINEO’S
Read about our 3 ½ hour dinner, plus other food and music stuff.

DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS!

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S EX-ALDERMAN NEWSLETTER 83.

May 1, 2013 -- Another edition of John Hoffmann's Unapproved Chesterfield Newsletter is now available for you to download and enjoy. Among the topics in this edition:

HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO GET PUBLIC RECORDS…HARD IF THE CHESTERFIELD POLICE HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT!
Read our Tale of Two Cities on how we have been gathering information for our next extra newsletter on how Drunk Drivers

SPEAKING OF DRUNK DRIVERS
Go to page 7 and read about a Chesterfield resident who is a classic serial drunk driver. Read the list of DWI convictions we found…and it isn’t even all of them. We have run his photo twice and we have listed all the motor vehicles he drives. Keep an eye out for Roy Anthony Garozzo (left).

BAR PATRON WHO DISFIGURED POPULAR WAITRESS IS FINALLY CHARGED
Jayne Banning (right) has been charged, arrested and now released on bond for the attack on Nancy Seaman, the long time waitress at Smitty’s.

IT TOOK A CHESTERFIELD TEENAGER TO GET A BAD PERSON LOCKED UP
The campus police didn’t do their job so a 19-year-old Marquette HS grad got the job done and heads have rolled.

SEE WHAT’S NEW THAT IS COMING TO TOWN
Two new projects on the radar. More condos and more dogs.

CITY TECHIES KEEP RESIDENTS FROM NEW COUNCILPERSONS
It has been two weeks and the new councilpersons still have no email links on the city’s website. Apparently the city staffers just want you to contact the other councilpersons and not the "reform" ones that were just elected.

CHANGE COMES SLOW TO FIRE DISTRICT
Keeping an updated calendar for meetings has been a problem.

WHAT’S 6,000 SQUARE FEET AMONG FRIENDS?
We look at a claim by a local magazine.

FOLLOW THE MONEY
See who gave money to a St. Charles state representative who introduced a bill to fine communities who have smoking bans. Guess what liquor interests, casinos and even a cigarette manufacturer have contributed money to her campaign.

FOOD AND MUSIC
Read about our very long night at a local restaurant. If you are going to Brazil you might want to avoid getting there through Clayton, MO. Finally we try some frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream by the Pound.

AND DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S
UNAPPROVED CHESTERFIELD NEWSLETTER 30.

April 25, 2013 -- John Hoffmann's Ex-Alderman Newsletter 82 is now ready to download for your reading enjoyment. Among the stories in this edition:

BOARD OF ALDERMEN INTERVIEWING CITY ADMINISTRATOR APPLICANTS THIS WEEKEND
City Administrator/Police Chief John Copeland (right) retires in five days. Read where the city is on finding a replacement and what might take a while.

CITY LEADERS CONTINUE TO KEEP RESIDENTS IN THE DARK ABOUT THE 32-PERCENT OF THE CITY’S RESERVE BEING USED IN SIX MONTHS
No elected official, especially the mayor, but also most aldermen, have not been telling citizens the city is over budget a mere $6,027,000.

ONE ALDERMAN IS WORRIED ABOUT PINK FLOYD BUT DOES SHOW THE ONLY CONCERN FOR THE LITTLE GUY
Alderman Jon Benigas (right) is worried Pink Floyd might put on a concert on a Principia soccer field. We’re not worried since 40% of the band is dead. However he is the only alderman who is concerned how much the average Joe will be charged to pay a traffic ticket through an internet website.

ANOTHER ALDERMAN BELIEVES A ROAD, PARKING LOTS, SIDEWALKS AND A BRAND NEW SCHOOL CAN BE BUILT IN THREE MONTHS
We don’t agree. See what people are being told in Ward-2 and what is reality.

WHEN IS A FLAG LOT NOT A FLAG LOT
Read on and find out where there is a new flag lot with a 150 foot wide pole.

DON’T ALWAYS BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ IN TOWN AND STYLE MAGAZINE
We have an example.

DRUNK WHO DISFIGURED POPULAR SMITTY’S WAITRESS IS FINALLY CHARGED AND ARRESTED
Bond for Jayne Baning (right) is only $10,000 but it is a "cash only" bond after she was charged with felony 2nd Degree Assault in the cutting of a waitress who refused to serve her a drink because she was drunk.

FOLLOW THE MONEY
See who is giving lots of cash to State Rep. Kathie Conway who wants to punish cities and counties that try to protect citizens and workers through smoking bans.

ONE DAY TO GO
To Dean Christopher (left), along with Frank, Sammy and Dean, plus Carolbeth True and Glenn Smith appearing at John Mineo’s 40th Anniversary show.

DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS!

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S EX-ALDERMAN NEWSLETTER 82.

April 18, 2013 -- Another edition of John Hoffmann's Unapproved Chesterfield Newsletter is now available for you to download and enjoy. Among the topics in this edition:

At the city hall there was classical music. At the fire district there were statements and orders that indicated things were about to change. Read about the changes at both the City of Chesterfield and at the Monarch Fire Protection District.

READ HOW A CHESTERFIELD POLICE CAR AND A MONARCH FIRE TRUCK CRASHED IN TOWN AND COUNTRY
We would have missed this if the insurance companies were not arguing who was responsible for the accident and the Fire District paid for repairs to a fire truck before an insurance settlement was made.

STATE REP ANDFLOOR MAJORITY LEADER KEEPS RAKING IN THE CASH
Yes, John Diehl (right), who has always run unopposed has announced he wants to be the next Speaker of the Missouri House. The state rep for eastern Chesterfield and Town and Country continues to generate big time cash contributions from special interests, having collected over $1.1-million. Read who is giving and how much.

THE SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP IS COMING TO BELLERIVE ON LADUE ROAD IN TOWN AND COUNTRY
Read how Chesterfield will be providing free services for this event. Also if you are planning on going chances are you will have to drive to Maryland Heights to attend a golf event on Ladue Road.

SMITTY’S WAITRESS STILL FACES PROBLEMS IN HER RECOVERY FROM DRUNKEN ATTACK
There is bad news in the story of Nancy Seaman’s injuries after being assaulted for refusing to serve a drunk. However for a change of pace there is also some good news.

MUSIC AND FOOD
The report is short…but with a suggestion for next weekend.

AND DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S
UNAPPROVED CHESTERFIELD NEWSLETTER 29.

April 18, 2013 -- John Hoffmann's Ex-Alderman Newsletter 81 is now ready to download for your reading enjoyment. Among the stories in this edition:

THE 1.2 MILLION DOLLAR MAN TAKES IN ANOTHER $52,000
State Rep, John Diehl (left) has announced that he wants to be the Missouri Speaker of the House in 2015. Meanwhile he continues to rake in the money from special interest groups that don’t necessarily have your best interests in mind. See where he is getting the latest money. We also take note that the Lobbyist Gift Spigot is again flowing in Diehl’s direction.

IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP AT BELLERIVE CC IN TOWN AND COUNTRY YOU WILL HAVE TO DRIVE TO MARYLAND HEIGHTS
Read where you will have to park if you plan to attend the Senior PGA tournament and how once again public services are being given away…All Hail The PGA!…a new motto in snoburbia.

I THINK THAT I SHALL NEVER SEE A POEM LOVIER THAN A TREE…A SIDEWALK IN TOWN AND COUNTRY IS SOMETHING ELSE…START THOSE CHAINSAWS!
Read the false information that was given to some residents about their trees.

PACK YOUR SEA BAG MATEY! READ THE RESPONSE TO THE OFFICIAL BLOWHARD OF THE POLICE COMMISSION
April 30th is John Copeland’s (right) last day as police chief and city administrator. We attended his last Police Commission meeting. Read his thoughts on leaving and about T&C newest officer and the probable new police chief.

IT’S A BAD YEAR AT THE FEW HOMES ON MASON HILL COURT
After a murder in March there was a burglary in April at another house on the tiny Mason Hill Court.

REAL ESTATE NEWS
Read the latest info on the old Troop C property and the 40 acres along Mason Road south of Queeny Park.

ANOTHER UPDATE ON THE ASSAULT AT SMITTY’S
And it is not particularly good.

MUSIC AND FOOD
One fun photo and a reminder of an upcoming event in T&C.

DON’T FORGET THE CARTOONS!

THESE STORIES AND MORE IN JOHN HOFFMANN'S EX-ALDERMAN NEWSLETTER 81.