She Must Not Get Out Much

 

January 30, 2025

 

St. Louis got a big ice/snow storm on January 5^th, followed by days of sub-freezing temperatures.

Normally, a big snowfall will cause problems on the day of the storm, but the snow usually melts pretty quickly. Hence road-clearing efforts are focused on the main arteries, and side streets are left to themselves.

This time, though, even a week’s worth of forecasts and warnings wasn’t enough to get the city into gear to figure out what to do with side streets; so, some people were iced in for two weeks. (No lie!) Kids couldn’t go to school; senior citizens couldn’t get out of their houses because the sidewalks were sheer ice; public transit buses had reduced routes; mail was not delivered. People did not take it well.

After 10 days, the city’s Director of the Department of Streets heard the complaints (apparently, she hadn’t been following the news), got in her car, and drove around. She told reporters that her staff had given her incorrect information about the status of the streets, and vowed to do better.

So many questions:

Even assuming she never left home, how could she not have known about the icy streets? The news coverage was extensive.

How did she go 10 days without leaving home? Did she not go to work? Or was her entire route cleared because she was, you know, the Director of the Department of Streets? Maybe she lives on a main road, and drives to work on a main road.

How about the grocery store? Did she have a good stockpile of fresh milk and veggies? Or did she just hunker down with dried milk and canned food?

Is her staff, whom she threw under the bus, throwing darts at her picture?

Is she polishing her resume?

 

 

And Two More

 

January 27, 2025

 

Another Tale of Two Idiots:

 

St. Louis’s personnel chief used a city car to run a quick errand (133 miles, 2 hours) to Jefferson City for personal reasons. When she was called on the carpet for it, she said, “Sorry,” and repaid $170 for costs incurred. Not sure how she forgot that it was a violation of policy—also of common sense and fiscal responsibility—but she did make restitution.

 

The mayor decided that the personnel chief should be fired. According to—well, everyone—nobody in the history of finagling or outright cheating has ever lost a position over $170. (Though I would support a demerit in the HR file.) The mayor denies that the attempt to fire the personnel director is politically motivated, even though nobody can think of any other reason.

 

Keep ’em coming, folks. I’m sure the readers can use a few laughs.

 

 

 

A Tale of Two Idiots

 

 

January 25, 2025

 

A St. Louis County councilman hired his stepdaughter as his administrative assistant. The county prosecutor decided that the councilman should be removed from office because of the violation of the state’s nepotism rule. 

 

The councilman, who said that he was completely unaware of the nepotism law, in fact called for a rival’s ouster in 2017, and cited the law.

 

The prosecutor (now a US Representative) just settled a lawsuit of his own for discrimination against an employee when he was a prosecutor. He probably didn’t know any better, either.