West Newsmagazine 11-29-23

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4 I OPINION I November 29, 2023 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR @WESTNEWSMAG WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Responding to Manchester annexation vote letter To the Editor: A recent letter from Mr. Spencer Fienup was critical of Manchester’s recent annexation effort. He directed comments at me. He opined how I would feel if I had lived through a similar annexation effort. My answer is I did! The year was 1999 when 8,000 of us were successfully annexed by the city of Manchester! There was immediate cost savings (trash services were free) and marked improvement in police presence. Streets, sidewalks and snow removal were, and remain, better. Those savings and improvements would have been the outcome for unincorporated residents this year, too. Mr. Douglas Harms, the long-time city administrator of Des Peres and a resident of Manchester shared in a Facebook post his own support of the annexation: “Ask yourself the question ... Why do two-thirds of county residents live in incorporated municipalities?” Harms’ answer: “Dissatisfaction with county services; need for local control over local land use decisions; distant governance (each county councilman’s district includes nearly 145,000 people.) If you watch the dysfunction of county governance, it’s all about partisanship, not getting things done.” Harms continued, “The county is not well-managed. They face a $45 million deficit in large part because of mismanagement and in part due to their dual role as a county and as a ‘municipality’ providing ‘city type services.’” Mr. Harms has been in the business of guiding governments for over 50 years. His observations and experiences are stronger than mine. He identifies the missed opportunity that Mr. Fienup and the other 6,500 unincorporated residents will experience going forward. Manchester Mayor Mike Clement Regarding Catholic school closures To the Editor: Upcoming school decisions are the second phase of the “All Things New” downsizing plan from the St. Louis Archdiocese. In the last month, pastors from 25 to 30 of the most vulnerable schools met with education officials from the archdiocese to discuss enrollment trends, finances, and proximity to other parish schools. Pastors were given three choices: close the school, merge with another Catholic school, or keep the school open and produce a three-year plan to increase student enrollment. All recommendations are due by Dec. 8. One thing that is being ignored by the archdiocese is the Catholic Principle of Subsidiarity that states a community of a higher order (Archdiocese) should not assume the task belonging to a community of a lower order (parish) and deprive it of its authority, it should rather support it in case of need. Vicar Christopher Martin publicly stated that the parochial school is the function of the parish. The archdiocese wants parishes to limit school funding to no more than 30 percent without any explanation of what canon law gives the archdiocese the authority to limit parish funding. If a parish wants to fund its school and it has the funds to support it, then that is the parish’s decision, not the archdiocese’s decision. If a parish is providing 50% of its collections to support its school and the school is closed by the archdiocese, then how should these funds be used? They should not go to the archdiocese but maybe the parishioners should simply reduce their donations by the percentage that was used to support the school because the need will cease to exist. In 2017, parishioners funded a campaign titled “Beyond Sunday” to support parish improvements, student scholarships and school improvements. The archdiocese announced it raised $110 million. Forty percent of the funds ($44 million) raised in each parish were to be returned to the parish and 60% ($66 million) to be used for education. What happened to these funds and have they been used as planned? Edward J. Hamm Submit your letter to: editor@newsmagazinenetwork.com Founder Publisher Emeritus Publisher Managing Editor Associate Editor Staff Writer Features Editor Business Manager Graphic Designer Graphic Designer Graphic Layout Reporters Doug Huber Sharon Huber Tim Weber Kate Uptergrove Tracey Bruce Laura Saggar Lisa Russell Erica Myers Donna Deck Aly Doty Emily Rothermich Advertising Account Executives Nancy Anderson Vicky Czapla Ellen Hartbeck Suzanne Corbett Jeffry Greenberg DeAnne LeBlanc Linda Joyce Joe Ritter Sheila Roberts Cathy Lenny Warren Mayes Shwetha Sundarrajan ON THE COVER: Rabbi Avi Rubenfeld, co-founder of the Chabad of Chesterfield, with his sons at Chanukah (Photo provided) ATTENTION READERS: Make sure you are signed up for your FREE subscription today! 1. If you got this paper in your mailbox and your first and last name are on the front cover label, THANK YOU for subscribing. You are all signed up and will continue to get the paper in your mailbox for the next three years. 2. If you got this paper in your mailbox and the label reads “Current Resident” then you need to fill out and mail in the form on this ad or visit westnewsmagazine.com/subscribe to subscribe. Otherwise, this could be the last paper you receive in the mail. 3. If you picked this paper up at a newsstand such as Schnucks or Dierbergs, thank you so much for your interest! Please visit westnewsmagazine.com/subscribe or fill out and mail in the form on this ad to subscribe and get the paper delivered right to your home FREE of charge. CLIP & MAIL By providing your signature below, West Newsmagazine will qualify as a Requester Periodical helping us save postage expense so we can continue to deliver your copy through the post office. YES, I want West Newsmagazine, Please deliver to: Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: E-mail: Signature x Date: / / Mail to: 754 Spirit 40 Park Drive • Chesterfield, MO 63005 754 Spirit 40 Park Dr. Chesterfield, MO 63005 (636) 591-0010 westnewsmagazine.com Please send Comments, Letters and Press Releases to: editor@newsmagazinenetwork.com West Newsmagazine is published 24 times per year by West Media Inc. 40,000 distribution (direct mailed and newsstands) in West St. Louis County. Products and services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by West Newsmagazine and views expressed in editorial copy are not necessarily those of West Newsmagazine. No part of West Newsmagazine may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from West Newsmagazine. All letters addressed to West Newsmagazine or its editor are assumed to be intended for publication and are subject to editing for content and length. West Newsmagazine reserves the right to refuse any advertisement or editorial submission. © Copyright 2023. A PUBLICATION OF
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West Newsmagazine 11-29-23

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