Former St. Louis Fire Chief Sherman George in the past has been at odds with Mayor Francis Slay over some things -- but the two share opposition to Proposition A, the statewide ballot proposal to bar or restrict local earnings taxes.
In St. Louis and Kansas City, which now impose an earnings tax, Proposition A would require citywide votes every five years to sustain the tax. All other communities in the state would be barred from imposing such a tax on income.
George is siding with firefighters' groups, locally and statewide, which are opposing Proposition A.
George is slated to announce his opposition this morning, right before the annual St. Louis Labor Day parade, at a news conference in front of City Hall. The former chief will be joined by representative of Jobs With Justice, a coalition of various groups, and United for Missouri's Priorities, the chief campaign group of unions, firefighters and others lobbying against Proposition A.
The event also will focus on the man who provided virtually all the money for the initiative-petition drive that got Proposition A on the ballot: wealthy financier Rex Sinquefield. The news conference is to feature a 9-foot tall inflatable Tyrannosaurus Rex, a flesh-eating dinosaur.
This article originally appeared in the St. Louis Beacon.
