最新杏吧原创

Pruitt is the longtime president of the 最新杏吧原创 city branch of the NAACP. Lately, he鈥檚 been pushing a ballot initiative that might go before city voters in November. The measure would ask voters to decide on a rush job of a new airport privatization plan with one of the primary purposes being to make sure that the previous consultants on the privatization plan that Mayor Lyda Krewson killed get paid the bonuses that they didn鈥檛 earn.

McKenna is one of those consultants. He鈥檚 a Virginia-based Republican dark-money fundraiser who was brought into the deal because he鈥檚 buddies with Travis Brown. Brown is the Florida-based lobbyist who represents 最新杏吧原创 billionaire Rex Sinquefield, who has been pushing for and funding the privatization effort.

McKenna found himself in the news the other day. He鈥檚 named in filed by the New York attorney general against the National Rifle Association. According to the lawsuit, McKenna hired the wife of the NRA鈥檚 chief of staff, with the money for the hire being paid by the NRA, and an additional 鈥�$5,000 markup for McKenna.鈥� At the same time, the NRA was paying McKenna a monthly fee of up to $250,000 in 2018 on an oral contract, while he was being paid millions of dollars to work on the airport privatization effort in 最新杏吧原创.

This is the man 鈥� among others 鈥� whom Pruitt wants to get paid, and he鈥檚 unapologetic about it.

鈥淚f somebody brings a billion dollars to the table, you think I鈥檓 concerned about $44 million?鈥� Pruitt told me. That $44 million is money that would come off the top of the fee a future airport privatizer would be paying to taxpayers, but only if the deal gets rushed through before next July. That is what Pruitt is trying to do, along with his partners, Brown, the 最新杏吧原创-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council, and Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a deal I (would) take every day. I had to swallow that pill.鈥�

That 鈥減ill鈥� 鈥� rushing a deal through so that McKenna and pals could get paid 鈥� is the price of what Pruitt says is the ultimate goal of his project, obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars to redevelop the north side of 最新杏吧原创; something his ballot initiative calls for but doesn鈥檛 necessarily guarantee.

鈥淭he conditions have become deplorable,鈥� Pruitt says. 鈥淲e have to eliminate slums and blight鈥� by 鈥渃leaning up the pigsty.鈥�

That鈥檚 Pruitt鈥檚 word, not mine. But if Pruitt鈥檚 goal is to clean up north 最新杏吧原创, then local developer Kevin Bryant, an African American, has a question for him:

鈥淚 think the best indicator of what someone will do is what they have already done, so why would the airport be any different?鈥� Bryant says. 鈥淧ruitt has no history of developing anything in north 最新杏吧原创. When he can show a track record for something other than disrupting the progress of others already working in north 最新杏吧原创, I鈥檓 willing to listen.鈥�

For the past several months, Bryant and Pruitt have been involved in a dispute as Bryant, president of Kingsway Development LLC, has been working on a master plan to redevelop . Bryant believes he鈥檚 making real progress bringing development to this historically Black neighborhood north of Delmar Boulevard. He鈥檚 been granted development rights to the area by the Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority, or LCRA, and has been buying and rebuilding residences while attracting investors and help from local civic institutions, such as Washington University.

But last year, Pruitt, saying he represents a Lewis Place neighborhood group 鈥� a neighboring community not directly included in the plan 鈥� alleged to the city that Bryant was leaving local residents out of discussions. In letters obtained by the Post-Dispatch through a Sunshine Law request, Pruitt threatened 鈥渄irect action鈥� against both Bryant鈥檚 development and the LCRA if certain Pruitt allies weren鈥檛 consulted on development plans in the neighborhood. The development contract doesn鈥檛 call for any work to be done in the Lewis Place neighborhood.

Bryant has multiple community organizations working with him and sitting on .

鈥淯nder no scenario will the progress of my development activities or this community be held hostage by any feeble attempt at relevance by Pruitt or anyone that stands with him,鈥� Bryant wrote to the LCRA in response to Pruitt鈥檚 complaints. In the end, the LCRA passed a resolution promising to inform the Lewis Place group about any development proposals in the Kingsway district. It鈥檚 virtually meaningless, Bryant says, but he鈥檚 forging forward, hoping Pruitt doesn鈥檛 stand in his way.

Pruitt denies he鈥檚 trying to delay Bryant鈥檚 work redeveloping a north side neighborhood. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 his perspective,鈥� Pruitt says. 鈥淛ust his.鈥�

Meanwhile, Pruitt鈥檚 airport privatization group has hired Lejuan Strickland, one of the former airport privatization consultants who stands to benefit if voters approve his initiative. Strickland, who happens to own a home in Fountain Park, has been circulating petitions to recall southside Alderman Cara Spencer, one of the most vocal opponents of airport privatization.

Pruitt says he has nothing to do with that. Of course not. He鈥檚 too busy trying to get McKenna his money.