Tuesday, February 5, 2013
St. Charles County Council will consider the purchase of 260 new machines at the February council meeting.
St. Charles County may spend $810,000 on 260 new electronic voting machines. Election Authority Director Rich Chrismer said some of the current optical scan lasers don't read ballots as they should. "Things are just wearing out," he said. Timing on this issue is key. The county can take advantage of a $129,000 grant, but must approve the purchase of the new machines by Feb. 14. In 2013, the county could get another nearly $50,000 grant for a total savings of about $180,000. The cost for 260 machines would be $810,000. Chrismer said he has saved the money for seven years to replace the machines by leasing them out to other areas. Last year, County Executive Steve Ehlmann vetoed spending $1.2 million to purchase new equipment because …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, Circuit Judge Ted House threw out the ballot measure.
St. Charles County voters won't have the chance to vote on a smoking ban in November after Circuit Judge Ted House decided Tuesday to pull the measure off the ballot. Anti-smoking advocate Don Young filed suit against St. Charles County Elections Director Rich Chrismer after Chrismer decided to pull the measure from the ballot. House sided with Chrismer, who argued that the wording in the ballot language was inconsistent, according to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "House said the council did not follow proper procedure to get it on the ballot." Read the full Post-Dispatch story here.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Councilman Joe Cronin called a second version with exceptions "weak and watered down."
(The following press release was issued by the St. Charles County Council.) The St. Charles County Council, at a special meeting Saturday morning, decided to stand by its original bill calling for a charter amendment in the form of a ballot proposition concerning a countywide ban on smoking in enclosed public places. The Council considered a new bill that would have changed the ballot language to merge the smoking ban with three exceptions: places requiring patrons and employees to be age at least 21 years of age, private clubs, and 20 percent of hotel rooms. Councilman Joe Cronin, the sponsor of both the original and second bill, said the Council did a lot of “soul-searching” and came to the conclusion that passing “something that was …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
St. Charles County Director of Elections Rich Chrismer says three memory cards for voting machines failed this morning, were replaced before polls opened.
Light voter turnout was expected in St. Charles County in this election. Although Director of Elections Rich Chrismer had originally anticipated 18 percent turnout—by 1 p.m. he revised it to about 10 percent. "It's pretty bad," he said. "In Lake Saint Louis by 11 a.m. we had over 100 votes cast at most precincts. In St. Peters, we are lucky to have 40." St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano said he feared a low voter turnout with three of the five main races—including his—being uncontested. Campaign workers at Progress Park in Wentzville said that turnout had been "light but steady." At First Baptist Church in Lake Saint Louis, board of aldermen candidate Richard Morris said that he had been campaigning at Transfiguration Church, but left when the…
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
County Executive Steve Ehlmann says federal involvement has driven up election costs. Election Authority Director Rich Chrismer says he's trying to avert equipment failure during balloting.
For the second time, St. Charles County send out bids for 260 optical scan voting machines. The council lacked the five votes necessary during its Monday meeting to override County Executive Steve Ehlmann’s veto on buying 260 voting machines for $1.2 million. So, the council opted to re-bid the items. Council members Terry Hollander, Ward 5, and Paul Wynn, Ward 4, were absent. Election Authority Director Rich Chrismer said the bid results will be the same. “We will get only one bid,” he said. “There are no other companies. Is that a shame that only one company can bid in the state of Missouri? Sure it is.” Chrismer said only one vendor is certified under 2005 standards by both federal and state government to sell the voting machines, and …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
County Executive Steve Ehlmann vetoed a $1.2 million voting machine purchase because there was just one bid. Elections Director Rich Chrismer said that interferes with his job as an elected official.
- GOVERNMENT
- Joe Scott
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
St. Charles County Elections Director Rich Chrismer questioned why County Executive Steve Ehlmann vetoed a a $1.2 million voting machine purchase from Henry Adkins & Son. “Why would the county executive, a man who has been a state legislator and a judge, want to jeopardize the right of the people to vote?” said Chrismer, who leads the county's Elections Authority. Ehlmann announced Tuesday that he vetoed the purchase of 260 voting machines. He said he did not believe the county should spend that much money when there was just one bid. “I believe that the director of elections should be given deference in determining the need to replace equipment and which machines to purchase,” Ehlmann said. “However, under the Charter, they are subject …
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The county executive said the county should get more than one bid for such a large purchase.
County Executive Steve Ehlmann vetoed a bill Wednesday that would spend nearly $2 million for new election machines. Director of Elections Rich Chrismer requested the expenditure in late February. Councilman Joe Cronin, R-District 1, was the only council member to vote against the bid. One of his objections was the absence of competing bids. “I believe that the director of elections should be given deference in determining the need to replace equipment and which machines to purchase,” Ehlmann said. “However, under the Charter, they are subject to county government regulations when it comes to personnel and purchasing.” Ehlmann said the issue is not with voting machines or with Chrismer, but with getting one bid for such a large purchase. …
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The St. Charles County Council approved the map Monday, which made changes based on Republican and Democratic party chair recommendations.
- GOVERNMENT
- Joe Scott
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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The St. Charles County Council approved changes to the township maps submitted by Election Authority Director Rich Chrismer during the council’s Monday meeting. But some Republicans are not happy about it. “The county council has politicized this by changing the boundaries to favor certain people,” said Chuck McNabb, a political blogger from Wentzville. Council Chair Nancy Matheny, R-District 3, said the map changes are being blown out of proportion. “We made very few changes, to the 5th District and the 7th District,” Matheny said. She said the council members went to the St. Charles County Republican and Democratic political party chairs and asked for their input on the changes. The Democratic chairman, Morton Todd, had one change while …
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Councilman Joe Cronin says the purchase isn't prudent, but the rest of the council members approved new machines.
- ELECTIONS
- Joe Scott
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
St. Charles County will spend $1.2 million on new voting machines, but one county councilman thinks they would be better off keeping the old machines. The County Council voted 4-1 on Monday to approve the purchase of 260 optical scan machines that read paper ballots, two for each of 121 precincts and 18 emergency backups. Half of the machines are disability-capable. The bill still needs to be signed by County Executive Steve Ehlmann. If he vetoes the bill, it could be overridden by a five-vote council majority. Councilman Terry Hollander had stepped out of the room and was unavailable during Monday's roll call vote. Rich Chrismer, the St. Charles County Election Authority director, said he had budgeted money in the last six years to pay …
Councilman Joe Cronin says the purchase isn't prudent, but the rest of the council members approved new machines.
- GOVERNMENT
- Joe Scott
-
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
St. Charles County will spend $1.2 million on new voting machines, but one county councilman thinks they would be better off keeping the old machines. The County Council voted 4-1 on Monday to approve the purchase of 260 optical scan machines that read paper ballots, two for each of 121 precincts and 18 emergency backups. Half of the machines are disability-capable. The bill still needs to be signed by County Executive Steve Ehlmann. If he vetoes the bill, it could be overridden by a five-vote council majority. Councilman Terry Hollander had stepped out of the room and was unavailable during Monday's roll call vote. Rich Chrismer, the St. Charles County Election Authority director, said he had budgeted money in the last six years to pay …
Sue
6:38 am on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
We need to get smoke out of our public places. This delay is ridiculous. more ›