St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 22

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH NEWS ANALYSIS 4B SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1989 POLITICAL CIRCUIT Wm mi rags I'M Kansas City Voting On Sales Tax To Finance Effort Last Roos Aides Leaving Posts IT'STRUE that a half-dozen top-level appointees of Gene McNary will retire soon as part of the housecleaning under new St. Louis County Executive H.C. Milford. But the Milford broom also is sweeping away the last remnants of an earlier tenant of the exec's office: Lawrence K.

Roos. Of the six aides and department heads retiring, four were ap if? pointed or kept on by Roos, who handed the office over to Mc- Nary back in 1974 ter 12 years on the job. The four are Parks Director Wayne C. Kennedy, County Counselor Thomas W. Wehrle, Highway Director Richard F.

Daykin and Labor Relations Director Frank Leonard. Roos They are the last of Roos' top appointees to leave county government. Reminded of the departures, Roos used a bit of Latin to lament the passage of time. "Tempus does whatever tempus does," Roos said wryly. "I assume whenever I walk into the government building I'll have to introduce myself." Virgil Tipton Early Start By County GOP ST.

LOUIS COUNTY Republicans apparently were eager to fill the County Council seat that H.C. Milford left vacant when he moved into the county executive's office eager enough that they may have jumped the gun on picking a If the Kansas City drug tax passes, the money I've asked for is chickenfeed compared to what we will really need. 79 JOE DOWNEY Director of Missouri's Public Defender system By Virginia Young Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau JEFFERSON UTY Wi FHILE OTHERS are talking about the war on drugs, Kansas City is about to roll out the cannons. Voters in Jackson County will decide Tuesday whether to increase their sales taxes by a quarter-cent. The money $14 million a year for seven years would be earmarked for anti-drug efforts.

"It's probably the biggest step any community in the United States has taken'' to fight drugs, said Joseph P. Bednar, first assistant to the Jackson County prosecuting attorney. The timing appears to be perfect for an election on enforcing drug laws. A poll taken by the Kansas City Star in mid-October showed the tax was favored by 62 percent of the county's registered voters. The tax needs a simple majority to pass.

Fighting drugs "seems to be everyone's No. 1 priority," said Sgt. Louis Zacharias of the Kansas City Police Department. The man primarily responsible for the proposal is Jackson County Prosecutor Albert Riederer. Earlier this year, he persuaded the Legislature to enact a law authorizing a special anti-drug tax for Jackson and two other counties Greene and Saline.

The Jackson County Legislature ended up abandoning that plan because it was inflexible and gave the prosecutor too much control over the money. Instead, voters will consider a plan that increases the general county sales tax and puts the money into various anti-drug efforts. Riederer's proposal got the parties to the bargaining table. "We would never have gotten to first base without the catalyst of the bill" passed by the Legislature, the prosecutor said. Under the revised plan, most of the money 70 percent still would go to law enforcement.

But about 30 percent of the funds would finance drug treatment programs. Several law enforcement agencies would get $1.5 million apiece. The increased manpower they are promising is substantial. The prosecutor's office would double the size of its legal staff, adding up to 25 lawyers for drug cases. The entire office caseload is handled by 26 lawyers now.

The Kansas City Police Department would add 30 officers to its 38-member narcotics unit. Another 30 officers would be hired by the Jackson County Drug Enforcement Task Force to police outlying areas of the county. The task force now has 11 officers and operates on a $150,000 grant." "It would be a very, very major expansion, and would give us the capacity to work cases we've referred" to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in the nominee. Republican Central Committee members from townships in Milford's 5th District picked Kurt S. Oden-wald Wednesday night to run in the Feb.

6 election to replace Milford, also a Republican. But that was a day before the parties were formally notified by the county Election Board that i 'TimmMi'lHiMH'yNtl I Here's how the money from the new quarter-cent sales tax would be spent. County Prosecutor $1.5 million Deferred prosecution program $1.5 million Kansas City Police Department $1.5 million County Drug Enforcement Task Force $1.5 million Drug education $1.0 million County Jail $2.5 million Juvenile Division, Circuit Court $1.5 million Drug rehabilitation and treatment $2.5 million Circuit Court $0.5 million Total $14 million Source: Jackson County Prosecutor's Office past, said Blue Springs Police Chief How- Martin, the presiding judge of the court, ard Brown, the task force chairman. $2.5 million" of the new tax.money With more officers making arrests and would go to the jail, but no one has decid- more prosecutors filing charges, the Jack- ed how the money would be spent. The son County Circuit Court is bound to be jail, designed to hold 520, already holds busier; the Jackson County Jail is bound to 730, be more crowded.

The Circuit Court would get $500,000 of "We don't really know what the impact the new tax money, and Martin plans to will be of these added cases," said Gene R. use it to pay private lawyers to defend Odenwald there was a vacancy. Paul S. DeGregorio, the Republican director some people who can't afford their own lawyers. Martin said the county public defend--er's office is already understaffed.jThe office has 17 lawyers to represent poor people accused of crimes.

fn If the court didn't pay private lawyers, "I could have all my judges sitting there twiddling their thumbs because we try cases" without legal representation for the accused, Martin said. The public defender's office questions whether $500,000 will be enough, 'r' "It's certainly not enough if the prosecutor is going to double the size of staff," said Joe Downey, director of state's Public Defender System. tire concept that defense services are nec-t essary was an absolute afterthought" when officials decided how they would, divide the tax proceeds, he said. To put the tax in perspective, Dovjney notes that if the proposal passes, Jackson; County will spend more to fight drugs (han Missouri spends to defend criminal cases throughout the entire state. The public defenders' budget totals $12 milHoij: statewide.

Downey said he has asked the Legislature for $975,000 next year to die an additional 3,800 drug cases arbjind the state. "If the Kansas City drug 'tax passes, the money I've asked for is cHIck-; enfeed compared to what we will really need," he said. Besides $1.5 million to hire new cutors, the Jackson County prosecutor would get $1.5 million to operate a 'deferred prosecution" program. Under lliat program, first-time offenders would; be assigned to drug treatment programs. If they complete the program, they would" never face drug charges.

The prosecutor expects 1,000 people to use the program each year. An additional $2.5 million would be tunneled directly to drug abuse treatment centers. "It's wonderful, because it's start," said Helen Lewandowski, clinical -director of Renaissance West a drug-, treatment center. "It's not going to solve the drug problem. It's the beginning of the solution," she said.

No organized opposition to the tax has surfaced. But at civic group meetings, one i concern frequently arises about the use of the money. "The biggest fear is, is it really going to i go to drugs or are the politicans going to take it," said Bednar, the assistant prose- cutor. He assures voters that the ballot i proposal has "as many safeguards as possible." No one expects the drug problem to be I solved in seven years, when the tax expires. i "Then you have to look for other fund- ing sources," said Sgt.

Zacharias of the Police Department. Brazilians will vote Nov. 15 in the for president in 29 years. rescheduling talks. Former Rio de Janeiro state governor Leonel Brizola, a 67-year-old populist, has steered a cautious middle course between Collor, the free marketeer and Lula, the socialist, and emphasized educational reforms.

Lula, unlike Brizola, has further radicalized his rhetoric which has boosted his popularity. Once trailing Brizola in the polls, Lula has now matched the populist's 15 percent preference rating, giving the race a bit of suspense. Compromise has already begun to infiltrate the campaign circuit. The top contenders are already negotiating second-round support from other first-ound candidates whose absymal poll results have made them virtual also-rans. Michael Kepp is a free-lance writer based in Brazil.

Brazil's Presidential Election Heating Up of elections, said election law seems to indicate that the parties have to pick nominees after notification. But Donald Cairns, chairman of the 5th Council District Republican Committee, says the law could allow a meeting beforehand. Nonetheless, Cairns says, "Just to make certain that there's no problem, we will meet" on Wednesday. But the Republicans won't hold another election at Wednesday night's meeting, Cairns said. They'll just fill out the form that says Odenwald is their man.

Virgil Tipton Democrats Study Mid-term Talks MISSOURI DEMOCRATS are thinking about reviving what the national Democratic Party used to do holding a convention every two years instead of only in presidential election years. Harry Spring of Kansas City, chairman of a subcommittee of the state Democratic committee, said the subcommittee has decided to propose that the state committee hold a statewide convention next year. Normally the next statewide convention would not be until 1992. Spring said the 1 990 meeting would be used to discuss issues, hold training sessions, listen to speakers and raise money. He said no decision was reached on how delegates would be chosen.

The idea probably will be submitted at the next state committee meeting in December. Fred W. Lindecke No Free Lunch WHEN A LEGISLATIVE committee held a hearing recently at the 'state prison in Fulton, the committee scheduled a break for lunch in the prison cafeteria. Witnesses and reporters, having cleared prison security for the day, went along. The prison food a fish patty, noodles, breaded tomatoes and cole slaw was awful.

But it still posed a dilemma for Scott Charton, the new Associated Press correspondent in Jefferson City. Like many newspapers, the wire service forbids Its staff members to accept free meals. Charton asked prison officials if he could pay. But they weren't sure who should get the check for 70 cents, the per-person cost of the noon meal. Virginia Young Unheard Voice AVRAHAM SHIFRIN, an exiled Russian Jew who insists that glasnost is a sham, found it frustrating on Tuesday to try to divert the State-house press from Illinois politics to world politics.

Although dozens of reporters were scurrying about the Illinois Capitol to cover the busy final days of the fall legislative session, only two walked the several steps from the pressroom to hear visitor Shifrin's remarks. And one of those left quickly without taking any notes. An exasperated Shifrin, on a lecture tour with his views, complained, "If the Messiah would have come to Springfield, I think no one would come to see him unless there was a massive publicity campaign." Kathleen Best By Michael Kepp RIO DE JANEIRO iRAZIL'S presidential election on 15, the first since 1960, is acting like a tonic for this country's 82 million voters, most of whom have never been able to cast a ballot for this country's leader. Rallies of the top contenders draw crowds of up to 150,000, campaign bumper stickers, flyers and poster proliferate, And the pros and cons of the candidates are the subject of heated conversation In offices, on sidewalks and In corner cafes. It's the first time that Brazil, which became the world's third-largest democracy in 1985, has actually felt like one.

Only the 2 hours and 40 minutes a day of TV campaigning half of it during prime time seems to have sedated an otherwise geared-up electorate. Brazilian law has required all five TV networks to allow the 22 of them fringe candidates with no chance of winning, this huge chunk of free air time for uncen-sored political propaganda. Political observers say this media blitz has low audience ratings because 22 contenders are all saying basically the same thing. "The same platitudes spouted on all 22 paid political TV spots gives you the impression that only one candidate Is running, not 22," said David Fleischer, political science professor at the University of Brasilia for the last 18 years. "It's no wonder the public isn't tuning in." The candidates doing best in national polls are media-savvy politicians who have-most distanced themselves from President Jose Sarney.

Sarney, who took power In a 1985 electoral college election ordered by the outgoing 21-year-old, military regime, will complete his term almost totally discredited. His popularity has plummetted amid widespread corruption and 1,300 percent yearly inflation. His own party candidate is at the bottom of nationwide polls. At the top of those surveys, and with a commanding 2-1 lead over his closest opponents is Fernando Collor de Mello, a young ex-governor of northeastern Alago-as state. Collor, as he is known here, has been blessed with wealth, good looks, and an aristocratic family of high political officeholders, advantages that have given him a Kennedy-esque appeal.

Collor, a right-centrist, surged to an early 45 percent lead in July polls, in part because he promoted himself as an anti-corruption candidate. His campaign has focused on his firing an elite cast of exorbitantly-paid state employees, known as "maharajas," while he was governor and If- iiA V. -V- Sg; v. if JE gwi 1 MlLltk? 3 A I I Fernando Collor de Mello, the front-runner in Bra- campaign rally. zil's presidential campaign, being cheered at a first direct vote federal election will uphold Santos' right to run, a decision to be made two days before the election.

Nonetheless, Santos' entry into the race shows the volatility and sheer confusion surrounding the election. If Santos is allowed to run, he is less likely to take votes away from the two left-of-center contenders who most closely trail Collor in the polls. Marxist-oriented congressmen and ex-labor leader Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, is Collor's most ideological opposite. The 44-year-old Lula stocky, bearded and blue-collared calls for a redistribution of land and wealth, increased worker control over ailing state monopolies and a moratorium on the country's $110 billion foreign debt. The 40-year-old Collor calls for more foreign investment, the selling of Inefficient state-run companies to private enterprise, and a tougher stance in debt has vowed to do so at the federal level.

Conor's "Mr. Clean" image has, however, recently been sullied by press charges of pork-barrel politics and dubious financial dealings during Collor's term as governor. And though his lead has subsequently dwindled, he is still the favorite of 28 percent of those surveyed. As such, he's a favorite for the second round of the Brazilian election, when the two top vote-getters will meet in a Dec. 17 runoff.

A wild card is the last-minute candidacy of Silvio Santos, a tremendously popular game-show host with no previous experience in politics. In a poll published Thursday Santos got 29 percent of the vote. Press reports speculate that Sarney encouraged Santos to run to help undermine support for Collor, his most abrasive critic. It's highly unlikely, however, that a 4.