On Sunday’s episode of This Week in Missouri Politics, Chris Zimmerman, the president and CEO of the St. Louis Blues comes by the studio to discuss the success of the Winter Classic and the team’s hopes of renovating the Scottrade Center to remain competitive with other stadiums across the country.
“We have generated well over 100 million in state tax revenue without a dollar coming from the state,” Zimmerman says. “If we don’t do these improvements, whether it’s the city tax revenue or the state tax revenue, it’s going to decline.”
Zimmerman also takes some time to discuss his hopes for the Blues this season and their chances in the playoffs.
The panel includes longtime friends of the show Joe Lakin from Victory Enterprises, Mike Louis the President and CEO of the AFL-CIO, Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-St. Louis, as well as newcomer Rep. Jean Evans, R-Manchester. They discuss House Speaker Todd Richardson’s statement to open the legislative session.
“He’s a good man, and he’s a good leader,” Evans said. “He laid out his agenda and spoke like a statesman. He’s someone we all look to for guidance, for those of us who are new.”
They also discuss ethics reform, the inevitability of Right-to-Work and how quickly it should move through the legislature, as well as some of the Republican caucus’ other top priorities for the state – as well as what he may have left out.
“I don’t think the Speaker talked enough about infrastructure,” Louis said. “Every year we pass by on a lot of federal dollars that could be coming into Missouri to create jobs and because the Senate and the House can’t agree on what’s important in an infrastructure bill, that money just doesn’t get here.”
They also discuss national politics, including the Obama administration’s approach to Israel and other matters of foreign policy.
This episode of TWMP will air at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Louis area on ABC 30 KDNL, in the Kansas City area on 38 the Spot at 10:00 a.m. and in mid-Missouri on KRCG at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 18. The show is available online at 11:00 a.m. at twmp.tv.
