As disgusting as it is that Red Light Cameras are being used to fund the South St. Louis Democratic Machine via Joyce Aboussie’s nearly 10% cut of American Traffic Solutions revenue from the state of Missouri, what is even more disgusting is the Republicans that are so enamored with American Traffic Solutions, that they support this scam.  I am going to name 4 of them, and ask that you remember their names, as you will likely soon being seeing many of them on a primary ballot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Senator Bill Stouffer- Senator Stouffer is running for Robin Carnahan’s Secretary of State position. In the last legislative session, 5 days before the end, Senator Jim Lembke attached an amendment to HB 430, the House Omnibus Transportation Bill. The amendment known as SA 4, would have amended, Section 304.200, Line 11, by inserting immediately after:

“304.289. The timing of any traffic-control signal shall conform to regulations promulgated by the Department of Transportation. The department of transportation shall establish minimal yellow light change interval times for traffic-control devices. The minimal yellow light change interval time shall be established in accordance with nationally recognized engineering standards set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and any such established time shall not be less than the recognized national standard.”

 

This amendment, which would have required all roadways in the state to adhere to proper signal timing, was unanimously approved by the Senate Body, and became part of the bill, or at least until Senator Stouffer got a hold of it in Committee. I have been told that Patrick Bonnot, from the Missouri Municipal League, paid Senator Stouffer a visit on the afternoon of May 10th, and requested he pull this amendment, as it would “reduce the revenue generated from photo enforcement by already cash strapped cities” and that it was a “local control” issue. The Senator deferred to the MML, and stripped the amendment from the Conference Committee Substitute, thereby removing the language from the bill entirely. Why? Because both the Senator and the MML realize what was discovered in the City of Arnold, that when proper yellow light timing is implemented, red light camera citations plummet, and the systems are no longer profitable for the vendor or the municipality. Senator Stouffer was willing to sacrifice real transportation safety to appease the Missouri Municipal League and greedy municipalities. Remember this if you see his name on a ballot.

 

2. David Barklage- The embattled friend and political consultant for Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder wears many hats. One of which is that he is a registered lobbyist for Goldman Sachs owned Photo-Enforcement Vendor, American Traffic Solutions. What pull David has with Peter Kinder on this particular issue, I do not know, but for the sheer fact that he is a paid shill for Goldman Sachs, is enough for me to have a general distrust for those whom which he advises. Lt. Gov. Kinder needs to take a public stand on this issue. Does he stand for the rule of law, or does he stand for a Goldman Sachs owned, Arizona firm whose sole intent is to bilk Missouri residents by extortion with fake “Notices of Violation”?

 

 

 

 

3. Michael Gibbons- Former Missouri President Pro-Tem is a double dose of trouble. Not only is he a lobbyist for American Traffic Solutions , but he is also an Attorney for Stinson, Morrison, Hecker, LLP who represents American Traffic Solutions. Michael uses his connections and ability to control Republican purse strings, to prevent the movement of Red Light Camera Ban legislation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Senator Kevin Engler-Farmington- In pursuing the Lobbyist filings of American Traffic Solutions, I came across an interesting name, Andrew Engler. After some quick research, I realized that Andrew Engler was indeed the son of the current Senator from Farmington, Kevin Engler. A more detailed look at Andrew’s Lobbyist disclosures shows that he registered as a lobbyist for American Traffic Solutions on 02/14/2011, and since then, has incurred exactly $0.00 in lobbying expenses. So, this then begs the question, why would American Traffic Solutions, with its cadre of influential and politically seasoned lobbyists hire a 20-something neophyte lobbyist? Looks can be deceiving, but at first glance, it appears that American Traffic Solutions put the son of a currently serving Missouri Senator on their payroll to do quite literally nothing. It appears that in doing this, it is certainly a creative way for American Traffic Solutions to buy the support of Senator Engler-Farmington, without having to make a reportable contribution. The whole thing is even more ironic since Senator Engler decried amateur lobbyists and the loss of institutional knowledge if real ethics reform was undertaken when Sen. Crowell tried to do so in the 2010 session. Senator Engler however apparently has no issue with his son, who just graduated Farmington High School in 2005, taking a role with American Traffic Solutions as a lobbyist. Engler has also expressed concerns in the past about contribution limits and that they would just be circumvented by using multiple PACs. Looks like he may have found his own little way here to circumvent ethics reporting requirements and collect funds from the red light camera scam.