If there’s a candidate out of this year’s field of six that you’ve never heard of, it’s probably Joseph Vogelgesang Fuchs. He has no discernible campaign website, maintains no dedicated facebook page to his election and I have yet to see a yard sign. So what do we know about Joe? Well there’s the Post-Dispatch profile, which seemed encouraging from the perspective of this website, there’s tonight’s 7:00 virtual candidate forum, and then there are the questions I asked him back at the beginning of March before all hell broke lose. What follows is Fuchs’ response, in its entirety. (I have added my questions, ahead of Fuchs’ responses to them, in bold).
My Fellow Kirkwood Citizens
Thank you for this opportunity to express my thoughts on the following challenges.
I would like to combine an answer to questions, 1,4 and 5.
I’m not completely familiar with code changes in Kirkwood and what I’m going to propose will definitely create conversations.
1. How should Kirkwood’s zoning code change or, alternatively, not change?
4. Should Kirkwood count affordability for prospective residents as a priority?
5. Do you support eliminating single family-exclusive zoning (i.e. eliminating the ban on duplexes in areas zoned R 1-4)?
I hope to create an avenue of consideration with the citizens of Kirkwood in the area of affordable housing.
I would like to see incentives to architects and builders to ideas of affordable housing for recent college graduates, first time home buyers and our senior citizens. We need to slow the tide of constructing huge million dollars homes. I would like to explore the possibility of two single family homes on larger lots in Kirkwood. We have seniors (my neighbors as an example) that have lived their entire lives in Kirkwood and would like to downsize to a smaller affordable house in Kirkwood; however they’re not available or out of their price range.
I believe recent college graduates and newly married couples would also take advantage of this type of housing. These would be homes that would be repurposed between the two generations. Seniors move in or move out,young families move in as first time home buyers,then move out to a larger home.
Diversity in our community and affordable housing would be a winning combination. If we build it, if it’s affordable they will come…,
We all win.
2. What does walkability mean to you and what concrete ideas do you have for its implementation in Kirkwood?
Kirkwood was the first “suburban” community west of St Louis. It’s design is somewhat similar to St. Louis City in it’s streets and walkable sidewalks.
I understand there are ideas for safer streets that are currently being discussed on different levels of our city and organizations outside of city government.
My hope is for accommodation of ideas that are best for our citizens.
I’ll be attending The National Walking Summit at Washington University on March 10 and 11. My hope is I’ll have a better understanding of how to blend the current ideas floating about. There is a street bond issue possibly coming up for a vote in the future. I would strictly be against it, unless we have a comprehensive street and sidewalk plan approved by a city wide vote.
3. What can Kirkwood city government do to help combat climate change?
Climate change is not a question of whether or not you believe in it,,,it’s here.
Science is the proof. I believe burning of fossil fuels is the number one climate change challenge we have. Kirkwood Electric company buys power from Ameren. Ameren produces electricity from fossil fuel. How do we rise to the challenge of reducing our carbon footprint? We need to start where power begins and follow it’s flow to its end. One of the easiest solutions is lighting.
I believe grants are available to help defray the cost of replacing non efficient lighting fixtures. I would like to see a homeowner incentive program to use less power. I would also work with Missouri legislators to revive the wind farm transmission line that was recently scrapped. Kirkwood was in line to purchase a huge amount of this green power.
My family (The Vogelgesangs) came from Germany in the 1850’s.
In 1870 my Great Great Grandfather Melchior Vogelgesang bought 160 acres along Manchester Road from Woodlawn to Lindbergh. His son Charles my Great Grandfather operated it as a dairy farm till about 1930. My Grandmother Louisa was born on the farm. She married my Grandfather Fuchs in St Peter’s Church which at the time was located in St Peter’s Cemetery. You can see Charles’s headstone as you drive by on Geyer Rd. Charles had two stipulations when he sold the farm, he wanted the farm to go to a religious order and he wanted his trees on the property saved. You can see Charles’s trees on the grounds of St Agnes Home.
Long life story…., my family is here, my heart is here, my roots run deep here.
I’m a Kirkwood Citizen. If elected I have 28,000 citizens of Kirkwood that I would be honored to serve.
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
-Albert Einstein
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Vogelgesang Fuchs
Tomorrow I’ll publish a very similar Q&A with former council member Bob Sears and the an examination of the platform and voting record of Maggie Duwe. Until then, thanks as always for reading and once again, try to tune in to tonight’s virtual forum at 7:00!