The Butter is Back in the Ice-Box

The Board of Aldermen meeting of Wednesday, February 8, 2012 may have been a pivotal moment for Alderman Nick Guccione in his election bid, even his political career may be at stake. His campaign for Mayor took a terrible downward spiral that evening, a course from which many believe he will never recover. Guccione is predictable, so predictable in fact that he can be manipulated by publicity into revealing his political motives, or almost anything else one might want to know—as was proven on that terrible night when he "came clean."

The Wentzvillian first got wind of the allegations currently under investigation by State and/or Federal agencies regarding Mayor Paul Lambi back in August of 2011. A friend/businessman complained to me about being approached by Lambi to donate money to his Winning Endeavors project. Being stone-walled by the Aldermen, I started my investigation around Wentzville to see if there was any substance to what I'd been told. I located several individuals who expressed similar concerns regarding being pressured by the Mayor to participate in his program. Lambi, being the kind-hearted benefactor to any worth-while cause was blindsided by what he was really doing.

Getting the real facts from the City or it's elected officials on this subject was like trying to shove butter in a wildcats ass with a hot poker, it wasn't going to happen. So, I began watching the players and meetings more closely. Finally after months of observation, I had struck a nerve and the pieces of the puzzle came together. I had heard of a tactic used by some to "throw something against the wall and see if anything sticks," well it stuck. I was on the right track and it was only a game of watching and waiting until it unraveled.

Then the big break came from a totally unexpected source: Mark Schlinkmann of the St. Louis Post Dispatch wrote a bit of the story and interviewed Alderman Nick Guccione. Being the news-whore that he is and wanting his name and face on anything in print—to help him win an election—he caved in to the pressure but little did he know that it would be his undoing. No other Alderman would comment to Schlinkmann regarding the "Executive Session" minutes except Guccione, and in the meeting of February 8th when confronted with the article, he spilled his guts in front of the city: "It's all over the city, the blog did it, I didn't say anything." Even today, I'm not sure Guccione recognizes the fact that he let the wildcat out of the bag and had told the city; it's all true. Since then, the story has been printed in the Community News and on Patch.com., The Suburban Journal reporters are currently investigating. Mr. Guccione will get all the press he desires.

Guccione is a regular reader of The Wentzvillian and followed my investigation, not because he really cared about the subject, but because I believe he cannot stay away from anything in print that might put a negative spin on him and his campaign. He read The Wentzvillian's speculation of the events and it must have been so close to the truth that he felt like the story had broken and he would cash in on it by being the first Alderman to get his name on the story. When the Board and City Attorney discussed the subject, Guccione realized that he had pulled a boner and tried to back-peddle by blaming "the blog" for letting out the story, "I didn't say anything," yet there his name was in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Unfortunately I do not know much about the penalties for revealing sensitive City information but I'm sure we'll find out in coming months. I do know however that the Board of Aldermen in whole, are not pleased with what he's done and if there will be penalties, we may be in store for another round of "Executive Sessions." Regardless of the outcome, I'd bet that Guccione will blame The Wentzvillian.

Guccione was told by the City Attorney not to respond to articles in the newspapers or blogs but he just can't keep from it. He is a control-freak and wants to control the city and Board of Aldermen—that ain't gonna happen. As long as he pursues his good-old-boy brand of politics, The Wentzvillian will be here  but for now, I can put the butter back in the ice-box and the hot-poker back in the fireplace.