![]() |
|
HOME | NEWSLETTERS | ABOUT | |
About John Hoffmann and This Website | |
![]() ![]() In April 2008, John was elected Alderman, representing the City of Town and Country's second ward. On May 21, 2008, his first Aldermanic newsletter appeared on this website as a way of keeping his constituents informed of what was going on at City Hall. When he left office in 2010, he continued to keep people both informed and entertained through his regular newsletters. When AOL decided to provide local news coverage by launching a site called Patch, John was one of the experienced reporters hired to cover local government. He covered the cities of Town and Country, Manchester and Chesterfield. John provided blatantly honest coverage of their activities for Patch and even a humorous piece or two, including a feature on what types of cars city officials drove and what it said about them. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for some Chesterfield officials, who went to John's editor in a shameful move by government to censor the media. Getting no satisfaction from John's editor, who apparently also believed in freedom of the press, the Chesterfield hit squad eventually had to go up the management ladder at Patch until they found someone they could persuade to remove John from covering their meetings.
In 2012, John was recognized as the Best Newspaper Columnist in the Riverfront Times' annual "Best of St. Louis" awards.
Whatever the story, there never seems to be a dull moment in the seemingly dignified world of West St. Louis County (or Snoburbia as John likes to call it) government. From Town and Country's lobbyist Mayor to Chesterfield officials trying to control the media, you never know what to expect next. You can, however, expect John Hoffmann's uncensored take on the latest news from these two outposts of civility. |
|