Reading this article in the Tribune yesterday, I couldn't help but notice the double use of contrastive framing (it's not X, it's Y), and the em dash, which are both hallmarks of A.I. generated statements.
Here's the full article (gift link): https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/13/chicago-pension-payment/?share=iceb26noiao880opoc0a
KSDK recently reported that Sam Page has cited financial constraints in the County as a reason he supports merging services with the City.
I think we need to go even further. This video is meant to start a conversation.
In 1876, St. Louis tore itself apart. In this video, I argue that one of the biggest consequences of "The Great Divorce," when the City officially seceded from the county, was limiting the size of the City of St. Louis to just 62 square miles.
I propose a plan in which the City would become a municipality within the County, but would also annex or absorb many of the smaller municipalities within the County. I believe this would benefit the region greatly by making our crime stats more accurate and creating a larger, more sustainable and predictable tax base.
I don't believe this would fix many of the issues that the region faces, but it would fix those two things, and that could be a big win. Unfortunately, in arguing for this, I find myself on the same side of the argument as people who see a "merger" or consolidation as a way to gain more power.
I want to hear what you think. Leave a comment or shoot me a DM, let's keep this conversation going.
Written, filmed, and edited by Conner Kerrigan. No generative AI was used in the creation of this video.