The Journal

Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Amir Kurtovic Former governor Bob Holden and radio talk-show host McGraw Milhaven at the Old Post Office building in downtown St. Louis on Thursday, Jan. 28.

Most media personalities are used to interviewing politicians and big shots, asking them tough questions and demanding solutions to problems. But former Missouri Governor and current Webster University adjunct professor Bob Holden is turning the tables on some local media people.

Focus on Downtown St. Louis with the Holden Public Policy Forum is a new speaker series that will feature the former politician talking to St. Louis media personalities and getting their take on improving downtown St. Louis.

McGraw Milhaven, a morning show host on radio station KTRS-AM 550, was Holden's first guest at the forum Thursday, Jan. 28, in the Old Post Office building - the location of WU's downtown campus.

"How do we start rebuilding downtown St. Louis to be a center of thought and solid invigorating public policy discussion about our future," Holden said. "I don't know of any location in the world that is striving in the global economy that does not have a vibrant core. And to me, that core for the St. Louis region is downtown."

As Missouri's governor, Milhaven interviewed Holden several times.

"What's exciting for me about this is, for the first time in my life, he's not sticking microphones in my face, putting me on the hotspot," Holden said.

Holden opened the forum by asking Milhaven the first question, which set the tone for the discussion.

"How do we regain our stature as a truly integral part of the global economy?" Holden said.

Milhaven said that in order for anything to change, more people would have to cooperate to come up with solutions. St. Louis City has the same problems that rural Missouri has, Milhaven said. Crime, drugs, failing schools and crumbling infrastructure were not unique to the city, he said.

"We all talk about our differences," Milhaven said. "Why don't we team up and gang up on everybody else whose schools aren't failing, and let's sit down and figure out what we could do different?"

The questions from the crowd of about 50 people addressed various issues that downtown St. Louis faces, but themes familiar to most St. Louisans kept popping up. Racial issues, poor public transportation, failing inner-city school and the divide between the city and county were mentioned several times.

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