The politics surrounding the expansion proposal revealed that Civic Progress
had withdrawn from its activist leadership role in St. Louis.4 Symptomatic
of the new behind-the-scenes leadership style was the protocol that was to be
observed when trying to access Civic Progress and its members. Beginning inthe late 1970s, public policy proposals being considered by Civic Progress
were first presented to a representative of Fleischmann-Hilliard, which had a
sizable St. Louis office. The Fleischmann-Hilliard representative would then
decide the merits of proposals before presenting a short list to Civic Progress.
This vetting process allowed corporate leaders to pick and choose among
ideas and projects without the possibility of public disclosure.