Joe Palm

ST. LOUIS — City politicians watching the scramble to fill Jeff Smith’s Senate seat learned a valuable lesson: Patience is not a plus.

Joe Keaveny, who won the nomination to replace Smith, scored early points with Democratic Committee members by being among the first, if not the first, to declare interest in the seat.

A month later, city Democrats are faced with another vacancy, brought on by yet another resignation of a state lawmaker to felony charges.

This time, it’s State Rep. T.D. El-Amin, who is poised to leave office after admitting he took bribes under the auspices of helping an unnamed gas station owner ease some City Hall problems.

While El-Amin’s resignation has not reached the governor’s desk yet, the jockeying to replace him has already begun.

The first confirmed candidate appears to be Joe Palm, who lost to El-Amin in both 2006 and 2008.

This time, Palm has a distinct advantage: He is the 26th Ward Committeeman, which means he’ll be able to vote for himself to get the nomination, just as Keaveny — the 28th Ward Committeeman — did.

Still, that does not mean Palm won’t have to tussle for the post; there are several complicating factors.

For instance, First Ward Committeewoman Sharon Tyus and her husband, the committeeman, together have twice as many combined votes in the nomination process as Palm. Tyus, throughout her political career, has bucked predictability.

Also, one potential swing voter could be unable to participate: Andre Williams, the 22nd Ward Committeeman, is recovering from a gunshot wound.

When members of the Democratic Committee met to pick a replacement for Smith, there was no facade of party unity; it was a pure, unfiltered political maneuvering.

No reason not to expect more of the same this time around.