St. Louis County voters have said yes to a ballot measure that will allow the County Council to retain its own legal counsel. Proposition C passed with just under 62% approval, according to unofficial results. The move could set the stage for a new round of clashes between the council and County Executive Sam Page.
The council put the measure on the ballot in late August by a 4-3 vote which in itself was a source of controversy because Republican Councilman Dennis Hancock of Fenton was allowed to vote for it. It comes as he’s fighting removal procedures undertaken by prosecutors because he tried to hire his stepdaughter, a violation of nepotism statutes.
This will come at the same time as the Council is reconstituted even as it retains a 4-3 Democrat-Republican makeup. State Rep. Gretchen Bangert replaces a fellow Democrat in Kelli Dunaway, while Republican Michael Archer succeeds Ernie Trakas. Trakas, a Republican, has at times been an ally for Page, a Democrat. Bangert made waves in the primary when she reportedly filed a complaint and recorded phone conversations with Page, alleging he offered her a county job to avert a primary against Nicole Greer.
Page’s office has denied making job offers.
His office released this statement today, “Page has been working closely with the county council to address budget challenges and ensure that the excellent services our residents have come to expect continue. Tuesday’s election results will not change that.”
When Missouri voters passed the constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana in 2022, it included a provision that allowed local municipalities to vote in presidential election years on whether to ban recreational sales. Olivette and Des Peres may have been the first cities in the state to put the measure to the test. Des Peres voters rejected the question. A majority in Olivette favored it, but at 53% it fell short of the required 60% threshold for passage. Des Peres has a single dispensary. Olivette has none.
Three of the four citywide ballot questions facing voters in St. Louis passed Tuesday. Proposition B, which would empower the Board of Aldermen to add money to the budget process and not just reduce it, failed, with 52.6% of voters saying no.
Alderwoman Daniela Velazquez said in a social media post Tuesday night that the city should bring the question back to voters if it failed.
Following in the footsteps of other progressive policy proposals in recent years, Missouri voters approved Amendment 3 on Tuesday. It restores abortion rights which have been limited since the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down Roe v. Wade, triggering a Missouri law that made abortion illegal in all but cases involving medical emergencies.
Amendment 3 joins statewide votes that legalized recreational marijuana, struck down “Right To Work”, and expanded access to Medicaid, all at the same time Missouri Republicans have expanded their grip on statewide and federal offices.
Candidates up and down the Democratic ticket had hoped that Amendment 3 would help the party improve its margins and break a supermajority in the statehouse. Instead, the parties ended up swapping seats in both chambers, at this point leaving the ideological makeup just as it is.
It’s notable that Republican opponents to Amendment 3 were talking late Tuesday and into Wednesday about future ballot issues on abortion, and not necessarily legal challenges to what just passed. Wednesday, Planned Parenthood affiliates that operate in Missouri filed in a state court Wednesday seeking to invalidate the state's abortion ban and several laws that regulate the care.
“This won’t be the last time Missourians vote on so-called “reproductive rights,” State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman said in a social media post Tuesday night. “I will do everything in my power to ensure that vote happens.”
State Rep. Jon Patterson, the incoming Republican House Speaker, said prior to the election that the will of the people should be respected, and said the law as it currently stands—limiting abortion to medical emergencies–wasn’t working.
Gov.-Elect Mike Kehoe’s administration will be closely watched on the issue. He made only a vague reference to the issue in his victory speech Tuesday night, saying he’ll be “on the front lines doing everything to ensure Missouri respects and protects innocent life.”
Just like statewide elected appointees Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Treasurer Vivek Malek, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to replace Kim Gardner after she resigned in 2023, officially won his first bid at elected office when he ran to fill the role in his own right. Gore had no primary or general election opposition, and has garnered bipartisan praise for his work to get the office back on its feet.