ST. LOUIS—As we get ready to ring in the new year, here’s a look at five topics that will be driving conversation in the St. Louis region in January.
Who will be St. Louis County’s Prosecuting Attorney?
St. Louis County heads to Missouri’s Eastern District Court of Appeals Thursday morning to appeal a circuit court judge’s ruling that gives Gov. Mike Parson authority to name Wesley Bell’s replacement. He’s expected to resign Thursday ahead of being sworn in as a member of Congress on Friday.
Parson has named Melissa Price Smith, a veteran St. Louis County prosecutor, as his choice. County Executive Sam Page has argued that the county charter gives him the power to make the pick, and announced Cort VanOstran, a 2018 congressional candidate, private attorney and most recently a federal prosecutor, as his selection.
The circuit court ruling said the charter doesn’t specifically grant the county power to fill a vacancy, and also appears to bar the county from naming someone in an acting capacity. The Page administration had said it planned to name VanOstran in an acting role pending county council approval. Smith, as an appointee of the governor, would not require county council approval
Depending on the timing of the Court of Appeals, whatever ruling emerges could still end up in front of the state supreme court, potentially before the end of the first week of the month.
Among the decision whoever leads the office will have to make is if or how to proceed with a possible quo warranto petition to remove St. Louis County Councilman Dennis Hancock.
County Council makeup shakeup
Next Tuesday (Jan. 7), the new St. Louis County Council will be sworn in, reflecting the results of November’s election. Councilwoman Shalonda Webb won re-election, former State Rep. Gretchen Bangert won the race to succeed Kelli Dunaway, and G. Michael Archer, who defeated incumbent Ernie Trakas in the August primary, won in the general election.
The partisan makeup of the board will be the same as it has been, a 4-3 split favoring Democrats, but in some instances, it may feel like a 6-1 split when it comes to going up against the Page administration. Democrats Webb and Rita Heard Days have sparred with Page, a fellow Democrat, over funding for North County priorities and COVID funds among other areas. Bangert, also a Democrat, went public with allegations that Page tried to get her out of the County Council race by offering her a position in the administration, a claim that the administration has denied.
Trakas, a Republican, had often aligned with Page.
The new makeup will be something to watch when it comes to potential veto overrides in 2025.
New state legislative session opens in Jefferson City
Missouri lawmakers return to the General Assembly on January 8, where Republicans will once again have supermajorities in both chambers. There will be some rhetorical fireworks on the opening day, as State Rep. Justin Sparks, the Wildwood Republican, attempts to challenge Speaker-Designate Jon Patterson for the gavel in the House. Patterson was tabbed for the role more than a year ago by the GOP conference, but Sparks has launched a bid for Speaker running on a platform of institutional reform and questioning Patterson’s conservative credentials on abortion. Patterson had said the state’s near-total ban on abortion, wasn’t working for Missouri. He later clarified in an interview with our news partners at the Missouri Independent that he was referring to the fact that prior law included no exceptions for rape or incest.
Republican lawmakers have already filed bills to counter the impact of Amendment 3, which passed in November and restored abortion rights.
In the Senate, Cindy O’Laughlin will make history by becoming the first female President Pro Tem in Missouri’s history. She’ll navigate a chamber and a legislative agenda that has been marked by factionalism in recent years as some members urged a harder line on social issues government spending and taxation. Those issues still exist, but two of the most vocal members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus in the Senate have moved on due to term limits Denny Hoskins will be sworn in as Secretary of State on Jan. 13 while Bill Eigel ran unsuccessfully for governor.
The Kehoe administration
Mike Kehoe will become Missouri’s 58th governor on Jan. 13, and he’s promised a “day one crime plan” as part of an effort to boost public safety in the state. Kehoe has already said he supports legislative proposals to put the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back under the control of a state-appointed board.
St. Louis officials have touted year-over-year reductions in violent crimes, including homicides, under local control.
“As soon as my hand comes off the Bible, the Kehoe administration will be relentless in our efforts to make Missouri safer,” Kehoe said on election night. “We will ensure that Missouri is a state where it is easier to be a cop than a criminal, and we will not rest until the criminals who make our streets and our neighborhoods dangerous are held accountable.”
Kehoe plans to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the St. Charles County Police Department on Friday at an event where organizers say he’ll speak about his goals for public safety.
How to spend the NFL settlement
After more than a year of ideas, surveys and hearings, St. Louis Board President Megan Green has said she hopes city lawmakers can pass a bill before the February recess that lays out how the city plans to spend more than $250 million of the city’s share of the NFL settlement. Green and Mayor Tishaura Jones support one bill that creates six different funds to address water infrastructure, city street infrastructure, neighborhood development, a city workforce fund, a citywide housing fund and an endowment for childcare.
Another bill would focus on a combination of infrastructure, housing improvements, and help for small businesses and commercial corridors in downtown and north and southeast St. Louis. Among the co-sponsors of that bill is Cara Spencer, one of Jones’ rivals in the Mayor’s race.
The big question will be if the board can come up with a single bill that would survive a potential veto before or after the spring primaries kick into high gear.