ST. LOUIS — Sonya Jenkins-Gray, the city police commissioner who sparked controversy this week with her plans to take a job with the city sheriff, has reversed course amid criticism from the governor’s office.
Jenkins-Gray said in a statement Friday she will decline a $95,000-a-year job as Sheriff Alfred Montgomery’s human resources chief and continue serving on the police board, the new state-controlled panel tasked with overseeing St. Louis police, replacing City Hall’s authority.
“I appreciate the continued support and confidence in my public service, and I look forward to continuing this important work on behalf of our community,” Jenkins-Gray said in a statement issued by the police department.
On Wednesday, Gov. Mike Kehoe, who appointed Jenkins-Gray to the police board, raised concerns that her work for the sheriff could conflict with her board duties.
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The police department is still working with the FBI on an investigation into an incident in February during which Montgomery had a city jail official handcuffed.
It was one of several actions Attorney General Andrew Bailey has cited in a lawsuit aimed at kicking Montgomery out of office.
“If Ms. Jenkins-Gray does not resign and continues to serve on the board,” a statement from Kehoe’s office said, “she will have to address those concerns with the Missouri Senate during her confirmation process.”
The controversy added to previous concerns about potential conflicts on the board. Board member Chris Saracino, for instance, co-owns a security company that hires off-duty police. Saracino has pledged to recuse himself from any topic where he may have a conflict.
A spokeswoman for Kehoe could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon. All five of the governor’s appointments to the board are expected to go before the Senate in January.
The week marked only the latest public controversy for Jenkins-Gray. Earlier this year, then-Mayor Tishaura O. Jones fired Jenkins-Gray as the city’s personnel director after she took a top aide and a city car to Jefferson City on a personal errand.
A series of public hearings revealed the aide had driven Jenkins-Gray to a hotel where her husband, the politically influential Rev. Darryl Gray, was meeting with his ex-wife.
An oversight panel wrote in a report that she had “displayed a gross lack of judgment” and “set a troublesome example for City employees.”
But she re-emerged when Kehoe appointed her to the new police board last month. A release announcing the pick called her “a nationally recognized human resources executive with more than two decades of leadership experience in both the public and private sectors.”
Kehoe has said the police board positions are unpaid.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture tens of thousands of images every year. See some of their best work that was either taken in June 2025 in this video. Edited by Jenna Jones.
