JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Steven Roberts blasted Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Thursday after Republicans advanced a state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
“The mayor no longer enjoys the confidence of the people in this building,” Roberts told reporters Thursday. “She couldn’t even be bothered to reach out to the senator who represents nearly the entire city of St. Louis nor engage with any of our Democratic allies.”
Roberts' broadside followed Jones' poor showing Tuesday in the first round of voting in this year's mayoral election. Alderwoman Cara Spencer won 68% of voters' support citywide while Jones only took 33%.
Roberts said Tuesday's results demonstrate "she has lost the trust of the citizens of St. Louis city.”
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He said despite this, he and Sen. Karla May, D-St. Louis, negotiated “significant improvements” to the final Senate bill.
Conner , a spokesperson for Jones, fired back in a statement that Roberts was “blatantly lying and living in an alternate universe.”
The mayor had “engaged extensively” with May and “other actual Democratic allies in Jefferson City on this issue,” Kerrigan said.
Kerrigan said it was “unfortunate” Roberts did not find “the time or courage to invite the Mayor to be part of any of his private conversations with the Republicans and special interests pushing this legislation.”
Roberts, during the news conference, said after leading a nearly 10-hour filibuster, it was "no longer feasible for Senator May and me to continue our filibuster for the next two and a half months."
Roberts said the most significant concession he and May were able to negotiate had to do with how the possible Board of Police Commissioners would be structured.
Roberts said the original bill allowed for minimal local input “with the majority of the board selected solely by the police unions.”
“Thanks to the efforts of the Democratic senators, we were able to eliminate those provisions,” Roberts said.
A previous version gave influence to fraternal organizations such as the St. Louis Police Officers Association in the selection process of most of the board.
But that is removed from the current Senate bill. Commissioners will also need Senate confirmation — adding a layer of oversight.
Roberts also touted additional provisions to the wide-ranging underlying legislation, such as allowing more exonerated individuals to seek restitution and new limits on restraining pregnant women in jail.
“It’s just the truth,” Roberts said when asked why he chose to criticize the mayor publicly. “I’ve never seen a push like this to get it (state takeover) done. And those failures are why this was one of the governor’s ... priorities.”
Kerrigan gave May credit for "few positive modifications" made to the bill.
"I should note that our office is very grateful to Senator May for putting the interests of the City of St. Louis and its residents above her own political ambitions," he said. "What few positive modifications were made to this egregious bill are directly attributable to her. I obviously can’t say the same for Roberts."
Kerrigan went on to say Roberts was using the mayor as a "convenient political punching bag to distract from the fact that he has not been at the table and is unwilling to stand up for the City of St. Louis in any meaningful way."
The state takeover is a priority for Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican.
Kerrigan wished Roberts "good luck" on "whatever appointment he is currently seeking from Gov. Kehoe."
A spokesperson for former Gov. Mike Parson said last year Roberts had pushed himself for a paid appointment to the Public Service Commission.
Roberts at the time had refused to go along with various appointments Parson had made. Jones criticized Roberts for “playing politics” and not being “involved” in St. Louis issues.
Roberts criticized Jones in August after a report found a citizen-led oversight board hadn’t fully investigated 74 complaints from city jail inmates.
“The mayor and the director are violating the fundamental rights of detainees, putting city employees in danger, and denying taxpayers transparency and oversight regarding the jail’s operations,” he said.
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