ST. LOUIS — Gov. Mike Kehoe has reappointed five members to the St. Louis police board after withdrawing them before this month’s special legislative session.
Gabby Picard, a spokeswoman for the Republican governor, confirmed the reappointments this week and said the same people will be serving now as before: Restaurateurs Chris Saracino and Eddie McVey, photography studio owner Brad Arteaga, former city HR chief Sonya Jenkins-Gray, and car dealer Don Brown, a non-voting member.
Mayor Cara Spencer is the board’s fifth voting member by virtue of her office.
The reappointments end two weeks of uncertainty that began when the nominees were withdrawn and a board meeting was abruptly canceled earlier this month.
Kehoe withdrew pending appointments to state boards to prevent them from coming up during the special session he called on redistricting and limiting the initiative petition process. Democrats could have stalled those priorities by trying to block some of the appointees. Instead, bills on redistricting and petitions moved quickly through the Legislature and received final votes in the Senate on Friday.
The nominees will still need to go before the state Senate for confirmation when lawmakers return in January.
The board’s next meeting date has not yet been posted. Its committees, which include police department staff, have continued meeting, with agendas covering next year’s budget and department disciplinary policy.
The board has also been considering how to handle news that the St. Louis Police Foundation, a private nonprofit that has added $100,000 per year to police Chief Robert Tracy’s salary for the past three years, will not renew the agreement.
The deal was considered essential to luring Tracy to St. Louis, and replacing it with city money could prove complicated: The city’s fire chief would need an equivalent raise, per a clause in the city charter. The public safety director, who oversees the fire chief, might need an increase, too.
Board President Chris Saracino said earlier this month that the board is “investigating all options.”
In a brief interview Monday, Tracy was optimistic.
“Everyone wants to find a solution,” he said. “We have a few months.”
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Austin Huguelet | Post-Dispatch
St. Louis City Hall reporter
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