West Newsmagazine 5-24-17

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May 24, 2017
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I 55
Proposed repairs to Lewis Road bridge stir controversy, prompt contracts audit
By JIM MERKEL
Efforts to fix a dilapidated bridge in West
County have led to questions of whether
they were a case of rewarding a campaign
contributor.
A front-page story in the May 14 issue of
the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that the
Lewis Road bridge leads only to a mansion
and the Crescent Farms Public Golf
Club. Businessman Michael Roberts has an
interest in those properties through limited
liability corporations, according to the Missouri
Secretary of State’s office. The paper
said businesses Roberts has have contributed
to Stenger’s campaign. Cordell Whitlock,
Stenger’s director of communications,
confirmed Roberts is a Stenger campaign
donor and the owner of the two properties.
But campaign contributions didn’t play
a part in the decisions to fix the bridge,
Stenger said. It wasn’t Roberts’ money, but
the extremely poor condition of the Lewis
Road Bridge [that motivated those decisions],
he said.
“We have a safety concern. That safety
concern has been recognized by an administration
before mine,” Stenger said.
The county started planning work on
that bridge before Stenger came to office.
However, the current county council voted
4-3 on April 11 against a bill introduced by
Councilmember Mark Harder [District 7]
to start initial work on the project. County
Councilmember Sam Page [District 2] said
at the time that he agrees the bridge is in
dangerous condition, but that the timing
wasn’t right considering the county’s financial
condition. But Stenger said the council’s
action was retribution for Harder’s
vote against a proposal to give the council
a director of legal research and because
he didn’t vote with the majority for a new
county auditor.
Harder said it doesn’t matter that only
one person would benefit from the new
bridge. On May 16, he introduced a bill
to fix both the Lewis Road bridge and
another nearby severely distressed bridge,
the Allen Road bridge. A major concern is
that the two bridges, northeast of Eureka,
pass over Missouri Pacific Railroad lines
and could collapse.
“The bridge goes to where it goes,”
Harder said. He said he’d like to tie the two
projects together to save money.
As for whether the Lewis Road bridge
project should go forward, Page said there
were several issues at play. “We need to
understand who owns the bridge and if the
repairs by the railroad have already made
it safe,” he said in an email. “Until then,
no it shouldn’t.” He also said that delaying
any action on the bridge projects allowed
time to uncover what was really going on.
He said he hopes Stenger wasn’t acting to
benefit a contributor, but that the recent
allegations are very concerning.
A news release issued Thursday said
Stenger is asking Missouri State Auditor
Nicole Galloway to do a comprehensive
audit of the county’s process for garnering
road and bridge contracts and the county
council method of awarding those contracts.
“I ask that the audit be conducted in as
timely a manner as possible because I am
concerned that the role politics plays in
the process may be putting public safety
at risk,” Stenger said in the release. “We
are responsible for the safety of our residents.
Part of that responsibility is ensuring
an efficient, effective process for road and
bridge contracts.”
Allison Blood, a spokeswoman for
Stenger, said the Lewis Road and Allen
Road bridges were the catalyst for the
request, but that Stenger wants to look at
all of the county’s contracts.
Stenger said he is seeking the audit from
the state because St. Louis County Prosecuting
Attorney Robert McCulloch is
investigating whether County Auditor Mark
Tucker has the qualifications to hold the job.
The county council recently hired him.
Commenting on Stenger’s request for an
audit, Page said, “I have full confidence
in the experience and ability of the county
auditor who was hired by the county council
two months ago. He is working hard to
bring the office up to the same standards as
other large counties in Missouri. This is
the key area of disagreement between the
county council and the county executive. “
Nonetheless, Page said he would welcome
the state auditor’s involvement.
“Hopefully an external audit will help to
answer serious questions about road and
bridge projects for political donors.”
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