It was not the first rumor in recent months that Winston Calvert had been fired by Mayor Francis Slay as St. Louis city counselor. The EYE checked on that rumor on October 23, only to be assured by Calvert that he was merely enjoying his first vacation since he was hired by the city in April 2014. So when the rumor returned on Tuesday, November 17 that Calvert had been sacked, the EYE sought confirmation.
It finally came on Wednesday with the not-quite-announced news that Calvert had resigned on Tuesday. The only thing resembling an official announcement came from the mayor’s spokesperson on Wednesday. This release mentioned Calvert’s appointment in 2014, and his interim replacement by Michael Garvin, but not his resignation. The spokesperson said it was up to Calvert to make that announcement – which he did not do publicly – and to explain his plans, which he did not do privately to the EYE when requested via text message.
His resignation letter, dated November 17 (and posted on the KMOX site), is exactly 20 words long: “This is to inform you of my resignation from the position of City Counselor, effective immediately. My resignation is irrevocable.”
He did offer a slightly more substantial, yet still vague, explanation to other media, saying “there are things I want to do that I can’t do as city counselor, so I’m stepping back” and “I will continue to work on improving the city’s future in my next chapter.”
Unlike Calvert’s predecessor, Patti Hageman, who tended to communicate with The St. Louis American only when threatening legal action, Calvert was accessible to this paper. He even made some efforts to bridge the divide between the mayor’s office and this paper that dates back to Slay’s handling of then Fire Chief Sherman George (promoting a black flunky, Charles Bryson, to demote the city’s first black fire chief) in 2007.
So his ignoring The American’s request for comment on his resignation while sending the same text to other media outlets could imply his next political move is something he expects that this paper would oppose, such as running against a black incumbent in 2016. The rumor mill on Wednesday had him preparing to file against state Senator Jamilah Nasheed.
If Calvert has turned against Slay for any reason, it must have been abrupt indeed. The day before he issued his curt, “irrevocable” resignation, he retweeted someone’s approving comment on a Slay tweet of official support for accepting Syrian refugees in St. Louis. So he was publicly applauding props for Slay the day before he resigned.
But then, this column operates on a premise of what it is, it ain’t. On this premise, if an official inexplicably resigns, that must mean he was fired. If so, why?
KMOX cited “multiple sources” for the claim that “Slay’s office” – presumably, that means senior staff – “accused Calvert of rallying downtown residents to pressure the mayor to enforce Board of Public Service-ordered restrictions on the New Life Evangelistic Center.”
Who knows? Rallying people behind his boss’ back to pressure his boss could and probably would get him fired.
The Post-Dispatch reported that Calvert became “a controversial figure within City Hall and Slay’s staff in recent weeks” when he reportedly hired a local firm to represent the city in its legal fight to preserve its minimum wage ordinance – without an approved contract. That seems a routine and unimpressive blunder by Slay administration standards and would require more to explain an abrupt dismissal disguised as a resignation.
The EYE lacks the coziness with “Slay’s staff” that the Post has earned over more than a decade of often obsequious reporting, but Calvert’s having opponents in the castle became known to us when fact-checking the false report of his October firing. A senior Slay appointee told us then he had no awareness that Calvert had been fired, but did offer a remark about the then-city counselor that was certainly not intended to be flattering. Certainly, if Calvert saw himself as inheriting the throne from Slay one day, he was not alone in those ambitions among Slay staff and appointees. There are those who stood to benefit from his fall from grace – if, in fact, he has fallen from grace.
This much can be said: Calvert brought an unabashedly progressive voice and presence to city government that we welcome, and a beaming smile and collaborative approach that were the polar opposites of Jeff Rainford’s dismissive ire. His advocacy for marriage equality, banning the felon box, reforming municipal courts and a $15 minimum wage made a difference in his short time at City Hall. He’ll be missed.
Post sued for discrimination
Local attorney Richard Magee told the EYE he is filing suit against the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on behalf of two plaintiffs, Michael Hall and Darryl Nance, who claim they were discriminated against on the basis of race. Both black men, they claim they earn $12.50 as part-time mail handlers, when whites doing the same work were paid $15 an hour. Magee told the EYE that the Post’s explanation was “these white guys are more qualified,” though Magee said Hall is often delegated to train new employees. The Post had not replied to a request for comment – and for its staff’s racial demographics – by press time.
Fire districts: better together
Better Together St. Louis released part 2 of its study on fire services in the St. Louis region this week. It concluded – wait for it – that the region’s many fire districts would be better together.
“At present, the 1.3 million residents of the St. Louis region receive service from 43 different municipal fire departments and fire protection districts. This diverse and fragmented system creates several challenges for firefighters and their ability to conform to national standards – including the recommendation that fire and emergency medical services be able to respond to calls within a four-minute window. Fragmentation also leads to inequities in staffing levels among departments, inconsistencies in training, and a lack of standardization for trucks and equipment,” Better Together St. Louis reported.
“Preliminary analysis indicates that unification and the pooling of resources are the most promising methods of ensuring safety to the public as they live and travel in St. Louis. A unified district would improve service across the entire region, while remaining cost-neutral. Money that is today spent on operations could be redirected to equalize pay and benefits for firefighters throughout St. Louis City and County, as well as strengthen the resources available for fire protection and emergency medical services.”
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Nixon appoints Noble
Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Judge Michael Noble as circuit judge for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, which covers the city of St. Louis. He will fill the position created by the retirement of Judge John Garvey. Since Noble is black and Garvey is white, this is a net boost in diversity on the circuit bench. This is critical, since the only white candidate among the three provided to Nixon by the Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan process recently disallowed video of police brutality in a case where a cop was charged with striking a handcuffed teenage suspect. Nixon made a good choice.
New city manager in Ferguson
Ferguson City Council named De’Carlon Seewood, an African American, as its new city manager. He recently served as village manager for the Village of Richton Park, Illinois, population about 14,000. Seewood is no stranger to Ferguson. He served as assistant city manager in Ferguson from 2001 to 2007, and from 2007 to 2009 worked as the city manager for Berkley. He is a native of East St. Louis, has a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Rockhurst College in Kansas City and a master’s in public administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He will be paid an annual salary of $110,000. The previous Ferguson city manager, John Shaw, resigned after the Department of Justice report revealed him colluding with the police department and municipal court to raise city revenues through aggressive ticketing.
