Mayor Francis G. Slay is nearing his August 5 deadline to select the seven civilian oversight board members. And, there’s guarded hope that the mayor is taking great care to choose a diverse slate. His office has been nudging the aldermen to get in their recommendations (because, as the EYE reported last week, few aldermen chimed in initially), and meeting with Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCR) to hear their recommendations. Surely he’s been meeting with the police association leaders as well.
After the mayor announces his selection, the Board of Aldermen will review them and hold a series of public meetings to get the community’s input on the candidates. The aldermen will approve seven members on November 7.
The civilian oversight board will have a representative from each of seven districts. Some districts had more applicants than others. And some had more like-minded applicants than others. CAPCR has provided the community and aldermen with a great resource on their website, http://capcr-stl.org. You can click on the candidates’ names and view their applications.
The EYE read through all 49 applications and has selected a few in each district that merit a close look from the mayor and aldermen.
District 1 (Wards 2, 3, 21 and 27)
There were several standout applicants in this group.
Ferguson movement leader Jonathan Cornelius Pulphus Jr., 20, is a Saint Louis University student who also co-founded the activist group Tribe X. The group initiated the first “die-in,” which became a staple of the movement. This past year, he’s proven that although he’s young he is ready to lead. CAPCR is recommending Pulphus.
Scharad Hutchins, a Harris-Stowe State University graduate, is a special education teacher in the St. Louis Public Schools. He earned his doctorate in educational administration from Maryville University. He’s the only applicant that cited working within the public schools, and the EYE believes having a board member who works directly with children would be a great asset.
Ciera Simril, 27, is a U.S. Bank teller and community activist in the 27th Ward. Her alderman, Chris Carter, is recommending her. She said she facilitated the neighborhood ownership model since 2011 in the North Pointe neighborhood. A University of Missouri St. Louis graduate, Simril interned with the St. Louis American and wrote some columns, including one titled “Hold yourself accountable,” encouraging people to vote. She was great to work with here, and CAPCR gave her high marks as well.
District Two (Wards 5, 6, 18 and 19)
Another district packed with great applicants.
J. Justin Meehan is a white civil-rights attorney and lifetime member of the NAACP and Mound City Bar Association. (Not to mention, he’s a Kung Fu master and teaches tai chi.) In 2006, American columnist Bernie Hayes included Meehan in an article titled, “Some black heroes were white!” He’s widely known as a longtime activist and attorney in the black community. Meehan stated that he has many good friends who are police, and he’s defended police accused of excessive force. He understands law and the “very dangerous” job police have. We like Meehan a lot, and so does CAPCR.
Jane Abbott-Morris, who is African-American, has been an Equal Employment Opportunity specialist and investigator for 35 years, running her own business Human Resources Select Services. A St. Louis native, she lives in the 6th Ward and was born in 1951. Her investigating skills rated high on CAPCR’s ranking system.
Dane Muckler is a white Saint Louis University doctorate student (born in 1983) who served as a legal observer during Ferguson protests. He wrote about his experience in his application and said he witnessed police treating nonviolent protestors roughly. But he also witnessed how officers have the difficult job of having to react quickly to potentially dangerous threats.
You also have Barbara Cole, an 18th Ward resident who works for the Social Security Administration; Nathan Ivy, a community outreach representative for Washington University School of Medicine (born in 1970); and Jeanette Culpepper, who has been leading the New Year’s Eve vigils for homicide victims in the city for many years. Cole has support from Alderman Terry Kennedy.
District Three (Wards 1, 4, 22 and 26)
Although only four candidates came out of this district, they were also some of the most elaborate applications.
According to his extensive resume and letters of recommendation, attorney George C. Perry Jr. attended Benton Elementary and graduated from Beaumont High School in 1966. He began his legal career in upstate New York, and in the 1980s, he served as a New York State assistant attorney general. His community involvement includes being a director of a cultural center in Harlem. Alderman Sam Moore recommended Perry.
DeBorah Ahmed, co-founder of Better Family Life Inc., supplied the mayor’s office with pages and pages about her leadership in community development and the arts. Better Family Life has been a bedrock for job development in the black community, along with housing development.
Jazmin T. Wilson is in her 20s and works in the medical field. In her application, she said her life experience with police has been stressful. “I have been caught up in a vicious cycle of excessive fines,” she stated. “I have worked very hard to clear my record.” Alderman Frank Williamson recommended her.
District Four (Wards 7, 8, 9 and 17)
There were 12 applicants for this district, but only one really stood out, and not just to the EYE.
Both Alderman Steve Conway and CAPCR are backing Lawrence Johnson, a retired lawyer. Johnson is a 8th Ward resident born in 1946. He earned his law degree from Boston College Law School in 1975. He serves on the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association and is involved in the Unity Christ Church. He’s received awards from the NAACP.
District Five (Wards 11, 12, 13, and 16)
This district didn’t have any familiar or diverse faces. However, Mary Jo Williams, a white medical scheduler for SSM Health, stated that she sat on the social justice committee at her church Our Lady of Sorrows. She was born in 1955.
Alderwoman Donna Baringer is recommending two candidates:
Donald C. Orf, Jr. (born in 1959) is a procurement director for Anheuser-Busch/InBev and a member of the St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association. He said, “It’s incumbent upon the COB to understand and to use the investigative tools at its disposal as well as the rights and limits of the charter and to act.”
Bradley T. Arteaga is a white business owner and a board member on the Second District Police Association.
District Six (Wards 14, 15, 20 and 25)
In this district, three aldermen – Megan Ellyia Green, Shane Cohn and Cara Spencer – combined to recommend three candidates.
The trio recommended these candidates:
Heather Highland is a Latina attorney for Fredman & Fredman P.C. Born in 1976, she lives in the 25th Ward and turned in letters of recommendation from State Rep. Michael Colona and Associate Circuit Judge Michael W. Noble.
Jeanette Brown is a staff counselor at the Karis House Community Counseling Center. Brown, who is black, lives in the 14th Ward and was born in 1952.
Craig Scrandrett-Leatherman is a white public technology assistant at the St. Louis Public Library and a Ferguson activist. He has a Ph.D. in anthropology.
CAPCR supports their picks as well.
Good thing, too, because Alderwoman Carol Howard recommended Patrick Maloney, who ran the public information office for the St. Louis Department of Public Safety from 1999 to 2005. Yeah.
District 7 (Wards 10, 23, 24 and 28)
Jeffrey Carter is an anesthesiologist/physician for Ballas Anesthesia Inc., where he is the president of the group medical practice. He lives in the 28th Ward and was born in 1965. He is a committee member of the Federation of State Medical Boards. He stated, “My experience on our state medical board since 2009 gives me much experience in evaluating complaints against members of various medical professions in Missouri.” CAPCR is recommending Carter.
Alderwoman Lyda Krewson recommended Stephen Rovak, a white corporate lawyer who was born in 1948 and is a Harvard Law grad. He stated he’s the co-chair of the Mediation Committee of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR). CPR’s website says it’s a nonprofit “that helps global businesses prevent and resolve commercial disputes.” The EYE hears that St. Louis City Counselor Winston Calvert knows and likes Rovak.
Alderman Joseph Vollmer recommended Joseph Barbaglia, a small business owner who is a member of the St. Louis Police Business Association.
For more information, visit the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression website, http://capcr-stl.org.
