When the Board of Aldermen confirmed six of seven Civilian Oversight Board (COB) members on October 23, the District 3 seat was left unfilled. This was the result of Deborah Ahmed’s withdrawal of her name for consideration. According to our interpretation of the legislation, the mayor has 30 days from that date to put forward a new nominee from that District. That timeline has been confirmed to us by Alderman Terry Kennedy.
The Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCR) recently contacted the mayor’s office for an update, and learned that the mayor had opened up his application process so that newly interested persons from District 3 could put forward their names for consideration. Those who had applied earlier, the mayor’s office said, are still eligible.
The mayor has set no deadline for new applications, nor did his office seem aware of the 30-day window for nominees. We found no announcement on the mayor’s website about the current application process, and the online application itself has no mention of dates.
“The mayor’s office has done too little to publicize the opportunity for new applicants, so it is not surprising that no new candidates have filed,” Jamala Rogers, said co-chairperson for CAPCR.
“Along with the excellent District 3 candidates who applied earlier, we are hoping that others might step forward who would expand the diversity of the COB. The current makeup of the Board lacks the insights that would come from someone with mental health training or the perspective of a young black male.”
The mayor must notify the Board of Aldermen of his new nominee by November 23. That leaves little time for a new applicant to come forward. We suggest that anyone interested contact the mayor’s office so that the vetting process can begin even before they complete the official application.
That application can be accessed at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/documents/upload/COB-Application-2015.pdf.
