Henry Shannon, one of the St. Louis region’s critical educational and civic leaders, is setting sail for a new position on the West Coast without any real attempt by local leaders to retain his dynamic personality and effective leadership at the helm of the St. Louis Community College District.
While this nonchalant attitude toward Shannon’s departure should not be excused, the alleged effort by some union leaders, City officials and media representatives to run Fire Chief Sherman George out of his prominent position is despicable.
As reported in today’s St. Louis American, a firefighter’s wife – also the mother of a St. Louis Fire Department recruit – claimed Chris Molitor, president of the local firefighters’ union, aggressively pursued her for information that could put George’s administration in a bad light. (Molitor denied this claim.) This same information turned up in the office of George’s boss, City Director of Public Safety Sam Simon, as an “anonymous complaint.” (Molitor denied that the union made the complaint.)
The complaint was forwarded to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and an investigation promptly was underway, as was dutifully reported by KSDK and the Post-Dispatch.
It is possible to conclude from this chain of events that there is a calculated action to damage George’s reputation and wrest control of the department from him – or, at the very least, a failure by City officials and local media to do due diligence to stymie an agenda to discredit the black chief who has stood up for black firefighters and in so doing upset business as usual.
While Simon denied allegations that he is complicit in an attempt to end George’s tenure as fire chief, no other official serving the City of St. Louis receives the constant, unwarranted scrutiny and mistrust that George faces. If George’s job is not in jeopardy, Mayor Francis G. Slay should come forward and state that fact. Instead, he dances around inquiries and offers shallow platitudes.
Also, is the American the lone media entity that thinks George is a resource worth protecting – or even covering fairly? KSDK Newschannel 5 reports on George seem at times to be directed and produced by the chief’s adversaries within the union (and, allegedly, City Hall). The Post-Dispatch – which has broke major stories about County fire districts – seems to regurgitate Newschannel 5’s unbalanced reporting when it comes to the city fire department.
While some of the consternation can be traced back to a federal lawsuit filed by F.I.R.E involving testing and promotions, George has been under a microscope since he replaced long-time Fire Chief Neil Svetanics.
Clearly there are still firefighters, union officials and City employees who do not appreciate having an African-American fire chief – especially one who responds to the specific concerns of black firefighters, as well as the rest of his department.
When it comes to public safety, race should play no factor. Yet, the ongoing attacks on George’s leadership and the persistent attempts to find fault with him are certainly forcing him to consider throwing up his hands and abandoning the office. They also continue to polarize a city that badly needs to transcend the divisions that have set it back for so long and threaten its future growth and prosperity. Make no mistake: Black St. Louis, with so few leaders of its own, sees attacks on Chief George as attacks on Black St. Louis.
According to the firefighter’s wife (and mother of another future firefighter), Molitor said that key City officials “are sick of the fire chief.” This, if true, is deeply troubling. And this much we know is true: There is a steep price to pay for the racism that holds back St. Louis.