On Monday, July 6, St. Louis city aldermen presented the mayor with 38 applications of individuals who want to serve on the city’s civilian oversight board.
By law, the Board of Aldermen had until July 6 to give Mayor Francis Slay their recommendations for the seven-member board, which will review and investigate allegations of police misconduct and make broader policy recommendations regarding police practices.
According to the civilian oversight bill, which Slay signed into law on May 6, the mayor has the power to select the seven members of the civilian oversight board. However, he must choose them from a list of the Board of Aldermen’s recommendations. The aldermen have authority to confirm or reject the mayor’s nominations. A public hearing on the nominations is required to allow for public input.
The mayor’s spokeswoman Maggie Crane said prior to the July 6 deadline, the mayor’s office received 27 applications directly and gave them to the aldermen for consideration. The aldermen added an additional 11 names to the list and gave them back to the mayor.
The application form for board appointees – which is almost identical to the one Governor Jay Nixon uses for appointees on the state level – is nine pages long and asks applicants to disclose a variety of personal information, including if they have ever filed for bankruptcy or if they are behind on child support payments.
It also has “the box” – which the mayor banned in October for city job applicants – that asks them to disclose whether they have ever been convicted of a felony. The application further asks, “Have you ever, as an adult, been charged with any crime or arrested for any crime for which you were not convicted, excluding traffic offenses where the fine imposed was less than $100?”
Jamala Rogers, a founder of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCR), said the questions contradict the mayor’s efforts in the fall to “ban the box,” which was meant to remove employment barriers for people convicted of crimes.
“How is this encouraging people to participate in the democratic process?” said Rogers, a longtime advocate for civilian review. “Filling out nine pages, and then the questions are intrusive. I think it’s a very intimidating and non-encouraging process, and it starts with that application.”
Crane said having been arrested or even having a minor or expunged conviction will not disqualify a candidate from consideration.
“In fact, it may add to an applicant’s qualifications by bringing a different experience and perspective to the board,” she said.
Rogers said the application process has been anything but fluid, and the mayor’s office failed to communicate their process to CAPCR, who helped to draft the civilian oversight bill. When the group initially heard that there would not be a formal application for board candidates, Rogers said the activist group created their own application to help the aldermen and mayor make their decisions.
The group received 21 applications, which they rated and then gave to the aldermen. However, on CACPR’s June 5 deadline for their applications, the mayor presented his own application form. Rogers said they have been telling all of those who applied through CAPCR that they also need to fill out the mayor’s application, but she is not sure how many people wanted to “jump through another hoop.”
The mayor is still accepting applications, Crane said, and he intends to return a list of nominations to the Board of Aldermen by August 5, which was outlined in the timeline when the ordinance became law.
To access the application form, visit https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/initiatives/civilian-oversight-board-application-process.cfm Or contact Patrick Brown, the mayor’s deputy chief of staff, at brownpa@stlouis-mo.gov.
Follow this reporter on Twitter @rebeccarivas.
