When Tishaura O. Jones ran for City Treasurer promising change, she did not have in mind changing the parking restrictions outside Macy’s in downtown St. Louis. But in fact that was one of the first things she made a decision to change after reporting to duty after the new year.
“Macy’s called me saying the meters in front of their store had been changed from two hours to 15 minutes and they weren’t notified, so their customers were all getting park tickets and were frustrated,” Jones told The American on Friday.
“This happened right around Thanksgiving, the highest season for shoppers. I am happy to report this morning the sign was changed back to two hours for parking.”
Without referring to her predecessor by name – longtime Treasurer Larry Williams, who also is a longtime family friend – Jones learned fast a lot of damage had done that she must now undo.
“People have been calling and calling this office and not getting called back,” she said. Jones and her staff are now returning those calls and soliciting complaints from the public.
“I plan to hold listening sessions around the city to let people vent their frustrations and to let them know what our plans are,” she said. “What happened in the past was people come out of their homes or businesses to see something had changed without any prior notice.”
Jones also will change how widely job and contract opportunities and requests for proposals (RFPs) are announced by the office.
“I am just taking a look at all the contracts,” she said. “Just about everything will be contracted out anew. I want to make sure as many people are aware of the bidding process, as well RFPs. I want to develop a dynamic website that shares all the information available from the office.”
She wants to broaden access to information, in part, to diversify the office’s contracting, though she knows providing more information is also inviting more scrutiny.
“Transparency is a double-edged sword,” she said. “The more you reveal, the more questions are asked.”
She said that federal authorities – embroiled in an investigation of the office that has yielded two convictions with prison time and rampant speculation of more to come – have had no questions for her.
“They have not reached out to me,” she said of the feds. “The only legal matters I am aware of currently are some open case files for employees who were laid off after out-sourcing.”
Speaking of employees, has she discovered any “ghost employees” – individuals paid a salary who never report to work – lurking about the office?
“I will say that Fred Robinson received his termination letter today,” she said. “His position was eliminated.”
Fred W. Robinson is an alleged “ghost employee” of the office who also has been accused of embezzling money from a local charter school. Robinson has been the subject of many news reports in the Post-Dispatch.
“I expect a high degree of scrutiny from investigators and the Post,” she said. “I am ready for all prying eyes.”
Jones expects to be scrutinized for her working relationship with her father, former Comptroller Virvus Jones. Virvus Jones was an activist who helped establish the region’s first benchmarks for minority inclusion in government contracting and was one of the first citywide African-American elected officials to play hardball in city politics to bring about substantial change in the status quo. He resigned in 1995 and served prison time for tax fraud, convicted of a charge unrelated to any conduct in his office.
Her father managed her uphill but successful campaign for Treasurer but, she said, will not work for the office in any capacity.
“He will not have a role in the office. His responsibility is primarily related to my campaign going forward,” Tishaura O. Jones said.
“However, he is my dad and and he knows a little bit about St. Louis politics and how City Hall runs. I will be asking him as need be how to approach certain situations. If we have questions he will be called, but in an advisory capacity only.”
Does she intend to employ her father on staff or as a consultant to the office? She said, “No.”
Continuing with family matters, she confirms she remains a single woman with no current boyfriend. There is, however, an important young man in her life, her son Aden Jones, age 5. His priority in her life does much to explain why Jones is serving a citywide office in her hometown rather than moving up in the Democratic leadership in the Missouri House of Representatives, where she was assistant minority floor leader last session.
“He is really excited that I am home more now, but that makes it more difficult to leave even on short trips,” she said of her son. “He used to be more used to me being gone. Now that I’m home more it’s a big production whenever I go anywhere.”
Did she make a New Year’s resolution?
“I made two,” she said: “to be a good mom and to do a good job in this office.”
