Speaking of Gov. Blunt and silent black elected officials, the governor somehow sneaked developer Chris Goodson onto the St. Louis Police board, and nary a discouraging word was heard. In a city that is more than 50 percent black, where darn near 100 percent of the people involved in questionable police shootings are black, where the Board of Aldermen is in the midst of a heated debate over a civilian police review board, Blunt appoints a friend and backer to this critical position.
Goodson, president of the Near Southside Improvement Corp. and principal partner in Gilded Age, a firm redeveloping the old City Hospital into condominiums, has done nothing to deserve this curious appointment by Blunt. Goodson would replace Susan C.J. Rollins, whose term is expiring. She came on the Police Board in March 2002 and has served as its president since May. Jo Ann Freeman would be the lone African American on the five-member board.
While the Police Board needs to have more than a single black member, the Eye must also point out that neither Rollins nor Freeman had much to say to the community about their work, its importance or where they really stand on key issues of importance, including police residency.
Goodson has made several wishy-washy statements on city police officers’ residency requirement. The Eye’s guess is that he will soon side with GOP office holders in Jefferson City and try to remove the residency requirement, comfortable in the knowledge that his patron Blunt would sign the bill into law in a second. Goodson’s appointment still must be approved by the state Senate. Nary a Democrat from this region should vote for Goodson. Sen. Maida Coleman must lead the charge against this outrageous and insulting appointment.