More than nine months have passed since St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Rita Heard Days first introduced Bill No. 201, 2021, which included the fulfillment of St. Louis County’s legal obligation to issue municipal bonds for much-needed renovations and repairs to the America’s Center convention center complex. At Tuesday’s Council meeting, the bond issuance bill finally passed 6-1, with Councilman Ernie Trakas as the lone hold out.
The delay had been watched closely by local media, as the County has been on the hook for its half of the America’s Center expansion funding since 2019. A deal cut by Days’ predecessor, the late councilwoman, Hazel Erby, included the construction of a North St. Louis County recreation center as part of the bond package. However, the agreement included only a mechanism to fund the North County rec center project — not to design and build it. Further complicating the rec center’s construction was Erby’s agreement that funding would come from a county hotel tax, which saw a sharp decline in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result of Days’ delay, the region has lost an estimated $30 to $50 million in anticipated convention revenue, according to Explore St. Louis, the marketing organization responsible for selling St. Louis and St. Louis County as a convention, meeting and leisure destination.
And this was the exact basis that Days used to stall the County Council’s final vote on the bond issuance bill. Since July 2021, Days flexed and wielded her power as Council Chairwoman to block a vote on the bond issuance and to conceal the details of the publicly-funded project, threatening the viability and future of tourism in the St. Louis region.
But unless you were paying very close attention to a recent Post-Dispatch article, you may have missed a subtle quote by Clayco lobbyist (and former mayoral chief of staff) Jeff Rainford, commenting on the delay. Quoting from the article, Rainford affirmed that Clayco founder Bob Clark was “no longer fighting the convention center expansion.” As noted in Days’ MEC campaign finance reports, Rainford donated $1,600 to her campaign in 2021 – with the first contribution only a few weeks after Days introduced Bill 201, 2021.
The public, however, has been unaware that Clayco was fighting against the County’s legal obligation to advance the regional development project, primarily due to Days’ lack of transparency around the project. Emails produced under a Sunshine request revealed that Days had been in contact with developer Larry Chapman of Seneca Commercial Real Estate, despite refusing to share any details on the rec center project or even the identity of who provided cost estimates for the development. Until those emails were revealed, constituents were prevented from knowing most details on public funding for the $40 million project. This revelation, quietly tucked into the body of a longer article, illuminates some of Days’ financial reasons for delaying the issuance of the bonds for nearly the entire current legislative session of the County Council – but to what end?
As a result of Days’ delay, the region has lost an estimated $30 to $50 million in anticipated convention revenue, according to Explore St. Louis, the marketing organization responsible for selling St. Louis and St. Louis County as a convention, meeting and leisure destination. Also, according to regional industry insiders, contractors are hesitant to bid on and sign contracts for America’s Center because of funding concerns.
These unwarranted delays also mean that some scheduled meetings might cancel if there is continued uncertainty about the construction schedule. This also shortens the opportunity to book new business to replace any cancellations.
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Last week, dozens of protesters gathered outside of a private Central West End neighborhood during Steve Roberts Jr.’s congressional campaign launch to call attention to the multiple sexual assault allegations against the current Missouri state senator. In response, former Congressman Lacy Clay — who was soundly defeated by current Congresswoman Cori Bush — stepped out of political retirement to make remarks to the Post-Dispatch at his street sign dedication over the weekend and Roberts even sat down with KMOV to “clear his name.”
During his interview, Roberts denied allegations the late Cora Faith Walker made against him, of drugging and assaulting her. He dismissed the protesters outside his fundraiser as “Cori Bush supporters.” No one from Congresswoman Bush’s campaign was present at the demonstration, but here’s a list of individuals who attended the fundraiser: former Clay communications director Steve Engelhardt, who photographed demonstrators on several occasions; St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed; City Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly; controversial developer Paul McKee; and a number of Jefferson City lobbyists and Clay allies.
Roberts’ KMOV interview raised more questions about lawsuits against him, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and settlement agreements with his accusers. Roberts released his settlement agreement with Walker, who died in March, but notably did not release his settlement agreement with attorney Amy E. Harms, who was a law student at the time Roberts — then an assistant prosecutor under former circuit attorney Jennifer Joyce – allegedly sexually assaulted her at a bar in 2015. Harms, who collected hers and Walker’s police reports via open public records requests, stood alongside protesters outside of Roberts’ campaign event and raised issues with both assaults being sent to St. Charles County prosecuting attorney Tim Lohmar to investigate further.
Prosecuting attorneys generally do not ask elected officials from other counties to investigate sexual assault cases within their jurisdictions. So both of Roberts’ cases being sent to St. Charles County within about a year of each other should raise eyebrows. Even though SLMPD arrested Roberts in relation to Harms’ report, Lohmar’s office declined to file charges and cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing without speaking to Harms.
Walker, of course, was unable to defend herself against Roberts’ most recent attacks on her character and credibility. And KMOV contacted Harms after the station began airing advertisements for the “special” and with only four days to air time — the bulk of which fell during a holiday weekend and left her with no reasonable time to listen to Roberts’ interview and prepare a response.
In direct response to Roberts’ denial of her allegations against him, Harms released her agreement with Roberts to The Intercept, a national publication, which revealed the $100,000 settlement payment by Roberts to Harms. The Roberts campaign said Roberts did not make the payment. Instead an insurance company made “the business decision” to pay the $100,000, Simonne Kimble, deputy communications director for the Roberts campaign sent a statement.
“Here goes Cori Bush and her supporters again…recycling false negative stories in an attempt to distract from her indefensible voting record. This false allegation was thoroughly investigated by the St. Louis Police Department and an independent prosecutor. It was dropped because it did not happen. In a separate civil matter, against the wishes of Mr. Roberts, an insurance company reached a settlement agreement, which Ms. Harms has now violated. Steve Roberts, nor anyone in the Roberts family, paid anyone a dime.
KMOV’s program omitted the perspectives of Harms and the late Walker and left other questions unanswered, including: Why would Roberts release the agreement with one accuser, who is deceased, and not the other?
Some supporters of the women who have accused Roberts have called for the immediate suspension of his congressional campaign and for his resignation as senator from the Missouri General Assembly. The Missouri Democratic Party has failed to take any meaningful action to censure Roberts.
