ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The chairwoman of the St. Louis county council announced they will be looking into claims about County Executive Sam Page’s secondary work.
This week St. Louis County officials have been dealing with a variety of employee and employment issues.
Ward 3 County Councilman Dennis Hancock was almost removed from his seat by a quo warranto motion after claims of nepotism.
“On Tuesday afternoon, the county executive's office released a statement that said I was being a distraction and I should resign. That's not going to happen. And if anybody's being a distraction at this point, it's the county executive,” Hancock said.
Hancock hired his stepdaughter as an assistant and said he wasn't aware that was in violation of the Missouri Constitution.
“If I was removed from the council, then I wouldn't have been able to vote on the bill to allow the county council to hire their own attorneys, and put that on the ballot for the voters to decide,” Hancock said.
County Executive Sam Page was seen working at Saint Louis University Hospital leading to questions from county council members. Dr. Page is an anesthesiologist and has come under fire for accusations of double dipping before.
Two years ago voters made it clear they didn't want the county executive doing any other job except being the county executive.
5 On Your Side received this statement from Page’s office, “Dr. Page does volunteer at SLU Hospital a few hours a week when he has time. He is passionate about giving back and using his skills and experience to help medical students. Dr. Page is proud to volunteer and encourages others to give back to the community as well. He and his policy team are working on a proposal that would allow St. Louis County employees to take time off to volunteer. Many of the best workplaces in the country understand the value this brings to their workforces, and we want to provide as many opportunities as we can to improve morale, engage with our community and demonstrate that St. Louis County government cares about its employees and its communities. We encourage the council to join us in these efforts.”
County Council Chairwoman Shalonda Webb is still concerned about the issue and reopened the ethics committee to look into the matter releasing this statement Thursday, “The accusations against County Executive Page regarding his employment are alarming, and if true, reveal a deeply troubling betrayal of public trust. The Office of the County Executive is full-time with no days off. The people of St. Louis County spoke loud and clear in 2022 when they voted to approve the measure barring county executives from secondary work. The citizens of this county demand transparency and accountability, yet here we are again faced with potential misconduct. That is why I am re-establishing the ethics committee immediately because people deserve answers, and they deserve them now. The very integrity of our leadership is at stake.”
Hancock said he agrees with the move, and as a council, they'll use tools at their disposal to get those answers; like the ability to subpoena information.
“There apparently are some records that he's been receiving reimbursements from Medicaid. So if he's not working, if he's volunteering, why is he submitting for reimbursement for Medicaid?” Hancock asked.