CLAYTON, Mo. — Just months after former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger was sent to federal prison for steering county contracts to his political donors one councilman is asking if politics still plays a role in who can win the county's business.
Specifically, Councilman Tim Fitch wants to know if a company bidding on work in a county park has given money to any elected county official.
Fitch asked during Tuesday’s council meeting whether Chiodini Architects had made any political contributions to County Executive Sam Page. The county was considering the firm for a contract of up to $500,000 to design a recreation complex at Queeny Park, which is in Fitch's district. The construction is estimated to cost between $4 and $5 million.
He asked the county's parks director, Tom Ott, the same question in an email before the meeting, and read the response before the council.
"In our discussion before yesterday’s County Council meeting, you asked me to investigate the political contributions of a company that won a competition for a county contract. I believe that you have asked me to do something that is beyond the scope of my job description and your authority as a council member. Therefore, I am not going to do it. The contract you mentioned was awarded after a process in complete accord within a framework crafted by your predecessor."
Fitch said he was caught off guard by Ott's response.
"If we don't ask these questions, who will?" he said.
When nobody would answer Fitch's question during the meeting, Fitch said he was left with "no choice" but to drop the item from the agenda.
"It's a simple question. Yes or no?" Fitch asked in an interview Wednesday.
"I want to know ahead of time - if my name's on the legislation - if there was anything going on politically with these contracts," Fitch said.
The county's Executive Director of Operations Mike Chapman says "non-political" civil servants made the decision to hire Chiodini Architects.
As for any political donation Fitch asked about, "I have no evidence what he's asking for has any merit," Chapman said.
Instead, Chapman says Fitch's request of the parks director is what looks suspicious to him.
"I worked with the Stenger administration briefly...I know that Stenger used to check the political contributions of potential contractors before he would sign off so this cuts very close to home for me," Chapman said.
Fitch says he's just being "proactive" and asking questions that someone should have asked when Stenger was handing out contracts to donors.
One thing both camps agree on: the work at Queeny Park needs to be done and could still happen.
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