ST. LOUIS — Eighteen people applied to the governor’s office to become his appointee to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced she will be resigning effective June 1 following years of criticism from victims, defendants and their families over a lack of communication, multiple delays, dismissed cases and charges never issued.
In a letter shared on May 4, Gardner said she was resigning to stop a bill from advancing in the Missouri legislature that she said would have stripped the right to vote for the prosecutor from city residents.
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Gov. Mike Parson must appoint a replacement, which he said he plans to have in place when she leaves office. The governor’s office would not release the names of the people who submitted applications, which were due at noon Monday.
A spokeswoman for the governor confirmed the office plans to narrow that list to six, and then have the governor interview the top two or three candidates to be in place when Gardner's resignation takes effect.
David Mueller, a defense attorney, confirmed he is among those to have applied for the position. He announced he would run against Gardner in the 2024 election after Gardner announced she is planning to seek the office again.
"St. Louis wants and deserves a progressive prosecutor aligned with the collective vision of our voters and city leaders," Mueller wrote in a statement. "I didn't need to be asked to run, I saw firsthand that the house was on fire and brought my own bucket.
"I know what needs to be done and I am ready to get started today."
Former Alderman Mike Gras, a municipal prosecutor in St. Louis County, also added his name to the mix.
"I would be happy to also run next year if the Governor wants me to, but if he just wants a temp caretaker for the appointment and not someone interested in running, I'd be honored to do that too," Gras told 5 On Your Side.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has said she would prefer the Governor's appointee serve as a "caretaker," and not a candidate.
Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said whoever takes the interim role would likely be too preoccupied with rebuilding and repairing the office to mount an effective election campaign at the same time.
"The person who goes in initially with the appointment should not necessarily be the person that that has that office after the next election," Joyce said.
"You can't do that job while you're running for office at the same time," she said.
Mueller said he disagrees with the mayor's characterization.
"Who they are going to bring in, that's crucial when you're talking about the staff that's going to come in, and there are a lot of leadership positions to fill," Mueller said. "I think you want a person that has the values of the city, of the community to come in and fill those positions so those values align.
"I hope to convince the Mayor as well that this is the right move to go forward and that it is the right move to put in a progressive prosecutor now, not wait 19 months for now for the city to put one in. Does it help my campaign? I don't know. I'm not a politician. I won't pretend to say I know the ins and outs and the next three dimensional chess thinking that should go into this. All I know is the house is on fire. The right person needs to go in. I've got my bucket and I'm ready to go."
Former Assistant Circuit Attorney Patrick Hamacher's name is among the list of applicants, though he declined to discuss whether the appointee should also be a political candidate.
5 On Your Side has confirmed through multiple sources familiar with the process that Judge Michael Noble and former Judge Michael Mullen are also among the contenders.
Noble has accused Gardner and one of her former assistant circuit attorneys of indirect criminal contempt for missing a trial date and subsequent hearing on the matter, and called Gardner’s office a “rudderless ship of chaos.”
Criminal defense attorney Raphael Morris was also among the early contenders, but it is unclear whether he has filed an application.
In a post on Monday afternoon, he revealed he would not be pursuing the position.
As the search for Gardner’s replacement continues, so does the Missouri Attorney General’s quest to oust her from office immediately. He filed a lawsuit against her in February seeking to remove her from office, claiming she has “willfully neglected her duties” as a prosecutor.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has also accused Gardner of taking nursing classes at St. Louis University’s School of Nursing instead of “devoting her entire time and energy to the office for which she was elected,” as required by law. Gardner is seeking to block Bailey’s subpoena for her school records.
After Kim Gardner resigned, find out what's next for St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office below: