ST. LOUIS — Protests are being planned, predictions are being made and sadness is spreading across political leaders as news that three high profile leaders of the Black caucus have been indicted on multiple counts of bribery and wire fraud.
Board of Alderman Lewis Reed told 5 On Your Side’s Mark Maxwell Thursday he has no plans of resigning just moments after he was indicted for three federal crimes that could land him a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Almost immediately, political leaders took to Twitter to announce a protest was being planned for Friday morning before Reed is to preside over a Board of Alderman meeting.
Alderman Jeffrey Boyd is facing a maximum sentence of 55 years for all four counts he has been dealt.
And Alderman John Collins-Muhammad is looking at 35 years.
Collins-Muhammad resigned weeks ago, but Boyd and Reed remain in power – for now.
The men have all been critical of Mayor Tishaura Jones – with Reed running against her for mayor.
Twenty-third Ward Alderman Joe Vaccaro has been a close ally with all three men, saying they represent the more moderate-minded political leaders on the Board of Alderman.
On Thursday, Vaccaro said he was “shocked” by the indictments.
“It upset my stomach,” he said. “I'm disappointed.
“And again, these are my friends. And I don't know what they were thinking.”
He stopped short of calling for resignations from Reed and Boyd.
“I think they need to look where they’re at and make that decision on their own,” Vaccaro said. “If John, Lewis and Jeffrey go, and we’ve already had two others go, I think we won't even have enough people there to actually pass anything.
“And there seems to be a big divide between the very progressive side and the very moderate side.”
Fifteenth Ward Alderwoman Megan Green is among the progressive members of the board.
“My first reaction was sadness,” she said. “Sadness for our city.
“I think that this is just indicative of a very broken system that we've had in City Hall for a long time. And unfortunately, the people that suffer most through issues like this are the residents.”
Green said Thursday afternoon she wanted to gather more information about the allegations before deciding whether she will call for resignations, but added she is hopeful that progressives will have a better chance at getting their agenda addressed now that the power of the board is in flux. Two aldermen resigned earlier this year for unrelated reasons, and next year, the number of aldermen will be reduced following a vote to do so.
“Right now, it's very much an insider’s system, an insider's game for how to get access,” she said. “And we need to fundamentally change that entire system.
“We need to make it so that it's fair.”
Green said she hopes to revisit some bills blocked by Reed and Boyd.
“Many of our bills have been sent to committees to die every time we've tried to implement any kind of reform,” she said. “So hopefully now is the time were we actually look critically and seriously at issues of impropriety that exist throughout city government and go back to some of those bills that never saw the light of day.”
Even though two of the three accused aldermen remain in their seats, 5 On Your Side’s political analyst Anita Manion said there is already a shift in power, which code bode well for the mayor.
“This is enormous,” Manion said. “Lewis Reed and the others stood as sort of a bulwark for that more traditional kind of corporate, more moderate aligned wall.
“And now with them potentially gone, that really changes the landscape of St. Louis politics.”
She, too, said she would like to see city leaders begin a reform process in the wake of the allegations.
“The aldermen do have such power over these tax abatements, which can add up to tens, and even hundreds of millions of dollars, and so, when you have that sort of power over those sort of financial implications, and it's sort of a rubber stamp, that does open the doors for possibilities of corruption,” she said.
Mayor Jones was unavailable for comment after testing positive for COVID-19, so her office issued a statement reacting to the indictments: "Mayor Jones is deeply troubled by the allegations outlined by the US Attorney against Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, Alderman John Collins-Muhammad, and President Lewis Reed. Our office will monitor this case as it progresses through the legal system."
Comptroller Darlene Green serves alongside Jones and Reed on the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, which approves all city real estate purchases, appropriations and the city’s budget.
Her office also released a statement, which read: "Comptroller Darlene Green is saddened and disappointed by the actions asserted in today’s indictment of President Lewis Reed, Alderman Jeffrey Boyd and former Alderman John Collins-Muhammad. Comptroller Green believes St. Louis city residents deserve elected officials who look out for the people’s interests."
In a letter sent to the clerk of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, Lewis Reed requested 10th Ward Alderman Joe Vollmer preside over board meetings until further notice.
Citizens and fellow aldermen said they were shocked by the federal indictments.
"My reaction would first be wow, because he's done a lot of good things in the neighborhood,” said Belinda Alexander about her 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd.
She's was stunned after hearing Boyd, Reed and Collins-Muhammad have now been indicted on federal theft and bribery charges.
"I'm having a hard time believing that. He's a good guy in my book," said Alexander.
"Horrible shock. Big shock. Earthquake-size shock" said Fifth Ward Alderman James Page.
The bombshell sent shockwaves across the community and among the board of aldermen.
"I was busy doing my work for my constituents when all of a sudden all of my technology started blowing up,“ said Page.
And despite the allegations, there's still support for the embattled aldermen.
"I take all of this as allegations at this point until my colleagues have their day in court, " said Page.
"I'm gonna stick by him until the end,” said Belinda Alexander.