最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS 鈥� Prompted by a series of whistleblower complaints, the 最新杏吧原创 Board of Aldermen moved quickly last year to ask the state to audit the powerful department that oversees the city鈥檚 workforce.

But in the 12 months since aldermen passed a June 2024 resolution requesting a full audit of the 最新杏吧原创 Department of Personnel, the has no report to release.

That鈥檚 because the audit never even started.

Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick鈥檚 office says despite aldermen passing a resolution seeking a state audit, it wasn鈥檛 quite the language the office needed.

鈥淭hey may have passed it, but they never sent it to us as their official request to our office to initiate an audit,鈥� Trevor Fox, spokesman for the state auditor, said Wednesday.

Board of Aldermen officials dispute that. Clerk Terry Kennedy shared a copy of the signed resolution and a Sept. 18 letter sent to Fitzpatrick that 鈥渞equests your office to conduct an audit related to complaints received by City of 最新杏吧原创 employees ... that are outlined in the documents received by the Missouri State Auditor鈥檚 Office.鈥�

The debate surrounding an audit that never took place has gained fresh attention after Gov. Mike Kehoe appointed former Personnel Director Sonya Jenkins-Gray to the newly formed 最新杏吧原创 Board of Police Commissioners, which oversees the city鈥檚 police department.

While a preliminary report from the auditor鈥檚 office on an August 2023 whistleblower complaint found there may have been violations of city rules on hiring for some high-profile positions, including Jenkins-Gray and police Chief Robert Tracy, it said there was 鈥渘o indication of fraud or corruption.鈥�

However, last year鈥檚 aldermanic resolution says subsequent whistleblower complaints were sent to the auditor鈥檚 office. Less is known about their contents.

鈥淚t鈥檚 come to light there have been several whistleblower complaints against a city department,鈥� the resolution鈥檚 sponsor, Alderman Bret Narayan of Dogtown, said last summer. 鈥淚 think we have an obligation when there are whistleblower complaints and the state auditor comes in and says that it appears that there鈥檚 some impropriety, I believe we have an obligation to allow the state to look further into that.鈥�

But until the Post-Dispatch began asking about it last week, no one seemed to notice the audit hadn鈥檛 begun.

The auditor鈥檚 office said that after it received the September letter, it was in contact with the Board of Aldermen about clarifying the language in the resolution to commit the city to pay the estimated $80,000 to $125,000 for state staff time conducting such an investigation. After sending over revised language, it never heard back, Fox, the auditor鈥檚 spokesman, said.

鈥淚f they send us the language we need verifying they will pay the cost of the audit, we will put it on our audit plan and commence when we have staff resources available,鈥� Fox said.

But Aldermanic President Megan Green鈥檚 office said the city counselor advised against amending the language in the resolution.

鈥淔rom our perspective, the Board fulfilled its obligation to initiate the process by passing the resolution and notifying the State Auditor鈥檚 Office,鈥� Green spokesman Yusuf Daneshyar said. 鈥淧resident Green still believes the audit is necessary. Moreover, recent changes to state law now allow the auditor鈥檚 office to initiate the process without a formal resolution and should begin the audit as soon as possible.鈥�

When the resolution was introduced last year, Narayan was adamant, urging a vote to suspend the rules so it could be added to the agenda at the last minute and arguing against further discussion in committee. Narayan said the preliminary investigation from the auditor found issues of noncompliance and that 鈥渆ither we鈥檙e a society with rules or we aren鈥檛.鈥�

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important we move forward with this and let the state auditor do their job,鈥� he said then.

Jenkins-Gray said at the time she wasn鈥檛 concerned about an audit and the department would fix any issues found. Then-Mayor Tishaura O. Jones鈥� office said it welcomed the review. Alderwoman Sharon Tyus of Kingsway East said an audit could ultimately benefit Jenkins-Gray.

鈥淚 want her name to be cleared,鈥� Tyus said then.

Jared Boyd, Jones鈥� chief of staff, said in a recent interview the 最新杏吧原创 Firefighters Association (IAFF Local 73) had been discussing the whistleblower allegations with aldermen. The union had fought Jenkins-Gray鈥檚 appointment in 2022 and at one point asked former Director Rick Frank to come out of retirement and apply for his old job again.

While Jones would eventually take the unprecedented step of firing Jenkins-Gray in March, the former mayor鈥檚 relationship with the personnel director was still intact in June 2024. It was Jenkins-Gray鈥檚 ill-fated trip to Jefferson City the next month 鈥� when a subordinate used a city vehicle to take her there during work hours 鈥� that would draw the ire of the mayor鈥檚 office weeks later. By the end of Jenkins-Gray鈥檚 pre-termination hearings this winter, the firefighters union was donating to her legal fund.

But last summer, the union was still pushing the allegations against Jenkins-Gray, Boyd said.

鈥淭hey bypassed us and went directly to the Board of Aldermen,鈥� Boyd said of the whistleblower complaints and request for state audit.

Dan Clark, president of the firefighters union, said Saturday that鈥檚 not true. He and Narayan, who last year carried a pension bill that was a major firefighters union priority, said it was President Green鈥檚 office that pushed for the audit. And Narayan said it was still important.

鈥淚 believe that any time that there are whistleblower complaints, they deserve to be looked at,鈥� he said.

Jenkins-Gray was one of five people named by the governor to the new police board on June 23.

The board鈥檚 first meeting is at 9 a.m. Thursday at police headquarters, 1915 Olive.