How Comptroller Darlene Green Saved Her Own Job and Blocked a Charter Commission Goal

How Comptroller Darlene Green Saved Her Own Job and Blocked a Charter Commission Goal

The proposal to eliminate the Comptroller's Office in St. Louis met a perfect storm of resistance Monday night. It didn't survive.

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July 24, 2024 | 5 min reading time

How Comptroller Darlene Green saved her own job and blocked a charter commission goal

The longtime St. Louis city official proved that she's still got it.

BY RYAN KRULL

JULY 3, 2024

3:09 PM

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DARLENE GREEN, FLICKR

St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green, photographed at her 2017 inauguration.

The proposal to eliminate the Comptroller's Office in St. Louis met a perfect storm of resistance Monday night. It didn't survive.

Last month, the city's Charter Commission put forth seven proposals to amend the document that serves as the city's constitution-with a goal no less than remaking St. Louis government. The most ambitious of the proposals, if approved by voters, would have eliminated the job held by Darlene Green for almost three decades.

But at Monday's meeting at the Julia Davis Library on Natural Bridge Avenue, the commission took 90 minutes of heated public feedback. Speaker after speaker took to the podium in a packed, standing-room-only space to express their anger.

Some members of the public spoke against proposals unrelated to the comptroller. For instance, two firefighters spoke in opposition to a proposal that would allow the mayor to directly appoint the fire and police chiefs, circumventing the Civil Service Commission. One resident asserted that the proposal to move city municipal elections to even number years would "further eliminate our democratic process in St. Louis."

But for the most part, the speakers were upset about the idea of Green being ejected from city government. "We are not supportive of this commission at all," said Melinda Long. "The way that the government in City Hall is managed is fine. Darlene Green does an exceptional job."

Ward 7 Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, who attended the meeting, said she was both surprised and not surprised by the response Monday night. "It was clear that a lot of community members, particularly Black North Side community members, were extremely alarmed and opposed to the cutting of the comptroller position," Sonnier says.

The Office of the Comptroller has historically been a source of Black political power in the city, dating back to at least the 1970s. Ollie Stewart, 92, put it this way at the podium Monday: "We earned the Comptroller's Office. No one gave it to us." In the past 35 years, the office-one of three seats on the city's powerful Board of Estimate & Apportionment, which must approve all city contracts-has been held by just two people: Mayor Tishaura Jones' father Virvus, who served from 1988 until resigning in 1995, after pleading guilty to income tax fraud, and Green. Appointed to finish the remainder of Jones' term, Green has won re-election every four years for three decades.

Sonnier also noted that it was the first public meeting of the Charter Commission to be held in North City. Crucially, it was also the first meeting of the commission after it released concrete proposals. "You often really receive public input when you have an actual product that you have brought forward, and obviously that's when it kind of matters the most...when the product is ready to be reviewed and ready to receive feedback," Sonnier says.

For the past year, the Charter Commission has offered numerous opportunities for the public to weigh in, but many of those meetings were held virtually. Attendees at Monday night's in-person meeting were quick to point out that North City is plagued with internet connectivity issues, making virtual meetings a less-than-ideal format.

Those factors made the meeting the perfect place for Green's show of force. While the comptroller has been under fire from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch over slow payments to city contractors, the outcry Monday proved she's still in the political mix in a big way. "Darlene Green got active," said one City Hall insider. "They were coming for her job. And she said, 'No, you're not.'"

A few days before Monday's meeting, Green made a Facebook post encouraging her supporters to show up. "The Comptroller works for you, the voters, to safeguard your tax dollars. It should not become a function of a political patronage appointee," she wrote.

Supporters showed up indeed. One attendee estimates there were around 100 people at the meeting. Some didn't mince words. "We are a little pissed off right now. Not a little, but very much so," one said at the podium. Addressing the Charter Commission members directly, she said: "I want to say thank you for showing us exactly who you are. We appreciate you guys for coming to the table with a proposal and not extending the invitation to all of us."

The next day, the Charter Commission held another meeting, this one virtual. The previous night's public hearing was the first thing they discussed. "Obviously, we encountered a lot of disagreement last night with the process and proposals, especially as it related to the Comptroller's Office," said commission member Chris Grant.

Member Anna Crosslin said the proposal to eliminate the comptroller "doesn't make sense right now."

The afternoon before the Tuesday meeting, Mayor Jones issued a statement opposing the elimination of Green's job. Jones thanked the commission for their work and said she still supports a proposal to update antiquated language of the city charter, including the assumption that elected officials are all men. Jones said she also supports the proposal moving municipal elections to August and November; however, contrary to the commission's plan, she said she'd like to see city elections remain in odd numbered years (therefore not in sync with higher-turnout federal elections).

By the end of the virtual meeting, the so-called "heavy" reform that would have eliminated the Office of the Comptroller was no longer an ongoing concern.

Not Over Yet: A big unknown still remains over the question of the Office of the Comptroller. The most ambitious proposal put forth by the Charter Commission would have seen some comptroller's duties go to an appointed position within the mayor's office but others replaced by a newly formed Office of Public Advocate.

And the commission's proposal to add a public advocate is still very much alive. As proposed, the new role would be empowered to investigate or audit any city or county agency and respond to complaints regarding city services, among other things. If that proposal becomes a reality, it is not clear how overlap between the comptroller and the new public advocate would be resolved.

What's Next: After the Charter Commission meets July 8, they will pass their final proposals to the Board of Aldermen, who, thanks to a little help from the gadflies at the Holy Joe Society, will then have wide authority to weigh in. Ultimately, any changes to the charter need to be approved by city voters, so the board would refer either the commission's proposal or a modified version to the ballot.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect when on Tuesday Mayor Jones issued her statement. It was prior to the Charter Commission meeting, not during it.

• Department:
  Office of the Comptroller
  
• Topic:
  Government