04/29/2019
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released the following statement addressing the recent indictment and resignation of the St. Louis County Executive:
"The serious allegations regarding Steve Stenger are deeply disturbing. In 2017, my office clearly outlined the process for the county council to initiate an audit to thoroughly investigate concerns with contracts. Stenger's actions made it clear then, as it is now, there was no real intention of ensuring a full accounting of taxpayers' dollars. I encourage the county council to act now so citizens can get the answers they deserve.
"Public corruption should never be tolerated. This is why I worked year after year to change state law so that my office has the authority to work with law enforcement to audit entities like St. Louis County. That solution was vetoed by ex-Governor Eric Greitens in 2017 and, the following year, it was killed on the final day of session by lobbyists working for government entities. In these final weeks of the session, I'm calling on the legislature to step up and provide law enforcement with the tools they need to expose public corruption. As long as there are public officials who put their own interests above those they are elected to serve, my office will remain committed to holding them accountable."
Read the 2017 letter from the State Auditor's Office here. Read the 2018 statement on the public corruption legislation here.
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