CLAYTON 鈥 50度灰视频 County Council Chair Rita Heard Days on Tuesday again delayed a vote to release funds to expand America鈥檚 Center in downtown 50度灰视频 while accusing the region鈥檚 tourism board of walking back a 2-year-old agreement for a recreation center in north 50度灰视频 County.
The expected move came despite two recent letters from Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the 50度灰视频 Convention and Visitors Commission, warning the region could lose millions in convention business if the expansion is delayed and pointing county officials to language in the 2019 agreement that only required the CVC to help fund the North County project, not design or build it.
Meanwhile, the 50度灰视频 chapter of the NAACP appeared to back Days, writing a letter to the Missouri NAACP State Conference that accused Ratcliffe of reversing course on the recreation center promise and suggested the statewide NAACP republicize its 2017 travel advisory, which urged people of color to avoid the state, citing discrimination concerns.
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Days, who has said she would form a committee to review the agreement with the CVC, issued a written statement in response to the letters Tuesday, vowing not to back down.
鈥淲e will not allow this commitment to deteriorate into another broken promise for our community. A commitment was made, and the expectation is that it will be honored,鈥 she said.
Negotiated in 2019 by former Councilwoman Hazel Erby, the agreement with the CVC provided the agency would approve the expenditure of 35% of the county鈥檚 hotel-motel tax revenue that was not already encumbered by other projects on the new North County facility. Erby, who preceded Days as the councilwoman for the 1st District, died in July after a long battle with cancer.
In a letter Sunday to Days and the Missouri NAACP, Ratcliffe said Erby had asked her organization 鈥渢he night the convention center bill was due鈥 to amend the bill to include the funding agreement. But the text of the bill didn鈥檛 require any further commitment, she said.
After businesses called Erby 鈥渨anting the County to buy property for the facility,鈥 the CVC offered to help fund a feasibility study to determine a location and type of recreational center. Ratcliffe presented the results of the study, which suggested the construction of an indoor track facility, to the council last week.
Ratcliffe, in her letter to Days and the Missouri NAACP, said Adolphus Pruitt, president of the 50度灰视频 NAACP was incorrect when he said she and her organization had done 鈥渁n about-face鈥 on the 2019 agreement.
鈥淭hat is untrue and in fact, it is the exact opposite. We supported Councilwoman Erby鈥檚 amendment regarding the North County funds and continue to support the project concept to this day,鈥 Ratcliffe wrote.
Pruitt and Rod Chapel, president of the Missouri NAACP, did not respond to requests for comment.
The Post-Dispatch last week reported that Ratcliffe warned 50度灰视频 and 50度灰视频 County officials that the regional economy could lose more than $100 million if the delays don鈥檛 end. The losses would reach that mark in six months, she said in an email obtained by the Post-Dispatch.
Khan investigation
Also on Tuesday, Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, urged the council to vote to try to force the county to open a confidential internal investigation of Dr. Faisal Khan, the acting county health director who made an obscene gesture at anti-mask protesters as he left a contentious council meeting on July 27. Page last week refused to allow the council to review the report.
But Fitch then asked to delay the vote, citing the absence of Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-4th District, who would have likely represented a tie-breaking fourth vote on the seven-member council.
Councilman Ernie Trakas, R-6th District, said he wanted to support the move but cited an opinion from County Counselor Beth Orwick that the council, the county鈥檚 legislative body, does not have the power to open closed records that don鈥檛 pertain directly to the legislative body.
Although Page said last month he 鈥渧erbally reprimanded鈥 Khan for giving protesters the middle finger, some council members 鈥 including Fitch and Days 鈥 are still angry because of Khan鈥檚 explanation for his behavior.
In a blistering letter to Days, sent on July 28, Khan accused several members of the audience of heckling him, making racist comments and 鈥渟houlder-bumping鈥 him as he left 鈥 accusations that were not corroborated by several videos of the meeting, or by testimony from police officers who were there. He also complained in his letter that Days had allowed those offensive comments to be made unchecked, and accused Fitch of questioning his credentials and stoking the crowd.
Trakas on Tuesday urged Khan himself to 鈥渁uthorize the county executive to release the report so we will have that information,鈥 because, as it stood, there was 鈥渘o credibility鈥 to Khan鈥檚 allegations.
鈥淚f that鈥檚 the case, then it impacts our consideration,鈥 he said.
Because Khan鈥檚 position is a political appointment, the council vote on his confirmation would not be binding. Page has said he plans to keep Khan in the position as acting director should the council vote against his confirmation.
Fitch also accused Page, who was not present at the Tuesday meeting, of withholding the investigation because it would dispel Khan鈥檚 allegations. He argued the council does have authority to vote to open the records, which would make them subject to public records requests.
鈥淚f the investigation showed that Mr. Khan鈥檚 claims of racist comments and assault were true,鈥 he said, 鈥測ou could be 100% certain the report would have been released.鈥澛