ST. LOUIS 鈥 Comptroller Darlene Green鈥檚 attempt to reassert control over a city entity closely tied to her office failed on a split vote Tuesday.
The vote means Tom Shepard, a top aide to Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed, keeps his position as president of the board of the 50度灰视频 Municipal Finance Corp.
The finance board, an entity formed in 1991, issues bonds to finance large capital projects such as courthouse improvements and the downtown jail. For years, it was led by a board president from Green鈥檚 office.
That changed in 2019, after a flap between Green and former Mayor Lyda Krewson鈥檚 administration over which city entity would control a $105 million bond issue for the expansion of the downtown America鈥檚 Center convention complex. Krewson鈥檚 administration wanted to look at using a development board, arguing it could save on legal and administrative fees.
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Leaders at the 50度灰视频 Convention and Visitors Commission warned that more delay would exacerbate a cash crunch at the tourism office.
Around the time that spat became public, Krewson and Reed鈥檚 office outmaneuvered Green to vote in Shepard, Reed鈥檚 chief of staff, as the president of the finance board.
With a new administration in the mayor鈥檚 office, Comptroller Green sought to win back the president鈥檚 position even though Shepard鈥檚 three-year term wasn鈥檛 yet up.
During Tuesday鈥檚 annual meeting of the five-member board, Green鈥檚 designee, Deputy Comptroller LaTaunia Kenner, made a motion to remove Shepard as president.
In 2019 the 鈥減osition was taken away from Comptroller Green and the comptroller鈥檚 office,鈥 Kenner said. 鈥淚n my opinion, this is only my opinion, it was due to politics.鈥
Kenner said all the back office functions of the Municipal Finance Corp. have remained in the comptroller鈥檚 office and when bond documents and other legal papers need to be signed, it takes time to get the signature of the president if he is not within the comptroller鈥檚 office.
The comptroller quietly submitted a proposed 鈥榤emorandum of understanding鈥 to the mayor on Aug. 22, amid public squabbles between the two over the refinancing of bonds for America鈥檚 Center and 50度灰视频 Lambert International Airport. Krewson has refused to sign so far.
鈥淣umerous times it would have functioned smoothly or more efficiently if the position had remained in the comptroller鈥檚 office,鈥 she said.
Her motion was seconded by a new member of the board, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones鈥 director of operations, Nancy Cross.
鈥淭his is kind of a surprise,鈥 Shepard said.
But 50度灰视频 Budget Director Paul Payne, who answers to all three of the city鈥檚 top elected officials, was hesitant to vote out a president. He sided with Green鈥檚 office in the vote two years ago, but said now he didn鈥檛 want to 鈥済et into the practice鈥 of removing officers before their terms are up.
鈥淭hat makes a little more drama than we need,鈥 he said.
Payne was joined by Shepard and Mike Garvin, a board member representing the city counselor鈥檚 office who was on the board two years ago, in opposing Kenner鈥檚 motion.