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“We were not approached about any new rate negotiation,� G.T. Cozad III wrote in a June 22 letter to County Executive Steve Stenger. “Were any other Owner/Landlords of the other County divisions approached about a lease negotiation?�

Cozad sent the letter in response to the June 21 disclosure of a county plan to move the Elections Board, the division of Workforce Development and a satellite county assessor’s office to the Crossings at Northwest early next year.

Developers of the Crossings have contributed to Stenger’s campaign. “They’re friends of mine,� Stenger told Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger in November.

The County Council is expected to give preliminary approval to the proposal Tuesday night.

Cozad’s company, Cozad Commercial Real Estate and Property Management, represents Sunquad, the firm that currently leases 42,000 square feet to the Board of Elections at 12 Sunnen Drive.

The county pays Sunquad about $700,000 a year to lease the suite of election offices in the Sunnen Business Park.

In announcing the departmental relocations, Democratic County Councilman Sam Page said last week that the 20-year agreement at Lindbergh Boulevard and St. Charles Rock Road will yield significant long-term savings and provide residents improved access to major thoroughfares and public transportation.

The county has an agreement to pay $12.98 per square foot to lease 126,000 square feet at the Crossings.

Sunquad gets $18.37 per square foot for the office suites the Elections Board occupies in the Sunnen Business Park, between Big Bend Boulevard and Laclede Station Road.

Stenger and Page estimate the Crossings agreement will save the county a minimum of $10 million over the 20-year term of the lease.

Cozad in a Monday interview didn’t question the county’s math.

But he wondered why other property owners and managers weren’t given an opportunity to bid on a lease that over two decades could net the developer/owners of the Crossings at Northwest $40 million to $50 million.

“Any landlord in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ would go after that deal,â€� said Cozad.

Stenger rejected the essence of Cozad’s argument.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ County, he said, has never sought bids to lease space in a commercial development.

Nor, Stenger added, is he aware of any other jurisdiction seeking competitive bids for lease or real estate transactions.

“That’s not the way it is done for good reasons,� said the county executive, citing fluctuating property values, access to highways and public transportation, along with other factors.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ County, Stenger said, “is paying too much in a space that doesn’t meet our needsâ€� in Maplewood. He said the county had priced and evaluated other sites.

Cozad said the length of the lease being awarded to the management of the Crossings, Specklebelly LLC and Gadwall LLC, also raises issues.

Stenger shot back, pointing out that election headquarters has been a tenant in the Sunnen Business Park for 23 years, a tenure that he said includes at least one long-term lease.

The county now has a year-to-year lease in Maplewood with a provision allowing it to opt out with 90 days’ notice.

Stenger said the county plans to open a satellite office somewhere near Maplewood to accommodate absentee and early voters.

Cozad said he learned through news reports of plans to relocate the Elections Board in January from the suites it has occupied.

“We didn’t even get a shot,� Cozad said, adding he believes it is his “duty to the (Sunquad) owner� to offer the county a competitive bid to keep the election operations in Maplewood.

According to campaign reports filed with the state, the developers of the Crossings, David and Bob Glarner through Givco LLC, a holding company, last year contributed $75,000 to the

The Glarners made individual contributions totaling $5,000 to Page earlier this year, according to Missouri Ethics Commission filings. The North County Democrat is facing a challenge in the August primary.

Cozad said he was “not surprised� by the donations.

Stenger took exception to any suggestion of a quid pro quo.

“I get dozens and dozens of contributions from both individuals and corporations,� Stenger said. “The choice of where to consolidate departments within the county has nothing to do with campaign donations and everything to do with saving $10 million for taxpayers.�

The Northwest Plaza redevelopment received tens of millions in tax incentives from the state, St. Ann, and the county, including $6.4 million in New Market credits from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Economic Development Partnership.

Cozad as of Monday had not received a direct response to his letter.

He plans to present his case Tuesday to the County Council, prior to the initial vote on the Crossings at Northwest lease.

Stenger said Monday the proposal has the bipartisan support of council members. If approved Tuesday, the measure will be presented July 5 for final passage.