ST. LOUIS — An aldermanic committee on Wednesday unanimously endorsed the initial nine appointees to the city’s new oversight board to deal with complaints at city jails.
“I think it’s going to be good for the people that are housed there (and for) the people that work there,†said Public Safety Committee Chairman Joe Vaccaro, who also sponsored the bill setting up the new board.
The board was proposed a year ago by a committee named by then-Mayor Lyda Krewson to investigate inmate disturbances at the city’s main jail downtown, formally called the City Justice Center.
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The jail panel, which still must be OK’d by the full Board of Aldermen, includes six appointees of Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and three named by Vaccaro. All were interviewed at the public safety panel’s teleconference meeting Wednesday.
Two of the best-known are Pam Walker, the city’s acting health director for 10 years under then-Mayor Francis Slay, and the Rev. Darryl Gray, a civil rights activist. Both also served on Krewson’s committee last year.
“My focus will be to make sure that people in the system are treated humanely,†including having adequate nutrition, sanitation and health care, said Walker, who was appointed to the new board by Jones.
Gray, who was named by Vaccaro, repeated the 2021 committee’s view that the city eventually should build a new, more modern jail to replace the 20-year-old justice center.
“I’m hoping that someone will have the guts in city government to move forward on that recommendation as well,†Gray said.
Many appointees represent people with particular experience required by the new ordinance. For example, Barbara Baker, a Jones appointee who works for the nonprofit Center for Women in Transition, fills a spot reserved for someone formerly incarcerated.
And James Dahm Jr., a former Justice Center employee, was named by Jones to a slot set aside for someone with experience in corrections or criminal justice.
But the slate fails to follow the ordinance’s requirement that one mayoral appointee be a retired judge or a retired or former attorney who practiced criminal law.
Instead, Jones named Hillary Stuckey, a former paralegal in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ circuit attorney’s office. Mayoral spokesman Nick Dunne said, “We’re confident she has the experience and meets the qualifications.†He didn’t elaborate.
The ordinance also calls for a mayoral appointee to have professional experience in law enforcement or knowledge or expertise in the field.
Dunne said appointee Tom Lawson, who has a criminology degree and has taught criminal justice courses at St. Charles Community College, meets that criteria. Jones also named Mike Milton, executive director of the Freedom Community Center.
The other Vaccaro nominees are Janis Mensah, who works with incarcerated youths and their families for Metropolitan Congregations United, and Ornetha Lewis-Walls, a retired Metro bus driver and volunteer for nonprofits.
A companion bill being prepared by Jones’ administration would form a full-time agency to investigate accusations about jail facilities and the police department. Details on how the jail board and the proposed agency would interact have yet to be released.
Vaccaro, 23rd Ward, commended Jones and her office for their work on setting up the board. “I’ve been known to criticize the mayor a lot but I can tell you that the mayor and her office were outstanding on this,†he said.
But Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, 22nd Ward, expressed “a little bit of trepidation†at Jones’ appointment of Milton.
Boyd said “we haven’t necessarily seen eye to eye†on issues such as closing the city medium-security jail, known as the workhouse, which Milton supported and Boyd has criticized.
But Boyd said he wouldn’t vote against Milton. Milton said his goal on the new board is to make sure there is accountability and transparency in jail operations.
Originally posted at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 16.
