Following revelations last week that Streets Department employees have been working on private jobs on public time and with public equipment, another city worker, Sterling McKinney, told Channel 4 News of how three years ago he was ordered by his supervisor to pave the driveway of a city business.
He told Channel 4 that it is common for low-level workers like him to be ordered to do such “high-profile jobs.” For fear of losing their jobs, he said, the workers comply.
When informed about McKinney’s allegations, Ed Rhode, spokesman for Mayor Francis Slay said he was happy to hear McKinney “confessed his wrongdoing.”
“We all know this is wrong and we plan to turn this information over to the Circuit Attorney for prosecution,” said Rhode, suggesting that the whistleblower may soon need to find himself a lawyer.
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September 10th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
how is this guy a whistle blower when he admited doing something illegal?
a.f. wants to get slay so bad that he will resort to almost anything
September 10th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
(KMOV)- A St. Louis city worker speaks out after he said he was wrongly accused.
On Friday, four city workers were charged with stealing city resources.
Police said a city marshal asked three city workers to pave her parking pad.
Police said all three agreed, and paved the pad for $300.
But one of the suspects, Fred Smith, said he just did what his supervisor told him to do.
Smith goes on to say he doesn’t know the city marshal, and he didn’t receive any money.
Smith has worked for the city for nine years and during those years he’s been employee of the month twice.
Smith said he loves his job and he was just following orders.
He said orders to pave private parking lots are given all the time.
Now Smith is currently on administrative leave without pay.
Doesn’t much sound a whistle-blower.
September 10th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
And the spinning begins
September 10th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
“Doesn’t much sound a whistle-blower.”
Of course not; sounds like a scapegoat.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
“Doesn’t much sound a whistle-blower.”
How disingenuous can you be?!! Fred Smith was caught! This whistleblower, Sterling McKinney, came forward with information all on his own about improper actions by his managers. If he is now prosecuted, what message does that send others who may come forward about corruption in city hall?
September 10th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Antonio’s right. This is the tip of the iceberg of this scandal, and Rhode’s comment is a transparent attempt to intimidate people with information from coming forward. The only people with information are the people involved. The administration is trying to protect the hotshots who gave the workers the orders, and the private beneficiaries of this public largesse. Wouldn’t want to embarrass any insiders or campaign contributors, would we.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
But shouldn’t they have known that it was wrong for them to pave private lots? Do they not know wrong from right? Every large employer I know of includes a statement amounting to ‘you must do what your supervisor tells you, unless it is illegal or could cause someone harm.’
They knew better, they just got caught. And where is the $300? Think that went back to the city????
September 10th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if cronies of that damn Slay received freebies from city employees and resources!This is similar to the World Series ticket scandal in the police department where the public was never informed of who the bigshots were that used those tickets!Is Slay calling for the police to investigate the department the same way he had them investigate fire department recruits allegedly doing work for high ranking fire department officals? I doubt it!
September 10th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Believe me, you DO NOT want to refuse to do what is asked of you by a supervisor in this city. Unless you can be complicit in the favor system, you can’t keep your job. So if we go after this whistleblower, let’s fire the order giver, too, or we are merely guilty of the same intimidation tactics which comprise business as usual at city hall in St. Louis. Watch the PBS special about the fall of East St. Louis from model American city to the corrupt nightmare that almost destroyed it and you’ll have a good idea of why St. Louis has been slowly following suit.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Prosecute the little guy when in fact the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen are in charge of the bureaucracy. This is a common problem at all levels of American Government. They want the people to ignore the fact that the buck stops at the top and that issues on the street are a systemic problem not solved by the assassination of a few nameless employees. The problem needs real reform, but then again that is actual work and the people don’t really vote, so why try?
September 11th, 2007 at 4:57 am
The board of aldermen and slay are the proper place to blame, what is the difference when these guys use the building inspectors to soften up a neighborhood for Eminent domain.
its still an abuse of power that shows what a lawless city we are.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:55 am
Slay and Board of Alderman issues a list of projects to city managers to complete. Once received managers/supervisors are instructed to burn list. Workers carry out project as instructed by managers/supervisors. A person with good morals and a brain realizes what they are doing is wrong. Tells media. Slay and others spin saying it is the workers fault because they never issued such an order. Workers are fired except the one who blew the whistle. Whistle blower now becomes a manager gets brand new driveway, sidewalk, trees trimmed, etc. Slay and Board of Alderman issues a list of projects….
September 11th, 2007 at 8:01 am
To whom did this guy blow the whistle? And when? If all he did is blab to Channel 4 this month, it seems to me that’s a little late in the game — especially when there already have been arrests and, one would reasonably think, the City Hall investigation would likely track him down eventually.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Wow, you guys are all nuts. I have never seen so many conspiracy crazies in one place.
I hope you do not represent the rest of St. Louis.
If this is what the city is like then I think my wife and I will definitely look to the county.
Who is Anthony French anyway? When I lived here a few years ago weren’t you some crazy guy running for the school board or board of aldermen?
It is obvious that St. Louis City has not improved in the last 3 years. It has gotten worse. Nice job crazy people.
I’ll see you in St. Charles.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Anonymous 9:03 AM
LOL… you are going find STC has crazy people and corruption too.
People do this same stuff in the private sector all the time, its called business.
How about this, why doesn’t the city just open up construction and lawn maintenance to the public? Mckey or Blairmont or whoever has paid the city a lot of money in maintenance. Connected people get their driveways paved. Why not set some rates and MAKE THIS CITY SOME MONEY$$$.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Yeah, I lived in St. Chuck for a long time. Couldn’t handle living around so many bigots (don’t put MetroLink out here, black city people will come break into our houses and take all our possessions back to the city using MetroLink!) and uneducated people (let’s elect state reps who don’t know that the judiciary is a branch of government). Good luck with that search for utopia over there. People are people wherever you go.
September 11th, 2007 at 10:46 am
St. Charles has even more corruption as the real estate and land speculators basically own the politicians. There is even more money to be made in St. Charles. Like Biggie said, more money more problems.
The BOA and Mayor are in charge of the bureaucracy. The Mayor as he appoints the heads of the departments, and BOA because they control the budget and have this thing called “legislation.”
And we can’t forget that Aldermen direct the bureaucracy to perform services for votes. I’ll fix your street and that’s why you vote for me. When in reality bureaucracy, as Max Weber puts it, should be an unbiased machine dispersing services. Aldermen shouldn’t have anything to do with the delivery of services on a day to day basis. But being the ombudsman gets them votes. That’s how it works.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
9/11 is not a very good day to suggest that Weber’s model is useful.
September 12th, 2007 at 4:49 am
Doug is right, the board of Alderman should be banned from dealing with city departments, as should the mayor.
September 13th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
That is not what I mean. They need to reform the bureaucracy so that it is not used as a political tool of the Mayor and BOA. It should be able to act independently when it comes to the daily delivery of services. One shouldn’t call the aldermen for fixing streets. Do I call my Kit Bond because there is a pothole on Highway 64? The Department of Streets should handle that independently.