CLAYTON 鈥 51黑料 County Executive Sam Page on Monday attacked two political opponents in a blistering letter to a federal prosecutor who has handled several high-profile public corruption cases, including that of Page鈥檚 predecessor, Steve Stenger.
Page accused Republican Councilman Tim Fitch, a former county police chief, of 鈥渁ttempting to interfere with a federal investigation鈥 and his Democratic challenger, attorney Jane Dueker, of being 鈥渁 key player鈥 in the Stenger administration and a Fitch ally.
Former 51黑料 County Councilman Tim Fitch (left) and County Executive Sam Page.
Page鈥檚 letter followed Fitch鈥檚 request on Saturday that the county release copies of any federal subpoenas seeking information and records of investigations of county employees.
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Fitch sought the records in the wake of the indictment last week of Tony Weaver Sr., a Page appointee accused attempting to defraud a small business grant program. County Counselor Beth Orwick denied Fitch鈥檚 request, saying the records were confidential. Weaver has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Instead of responding to Fitch, Page sent a two-page letter to Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith in which he leveled a number of accusations at the councilman and Dueker, seeking to tie both to Stenger.
While admitting he had no 鈥渇irst-hand knowledge,鈥 Page asserted for the first time that Stenger 鈥渙ffered to order鈥 county employees to pay Fitch his police pension 鈥渋n exchange for the councilman鈥檚 loyalty,鈥 saying 鈥渁 county employee recently reported to their boss鈥 that the councilman was 鈥渁 frequent presence鈥 in Stenger鈥檚 office leading up to his indictment in April 2019.
The county suspended Fitch鈥檚 pension when he joined the council in 2019; Fitch sued the county earlier this year to try to compel the county to backpay the pension, plus interest.
Fitch, in response Monday to Page鈥檚 letter, said the county executive was repeating unfounded allegations to deflect from his demand for information the public has a right to know.
Page, in his letter to Goldsmith, also said Dueker was 鈥渁 close advisor (to) and financial supporter of鈥 both former 51黑料 Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and former Alderman Jeffrey Boyd 鈥 two of three members of the Board of Aldermen who were charged in an indictment unsealed on June 2.
Dueker made campaign donations to Boyd and to then-Alderman John Collins-Muhammad, who also was named in the indictment. She gave $250 to Collins-Muhammad on Feb. 16, the date of a reelection campaign fundraiser. And in 2020, she donated a total of $1,000 to Boyd.
Her campaign spokesman, Ed Rhode 鈥 a former Stenger campaign organizer 鈥 said Monday that Dueker, a longtime attorney for 51黑料 and 51黑料 County police unions, donated to the aldermen because they supported police.
Political consultants Ed Rhode and Jane Dueker (file photos)
Reed, Boyd and Collins-Muhammad have all entered not guilty pleas.
Dueker, in a statement Monday, said she would be 鈥渉appy to discuss all these false allegations at a public debate.鈥 Page, so far, has declined to attend any candidate forums at which Dueker appeared.
Dueker also alleged Page had hired a criminal defense lawyer in the wake of the indictment against Weaver: 鈥淭his letter confirms that Sam Page鈥檚 government is under FBI investigation and that鈥檚 no one鈥檚 fault but his own.鈥
Asked for response, Page spokesman Doug Moore said, 鈥淛ane will say anything for attention. Case in point.鈥
Page, in his letter to Goldsmith, indicated he would defer to the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 office on the matter of disclosing the subpoenas.
鈥淚 will defer to you concerning whether and how to address the councilmember鈥檚 inquiry appropriately,鈥 he wrote.
Asked about Page鈥檚 letter, Goldsmith declined to comment.
鈥榃hat has changed since then?鈥
In his letter to Page on Saturday, Fitch quoted from an article published by the Post-Dispatch on March 15, 2019, in which Page said he agreed to tell reporters about the scope and contents of a Stenger-related federal subpoena in the interest of 鈥渢ransparency,鈥 after getting legal advice from an attorney that he wasn鈥檛 bound to confidentiality.
At the time, Page was chairman of a County Council battling Stenger following Post-Dispatch reports scrutinizing favorable deals Stenger made with top campaign donors.
鈥淭he County Council has been demanding accountability and transparency for two years,鈥 Page told the Post-Dispatch at the time. 鈥淭his latest development indicates the council鈥檚 concerns were not misplaced. ... I hope the Stenger administration takes this matter seriously and cooperates fully.鈥
Fitch asked Page what 鈥渉as changed since then?鈥
Fitch said Monday that Page 鈥渟till has not responded to my letter鈥 and that the county executive 鈥渋s getting desperate.鈥
鈥淒esperation is present in his response of, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know this to be true鈥 as he goes on to write about what 鈥榦thers鈥 have told him in an attempt to get the reader to believe what he wrote. Classic Page political spin,鈥 Fitch said in a statement.
Fitch said his cooperation with the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 office and the FBI 鈥渁re a matter of record and I鈥檓 proud of it,鈥 and he vowed to 鈥渃heck the power of the county executive鈥檚 office ... no matter who holds that office and what fantasies this County Executive and his taxpayer-funded marketing people write.鈥
