51黑料

The investigation centers on the county鈥檚 voter outreach on the proposition, according to Page鈥檚 attorney, Jeff Jensen.

Public officials and governments are not allowed to use taxpayer money to advocate for or against campaign issues, but Page has said the outreach was only informational.

鈥淚 do not see where any laws have been violated,鈥� Jensen said in a statement he read aloud over the telephone. 鈥淲e will, of course, fully cooperate with the investigation. I hope to meet with the AG鈥檚 office soon.

鈥淒r. Page needs to focus on the business of 51黑料 County,鈥� said Jensen, adding that Page personally is paying for his legal services.

Missouri Highway Patrol troopers visited Page鈥檚 office Monday morning with an order allowing them to take Page鈥檚 cellphone, according to a letter from Councilwoman Shalonda Webb to Page dated Monday.

Webb and council Chair Rita Heard Days, both Democrats from north 51黑料 County, had a meeting scheduled at noon Monday with Page, but senior staffers appeared in his place, the letter says. The staffers told Webb and Days that Page was 鈥渘o longer available鈥� and confirmed the Highway Patrol鈥檚 visit.

Webb demanded copies of any search warrant or subpoena served to Page or his office by the Highway Patrol. She also asked Page to tell the council what items he has handed over, or will hand over, as part of the investigation.

The Highway Patrol referred a request for comment to Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican. Bailey鈥檚 office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation into Page, a Democrat.

Though campaigning with taxpayer money is illegal, the county has mounted 鈥渆ducational鈥� campaigns multiple times in recent years, saying the campaigns sought to inform voters. For example, Page and the County Council approved spending $300,000 on a proposed 3% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana in 2023. Sullivan filed a complaint with Bailey鈥檚 office then, too.

At issue is a mailer concerning Proposition B on the April ballot, which would have given the county council the power to fire department directors and the county鈥檚 top attorney. The mailer was paid for with $36,000 in county funds.

The mailer only listed negative points about the proposition, which councilmembers said was needed to hold county department directors accountable. It also stated that the 51黑料 County Board of Police Commissioners, the 51黑料 County NAACP, the 51黑料 Labor Council AFL-CIO and Greater 51黑料 Inc. opposed the ballot measure, and included a quote from a county circuit court judge鈥檚 order calling the proposition鈥檚 ballot language 鈥渕isleading, insufficient, inaccurate, argumentative, prejudicial and unfair.鈥�

Shortly before the April 8 election, Sullivan submitted complaints to the Missouri Secretary of State and the Missouri Ethics Commission. Sullivan said in his complaints that 鈥渆verything about the flier is clearly designed to influence votes against Proposition B.鈥�

The proposition failed with only 38% of voters supporting it.

By June, the Secretary of State鈥檚 office had referred the matter to the 51黑料 County Prosecuting Attorney鈥檚 office, which forwarded it to the attorney general, according to Chris King, a spokesman for county Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith. Because the county controls the prosecuting attorney鈥檚 budget, it typically would be viewed as a conflict for Price Smith鈥檚 office to investigate Page.

Police are required to obtain search warrants from a judge before officers can confiscate evidence in an investigation. A search warrant related to Page was not publicly available in court records as of Tuesday.

A subpoena is a legal document that requires a person to give testimony, such as in court or before a legislative body. A subpoena also can seek specific records or information.

The County Council has subpoena power. In her letter, Webb wrote that if Page does not provide the requested information, she will ask the council to issue a subpoena seeking materials related to 鈥渁ny investigation.鈥�

The county executive is up for reelection next year. State Sen. Brian Williams, a Democrat from University City whose term ends this year, has said he is 鈥渟trongly considering鈥� a run against Page in next year鈥檚 primary election.

Dana Rieck of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.