CLAYTON 鈥 51黑料 County is set to pay $495 per hour to defend Councilman Dennis Hancock against an effort to oust him after he tried to hire his stepdaughter as an aide.
A before the County Council to hire attorney Kimberley Mathis to represent Hancock in court.
Mathis has represented Hancock since late August, when county Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell petitioned to remove the councilman under the Missouri Constitution鈥檚 nepotism clause.
The county will have to foot the legal bill because Hancock is a sitting councilman.
Hancock was originally supposed to file a response with the county courts by Tuesday. But Circuit Judge John N. Borbonus last week postponed the deadline until 51黑料 County hires a lawyer to represent Hancock, a Republican from Fenton who was elected in November 2022.
A status hearing is set in 51黑料 County court for Oct. 17.
Earlier this summer, Hancock tried to hire his stepdaughter as his legislative assistant, a position that would have paid $24.88 per hour plus a $300 monthly vehicle allowance.
Hancock later said he didn鈥檛 know he was barred from hiring relatives, and his stepdaughter, Hollie Galati, resigned after he found out it鈥檚 illegal. She was never paid.
Bell, the prosecuting attorney, said the state constitution 鈥渦nambiguously prohibits elected officials from hiring a relative鈥 and that, upon hiring a relative, the elected official forfeits his or her office.
If Bell鈥檚 argument withstands Hancock鈥檚 legal challenge, the 51黑料 County Republican Party would elect a nominee to run in a special election to replace Hancock, said party Chair Rene Artman.
Republican Councilman Dennis Hancock and 5 other incumbent elected officials were sworn in to their new terms at an inauguration ceremony in the plaza by the county government building.聽(51黑料 County video)
