51黑料

They sat around a firepit at Confluence Farms north of Florissant, discussing shortages of fresh food in North County, where people in some neighborhoods rely on processed food sold in corner stores.

Gibron Jones, a co-partner at Confluence, organized the meeting at the request of Councilwoman Shalonda Webb. The farmers in attendance talked about expanding operations and growing more food to give away, if they could secure funding.

Webb told the farmers the county had millions to spend on programs addressing food shortages.

But the discussion, according to farmers in attendance, included another aspect: Webb and Janett Lewis, founder of Rustic Roots Sanctuary urban farm, talked about whether the project could avoid the county鈥檚 competitive bidding process.

鈥淥bviously we鈥檙e thinking all this is straightforward and legal,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚 actually got excited.鈥�

Over the next six months, Webb and Lewis would put together a plan to send $3.2 million in taxpayer money to Rustic Roots. The plan called for Lewis to distribute some of the money to five other farms, though Rustic Roots would keep the majority. It would also circumvent the county鈥檚 bidding process.

The County Council approved the plan unanimously on April 15.

It has since unraveled amid objections from some of the farmers involved and a veto by County Executive Sam Page, who cited the lack of bidding.

Now, the farmers are talking in more detail about the genesis of the program, the problems they ran into and the relationships between the parties.

They have pointed to the fact that Lewis, of Rustic Roots, is close friends with a former top aide of Webb, the councilwoman who championed the program. They say the program was never well thought-out. When they pushed for details, they said, Lewis couldn鈥檛 provide them.

Farmers and council members have also raised questions about the grant money involved. Lewis claimed the project could avoid bidding because the county money would match other grants Rustic Roots had won. But the grants, documents now show, aren鈥檛 matches for the county cash. And some haven鈥檛 even been awarded yet.

After his veto, Page said he would ask the council to approve a competitive bidding process where any qualified organization could submit a proposal. Webb called Page鈥檚 veto a 鈥渟etback鈥� and declared, 鈥淚t is not the end.鈥�

For Jones, of Confluence Farms, the idea of working with Rustic Roots and other farmers seemed promising. But he didn鈥檛 understand how the project could bypass a competitive bid, and he raised the question at the hilltop meeting.

鈥淚 said, 鈥極K, how?鈥欌�� Jones told the Post-Dispatch. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when Shalonda said she had to go back and look to see what the process is.鈥�

The meeting lasted about an hour. The group didn鈥檛 have another meeting until January, Jones said, this time at Rustic Roots, an 8-acre farm in Spanish Lake.

At the second meeting, Lewis unveiled a presentation outlining her plans to spend the money, according to Jones. She wanted to build a shared facility where farmers could store and process food. Talk of matching grants came up. And other farmers were going to come on board, splitting some of the money to boost their operations.

Lewis began asking the farmers to sign agreements and speak in favor of the plan at County Council meetings.

鈥淚t was just show up and do this and just take the money,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚 started to realize something wasn鈥檛 right.鈥�

Webb declined to comment for this story, and Lewis didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment.

鈥楢bsolutely a match鈥�

In March, as Lewis had asked, farmers began showing up to speak at council meetings, even before Webb introduced her legislation.

On March 4, Dail Chambers, owner of gardens she collectively calls Coahoma Orchards, spoke about the importance of fresh food. Vincent Lang, who said he runs a farm called Odds & Ends in North County, talked about money the county had set aside from federal pandemic relief funds for addressing food shortages.

鈥淲e look forward to building a partnership with the county to craft a comprehensive plan that delivers the transformative change to food insecurity,鈥� Lang said.

A week later, Lewis spoke before the council. She said she envisioned 鈥渁 strong local food hub, one that teaches sustainable agriculture, promotes holistic health and provides healing opportunities for individuals and community.鈥�

鈥淲e have been actively working with Councilwoman Webb to scale our operations,鈥� Lewis said.

On March 18, Webb introduced legislation at the County Council meeting to send the money to Rustic Roots. That night, Lewis handed a copy of a six-page proposal to the council clerk. The main points: The money would create an agri-village for training aspiring farmers. It would build a shared cold-storage and food-prep facility. It would pay for North County farmers to expand operations.

And the county money would 鈥渕atch鈥� grants Rustic Roots had already received from the state and a private foundation, Lewis said.

On April 14, the Post-Dispatch reported on uncertainties surrounding the plan. Page鈥檚 chief administrative officer, Kyle Klemp, said in an interview that anytime the county sends money to a private entity, the project needs to go to bid.

But Lewis told the other farmers in a text thread later that day that the county money was a 鈥渕atching grant鈥� 鈥� a term that typically means one grant is required to get another. And as a matching grant, Lewis texted, it was 鈥渘ot subject to RFP,鈥� meaning the county wasn鈥檛 required to solicit competitive requests-for-proposals for the project.

鈥淜yle Klemp and Sam Page鈥檚 office are trying to spin the facts to sow doubt,鈥� Lewis wrote in the texts.

The county money, she said in the text, would match $1.2 million the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Foundation for Health had already committed to Rustic Roots.

But records show that those grants either didn鈥檛 require a county match 鈥� or hadn鈥檛 been funded.

Last year, Rustic Roots asked the state for $749,871 from a federal grant program to strengthen local food systems.

In a letter sent to Rustic Roots last summer, the state Department of Agriculture told Lewis that legislators hadn鈥檛 fully funded that program. Instead, the department offered 30% of the original amount, or $224,961. Even that amount, the state confirmed Friday, hadn鈥檛 received final approval.

The Missouri Foundation for Health also tentatively awarded Rustic Roots a $250,000 grant. That money was a match for the state funds, not the county money, and it鈥檚 contingent on the state funds, according to foundation spokesperson Molly Crisp.

Only one grant Lewis listed 鈥� a two-year, $210,000 grant from the foundation last year for a 鈥渇ood justice initiative鈥� 鈥� had actually been secured.

On April 15, council members questioned Lewis at a committee meeting. Councilman Mark Harder, a Republican from Ballwin, asked Lewis about the grants.

鈥淒o you see this $3.2 (million) as more of a match, or will this be operating funds?鈥� Harder asked.

鈥淎bsolutely a match,鈥� Lewis responded.

鈥淚f this money did not come through,鈥� Harder continued, 鈥渢hen does that mean the other grants from the state would fall through as well?鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e still got my money from all the other funders,鈥� Lewis said.

鈥楽he doesn鈥檛 need me鈥�

Three farmers who dropped out of the program also questioned a connection between Lewis and Webb.

Lewis is close friends with Webb鈥檚 former legislative assistant, Shonte Harmon-Young.

Harmon-Young began working as an aide for Webb in 2021, according to the . Aides coordinate meetings, communicate with constituents and do research for legislation.

Addressing food shortages was at the top of their agenda, Webb has said. She has also said that she had worked with Lewis on addressing a lack of fresh food in parts of the county.

And, for years, Lewis and Harmon-Young have shown support for each other鈥檚 businesses.

Lewis has repeatedly posted on social media in support of a business Harmon-Young owns, called Queso Whaat!?!, which sells quesadillas. Last fall, Harmon-Young posted a picture of Lewis wearing a 鈥淨ueso Whaat!?!鈥� T-shirt.

And Harmon-Young has supported Rustic Roots and Lewis: In December 2024, Harmon-Young asked friends on Facebook for donations to support the nonprofit. In October, she thanked Lewis for letting her store her truck at Lewis鈥� place. And in April, Harmon-Young pushed followers to go the council meeting to support Lewis鈥� food project efforts.

On Dec. 28 鈥� not long after the meeting on the hill with the farmers 鈥� Harmon-Young thanked her circle of friends for 鈥渒eeping me uplifted鈥� as she worked to open a brick-and-mortar store in St. Charles to sell her food. 鈥淚鈥檓 running low on funds to get this built,鈥� Harmon-Young said on Facebook. 鈥淪uddenly, these influxes of cash come in as a gift. Just, thank y鈥檃ll for believing in me.鈥�

Lewis commented on the post with hearts.

Shortly after, Lewis and Harmon-Young spent New Year鈥檚 Eve together, according to a social media post. And in late January, Harmon-Young and Lewis traveled to Tulum, a coastal town in Mexico known for its beaches and Mayan ruins.

鈥淎 friendship that has turned into a family as she has supported my dream more than I could have ever imagined or asked for,鈥� Harmon-Young wrote on Facebook about Lewis. 鈥淎nd I thank her from the bottom of my heart.鈥�

In an interview on Thursday, Harmon-Young said family members gave her money for her restaurant, but not Lewis.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not those kinds of friends,鈥� Harmon-Young said.

Harmon-Young denied that her friendship with Lewis had anything 鈥渢o do with Shalonda wanting to feed people in North County. And it has nothing to do with Janett because Janett does great work, and she gets all this money from elsewhere. She doesn鈥檛 need me anyway.鈥�

Webb had also denied that the friendship of Lewis and Harmon-Young influenced her actions on the food program.

鈥楧emeanor has shifted鈥�

On April 19, four days after the council voted for the food program, the farmers met to discuss next steps at the home of Chambers, the Coahoma Orchards owner. They sat in a circle, with Chambers leading the discussion.

Those in attendance spent an hour talking about their backgrounds and how they felt about the project, according to a recording of the meeting Jones, the Confluence Farms co-partner, ran through a transcription application.

Then Lewis outlined the $3.2 million budget for her three-point plan: $1.1 million for the agri-village, including buying at least 3 acres of land; $900,000 for a shared-use facility for food preparation; and $291,000 in 鈥渋ndirect costs.鈥� The other farmers would get $750,000 split among five farms. And Rustic Roots would receive another $159,000 for 鈥渃apacity help.鈥�

鈥淪ecured match funding is $1.2 million,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淎nd that is the reason that we were able to get this grant, because it鈥檚 matching funds.鈥�

Chambers stopped Lewis.

鈥淟et鈥檚 pause there,鈥� Chambers said. 鈥淭hat was a lot to go through. How many folks in the room already saw the budget? OK, no one. Can you, do you mind passing the package around?鈥�

Lewis said she had shown it to them at the second meeting, the one at Rustic Roots. The farmers said they wanted to see a hard copy, as well as a digital version. Chambers said she noticed a change in Lewis.

鈥淚鈥檓 concerned because even your whole demeanor has shifted in the past five minutes,鈥� Chambers told her. 鈥淲hen we were at the point of dealing with group consensus and things, your shoulders were more relaxed. You were smiling more.鈥�

鈥淭he plan was supposed to be beautiful and uplifting and help all of us,鈥� Lewis replied, 鈥渁nd so I just want that energy to be connected to it, instead of this other thing that I鈥檝e been feeling.鈥�

The farmers began questioning how Lewis decided the amount of money each farm would get. Maybe they could split it evenly, one suggested.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not going to happen,鈥� Lewis said.

For the next few moments, Chambers tried to cool tensions. But eventually, she asked:

鈥淲hat do you mean that鈥檚 not going to happen?鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 just I can鈥檛 go back from where the budget is,鈥� Lewis said.

The meeting ended with Jones, of Confluence, agreeing to submit a counter-proposal. They planned to take a vote on whose proposal was best within a few days.

But two days later, on April 22, Jones, Chambers and Tyrean Lewis, one of the farmers at that first meeting on the hilltop, announced they were dropping out of the program. They said they had lost faith in Rustic Roots. There were too many red flags.

Lewis and Webb responded by lambasting the farmers who dropped out. The farmers didn鈥檛 have the credentials needed to participate in the program, Lewis and Webb said, such as insurance, soil testing and proof of land ownership or lease agreements.

The farmers were furious. All three said the accusations were false, and that they had never been asked for those documents.

Finally, this past Tuesday, Page announced his veto of the program. He pinned his decision on the fact there was no competitive bidding process.

鈥淭he council and I are aligned on the belief that eliminating disparities should be a priority for 51黑料 County, but how we get there is where we have a difference,鈥� Page said in a news conference. 鈥淪imply put, using public funds for a private purpose is prohibited by the Missouri Constitution.鈥�