JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 Three of the five members of a new state-controlled board overseeing the 51黑料 police department contributed money to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.
According to campaign finance records filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Kehoe received more than $5,500 from automobile dealer Donald Brown in the past five years as he served as lieutenant governor and then was elected governor last year.
Brown, of Sunset Hills, will serve as a nonvoting member.
Kehoe also received $1,000 from restaurateur Chris Saracino in 2024 as the governor fended off a primary challenge and then squared off successfully against Democrat Crystal Quade in the November general election.
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Another member of the new oversight board, Brad Arteaga, gave Kehoe鈥檚 campaign $500 in 2023, records show.
Two other members of the board, bar owner Edward McVey and former 51黑料 city personnel director Sonya Jenkins-Gray, did not contribute funds to the governor, according to MEC filings.
Kehoe, a 51黑料 native who became a successful central Missouri car dealer, made reimposing state control of the 51黑料 police department a top priority when he was sworn into office in January.
During a press conference Monday, Kehoe announced his choices for the board, saying 鈥渨e had lots of applications.鈥
He also added the panel would be a 鈥渘onpartisan nonpolitical board.鈥
The five members will serve with Mayor Cara Spencer under the new state law. The mayor of 51黑料 had been in charge of the police department under the law that had been in effect since 2013.
The appointments are subject to confirmation in the Missouri Senate, which Kehoe said would consider his picks when it reconvenes for the next legislative session in January.
A spokeswoman for the governor said party affiliation was not considered as part of the process of choosing the members.
鈥淭he board does not have political affiliation requirements so we do not have that information as part of their application,鈥 Gabby Picard said Tuesday.
Among the members, Saracino appears to be the most politically engaged. In addition to giving money to Kehoe, he also contributed campaign dollars to Democrats Spencer, former Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and Rep. Steve Butz of 51黑料.
Saracino and his family operate the Bartolino鈥檚 restaurants and Chris鈥 Pancake and Dining. His brother, Bart Saracino, served on the old police board 20 years ago.
Brown, owner of a Chevrolet dealership, also has considerable business interests linked to the department. City records show his company did $1.3 million in sales with the department in fiscal year 2025 and $1.5 million in fiscal year 2024.
Mark Schlinkmann of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Gov. Mike Kehoe announces the appointees for the Board of Police Commissioners at a press conference on Monday, June 23, 2025.
