Sitting Municipal Judge Featured on Campaign Literature for Mayor Slay
We often think of the judicial branch of government as being separate from the executive and legislative branches. Generally that is true. But not in St. Louis.
A recent mailer for incumbent Francis Slay features Judge Margaret Walsh being “tough on crime.”
Walsh is a judge in the city’s court system and was appointed by Mayor Slay. Judges are often appointed, but you’d never see a US or Missouri Supreme court judge on campaign literature for the President or Governor that appointed them.
Judge Walsh helped get the city in hot water over the treatment of the homeless in 2004. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 24, 2004:
A municipal judge should not have prescribed community service work for people accused — but not convicted — of nuisance crimes, said Jeff Rainford, chief of staff to Mayor Francis Slay. He pledged that the tactic will not be repeated.
The announcement will not stop two lawsuits that target the practices, lawyers who filed them said. Those suits generally claim that the city is trying to drive the homeless out of downtown by violating constitutional rights. U.S. District Court Judge E. Richard Webber held hearings Friday and Monday on the alleged mistreatment.
A big part of the federal case concerns an order, signed July 2 by Chief Municipal Judge Margaret J. Walsh, that allowed the jail to release people who were arrested for certain offenses during the July Fourth weekend if they performed eight hours of community service work. As a result, about two dozen suspects picked up litter around Lucas Park downtown without ever seeing a judge.
The lawyers compared it to slavery and allege it was part of a strategy to keep the homeless away from Fair St. Louis.
Rainford said Judge Walsh signed the special work-release order at the request of Bob Crecelius, director of the city’s probation and parole office. Rainford said city jail administrators were afraid of being swamped by arrests during the fair and wanted a safety valve.
Walsh said she signed the order “in a hurry” shortly before the fair began. She and Rainford said that, in the future, the city court will establish special hours during the fair to handle cases. Rainford said the city has no plans to discipline Crecelius or Walsh.
The involvement of the Slay administration in the municipal court worrys me.
This and other topics will be discussed tonight at The Royale:
Last week we had a casual discussion about the upcoming city primary. We will be continuing this next Monday, the 23rd, with a new sponsor to the event, the Saint Louis Beacon’s Bob Duffy offering some structured conversation. Along with the Beacon, we will also have hosts Steve Patterson of urbanreviewstl.com, Dave Drebes of the Arch City Chronicle and the Missouri Scout, and DJ Wilson of KDHX’s Collateral Damage.
A discussion of race at a time of political engagement in St. Louis, co-sponsored by The Royale and the St. Louis Beacon. February 23, 2009.
Agenda:
The purpose of this meeting is to encourage a civilized discussion of the racial tensions and progress in race relations in the St. Louis region – a topic that is always relevant here but even more so at a time when the Mayoral election in the City of St. Louis brings racial politics into high relief, if for no other reason than the fact that the incumbent is white and the opposing candidates are African American. The discussion is meant to initiate a long a searching examination of the topic. Its complexity assures nothing will be solved in the course of the evening,The Evening:
Steven F. Smith and Robert W. Duffy, proprietor of the Royale and associate editor of the St. Louis Beacon respectively, will moderate the discussion. Smith will introduce Duffy, who will discuss the background and the formation of the Beacon and will mention past collaborations with the Royale, including coverage by Smith et al of the Inauguration in January.Duffy will explain that in the organization phase of the St. Louis Beacon, one issue was mentioned constantly as being of paramount interest and concern to the Beacon staff, in terms of providing in depth coverage of the enormously complicated issue of Race. The Cookie Thornton Story in Kirkwood was an immediate concern as we just begun publication. The story and issues related to it have continued to be discussed in depth on the site.
Smith will explain his commitment to making the Royale a convivial meeting place for the civilized discussion of political, social and cultural issues of concern and relevance to the region. His commitment is based on a long standing interest in the revival of the city proper and the sustained economic and cultural health of the region.
Smith or Duffy will throw out an initial question: How seriously is race to be taken as an issue in this election, and Why? Or, How is the region enriched by racial diversity and how do racial issues have negative impact? Or, How do you personally deal with racial prejudices in your daily personal and business life?
Smith and Duffy will caution the audience that although heated discussions are encouraged, this is not Bill Reilly or even Jon Stewart, but a situation providing a place for and encouragement of honest but respectful discussion.
The partisan primary is March 3, 2009.