The Warrenton Board of Aldermen has rejected yet another nominee for the Ward 1 seat whose permanent occupant has remained unclear since Cody Turner won the April election, despite having died before election day.
The latest nomination, voted down 4-1 at a Tuesday, Sept. 1 special meeting, was for Neal St. Onge, a former Missouri state representative and current member of the Warren County Ambulance District Board.
Jack Crump, who previously held the seat and ran for reelection but lost to Turner, has continued to serve as the Ward 1 alderman since April. In June, Mayor Eric Schleuter nominated Crump to serve as the appointed Ward 1 alderman until another election can be held next April, but Crump’s nomination was rejected on a 3-2 vote.
On Aug. 4, Schleuter nominated another Ward 1 resident who came forward seeking to fill the vacancy, Frank Cusumano, for the position, though that nomination again failed on a 3-2 vote. Schleuter’s nomination of Cusumano came after hearing responses to questions June 16 from both Crump and Cusumano, after which Schleuter recommended Crump for the appointment.
At the Sept. 1 meeting, prior to the vote on St. Onge’s nomination, Schleuter asked City Attorney Bradley Pryor to explain whether St. Onge’s serving on the Warren County Ambulance District Board would prevent him from simultaneously serving as an alderman.
In Missouri, there is a general principle of “what are called incompatible offices,” Pryor said.
“If two offices are in fact incompatible, then the acceptance of the second office would result in forfeiture of the first office. Now, there’s a few nuanced issues here beyond just that. The ouster process to effectuate that forfeiture of the first office is what is called a quo warranto proceeding, and that can only be brought by the Missouri Attorney General or the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney,” he said.
“And so in that situation, that suit would be filed, and then whoever is at issue with respect to that question would have the duty to defend that. That would be their individual duty, not the city’s. And in that context, whether or not the offices are truly incompatible is a decision that the court makes,” Pryor continued.
“Now, that said, in the event of this evening’s proceedings, there’s nothing that stops the city from proceeding forward with an appointment. If that were to become an issue, it would be through that process, and it’s not the city’s duty to determine a conclusion on that situation.”
Schleuter said Pryor’s explanation changed his previous understanding of incompatible offices.
“The way I understood it before — and it’s not so much the case now that we’re educated on that — I was always told before, you couldn’t hold two elected positions at one time,” he said.
“But now we know that we can,” said Ward 2 Alderwoman Christine Wait.
“To the extent they’re not incompatible offices,” added Pryor, “and then also to the extent that there’s not a quo warranto proceeding filed to oust that individual in that context.”
The vote on St. Onge’s nomination was ultimately 4-1, with only Wait voting in favor. Crump did not attend the special meeting, although he was at the regular meeting afterward.
Following the Sept. 1 special meeting, Ward 3 Alderman Brandon Lang released a statement on his vote.
“The main reason I voted no on Neal St. Onge was because he already holds an elected position with the Ambulance District,” Lang said, adding that this could create a conflict of interest or the appearance of one, and that his decision was not personal.
“It was about the potential for overlapping responsibilities and making sure the public can have complete confidence that decisions are being made solely in the best interest of the City of Warrenton,” he said.
Ward 2 Alderman Josh Chandler also released an emailed statement.
“While I campaigned on transparency, I could not have foreseen the situation we find ourselves in now, where we have to publicly weigh out PEOPLE,” Chandler wrote.
“Missouri state law dictates the process that is used to install a successor when an elected official passes away. However no clear direction on what should be used to determine if a candidate should be approved or denied.”
Chandler questioned whether the decision should be made based on who is most qualified, or what represents the will of the public.
“Since Mr. Turner passed before the election, and still won, the clearest take-away is that the majority of voters said ‘Not the Incumbent’, since no-one could have known how the appointment process would play out,” he wrote.
Chandler noted that Crump continues to serve in a “holdover” capacity.
“He was voted down in the first round of appointment. He can only remain in that capacity until an appointment is agreed on,” Chandler wrote.
Chandler said he rejected the three candidates for different reasons, but did not plan to explain his reasoning publicly.
“If THEY personally want to discuss that with me, that opportunity has been provided to the first two, it can be for Mr. St. Onge (or others in the future,)” he wrote.
Chandler said that no matter what decision elected officials make, not everyone will get everything they want. He added that he is willing to discuss his reasoning for decisions on issues, but not people.
Alderwoman Wait, the sole vote in favor of St. Onge’s appointment, said in researching the issue of incompatible offices, she did not see an issue with his serving as both an alderman and on the ambulance board.
“I have found that the City of Warrenton Board of Aldermen has no direct oversight, governance, or decision-making authority over the Warren County Ambulance District, because it is a Separate Political Subdivision: The Warren County Ambulance District operates as an independent political subdivision under Missouri law, rather than as a department or agency of the City of Warrenton,” Wait wrote in an email.
Ward 1 Alderman Corder also weighed in on his “no” vote.
“Our city guidelines allow us to fill an unexpected vacancy using a process where the remaining alderman may vote for a mayoral nominated individual. It does not say we must fill the position in that manner,” Corder said in an email.
“I took this vote very seriously and visited with several Ward 1 residents before our first meeting considering our first replacement candidate. Many of my constituents felt, as I did, that the second place candidate should fill the position until the next election.”
Noting that Crump lost the April election by only 12 votes, 164-152, he said he “did not feel it would be fair to disenfranchise the 152 Ward 1 voters who voted for him” by appointing someone with only the votes of the aldermen.
“I would like for all interested candidates to submit their names for the residents of Ward 1 to consider at our next election,” Corder wrote. “It would give all Ward 1 residents an opportunity to get to know them and understand their experience, priorities, visions, and perspectives for the City of Warrenton.”
Ward 3 Alderman Roger Romaker did not respond to a request for comment.
