A lawsuit filed against St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones (D) is politically motivated and without merit, according to the Treasurer’s chief of staff Jared Boyd.
Jones, currently campaigning to be mayor after having served as treasurer since 2013, was sued by plaintiff Jesse Irwin who alleges that a $7 million parking meter contract drawn up by Jones and awarded to a campaign contributor without committee approval should be nullified.
“There's nothing about this case that's politically motivated at all,” said attorney Elkin Kistner who represents plaintiff Irwin. “I don't know why she would say that.”
The litigation, filed in St. Louis Circuit Court, seeks temporary, preliminary, permanent orders and injunctions preventing the city from taking further action related to the multi-million dollar contract with Hudson and Associates to manage meter maintenance and parking enforcement.
“The parking management agreement in question was awarded after a competitive and open request for proposals and executed legally,” Boyd told the St. Louis Record. “Accordingly, we will continue to work with all of our vendors to provide St. Louis with a first-class parking operation.”
Kistner, however, wants the contract declared null and void.
“The claim is correct that it doesn't qualify as a city of St. Louis contract or as a county of St. Louis contract,” Kistner told the St. Louis Record. “We'll let our litigation determine whether the plaintiff is right or wrong and not argue about the merits of the case through the media.”
The allegations in the lawsuit against Jones include failing to disclose that Hudson and Associates has been a donor to her campaign as treasurer and that the contract should have been approved by a five-member committee, according to media reports.
But Boyd said that the complaint repeats a former failed attempt.
“Mr. Kistner is bringing the exact claim, regarding the legality of a parking management contract that failed in another lawsuit last year,” he said.
The previous lawsuit, Charles Lane and James Wilson v. Tishaura Jones is currently pending with the Missouri Supreme Court alleging that all payments and compensation given to the underwriter were unlawful in that they were gifts in violation of the Missouri Constitution, Art VI, §§ 23, 25.
“The lower court ruled in my client's favor as to the invalidity of the parking commission statutes and it ruled in the treasurer's favor as to that particular contract that was an issue before the court at that time,” Kistner said. “There's an appeal with respect to whether that contract violated the City of St Louis Professional Services Contract Ordinance and that's still being contested in Missouri Supreme Court.”
Ordinance 64102 states that a professional services contract valued at $5,000 or more should be approved and recommended by committee.
“There are a couple of contracts at issue,” Kistner said. “It’s not Hudson and it’s not a third party that had anything to do with Hudson.”