The top prosecutor in St. Louis, Kim Gardner, is oblivious to the destruction she is bringing onto city residents, according to a conservative pundit.
“What surprises me is that the voters didn't stand up to her in 2022 when they had a candidate who was less compromised and they still chose Kim Gardner over that person,” said Byron Keelin, president of Freedom Principle MO, a Missouri-first pro-citizen group.
Keelin was responding to the news that the St. Louis Circuit Attorney plans to campaign for re-election despite Attorney General Andrew Bailey filing a quo warranto against her in St. Louis City Circuit Court.
Gardner announced her candidacy last week at the West Side Missionary Baptist Church on Page Boulevard,according to media reports.
If granted by the court, AG Bailey's lawsuit would remove her immediately from office.
“The fact that she has the gall to announce for reelection shows that she's just an obtuse person,” Keelin said.
Gardner has been under fire for not imprisoning Daniel Riley, a motorist involved in a car crash that injured 17-year-old Janae Edmondson on Feb. 18.
As previously reported in the St. Louis Record, Riley had violated the conditions of his bond on more than one occasion, and Edmondson had both legs amputated.
Gardner blamed the court for allegedly rejecting an Aug. 10, 2022, request by her office that Riley be taken into custody for a different offense.
If re-elected in 2024, Gardner would be serving a third term.
“This is why our organization is strongly pushing the Senate to pass House Bill 301 to establish a special prosecutor's office for the city of St. Louis to take the prosecution of felony crimes out of her purview and basically relegate her to prosecuting parking tickets,” Keelin told the St. Louis Record.
If approved, HB 301 would provide for a special prosecutor appointed by the governor to serve for five years, however the special prosecutor would not be required to reside in the City of St. Louis.
“Unfortunately, we have no faith in St. Louis City voters although we are starting to see some breaks in this dam, but the fact is that such a low percentage of voters in St. Louis City turn out for elections,” Keelin added. “The TV stations and the Post Dispatch do not hold her accountable. They're not digging into this stuff and exposing the corruption that goes on in this office and informing the voters.”