https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-we-recommend-mary-pat-carl-for-st-louis-circuit-attorney/article_a5428f06-e41c-502d-88ff-ec2eb0ccc20d.htmlQuote:
Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner deserved to ask for a little patience from the public while she adjusted to her job responsibilities after her 2016 election. Four years is enough on-the-job training for Gardner to start showing results. Instead of changing the face of local justice and instituting sweeping reforms, Gardner has made a mess of almost everything she's touched.
Voters need look no further than recent headlines to see how badly Gardner has squandered taxpayer money on frivolous, attention-grabbing prosecutorial endeavors. We are no defenders of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the Central West End couple who recklessly waved their firearms at trespassing protesters. Gardner could have seized the opportunity to be the adult in the room and tamp down tensions.
Instead, she concocted a bogus argument that the protesters' First Amendment rights were violated. She seized the McCloskeys' guns and charged them with endangerment a case she has minimal chances of winning. Democrats have nothing to gain by her antics, but President Donald Trump, Sen. Josh Hawley and state Attorney General Eric Schmitt are exploiting it for maximum political benefit.
Gardner's fruitless showboating comes at heavy expense to taxpayers, just as it did when she botched the prosecution of former Gov. Eric Greitens. Meanwhile, serious crimes are going neglected.
When she took office, there were 61 prosecutors on staff. Now only three of those original staffers are left. Many of the replacements Gardner hired also have walked. Abysmal leadership, disorganization and lousy communication skills are surefire ways to lose valuable talent.
The P-D is no bastion of conservatism, so this is great news.
“If you’re going to have crime it should at least be organized crime”
-Havelock Vetinari
-Havelock Vetinari
