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ASHCROFT'S APPEARANCE
It was a great evening any way you looked at it—providing you weren't looking at it from Leavenworth or the U.S. Penitentiary in Marion, Ill. Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft bounced into the Khorassan Room of The Chase Park Plaza on Wednesday evening to greet a number of guests at the annual Backstoppers dinner. "I'm a former farmer governor," chuckled Ashcroft, who explained he owns a farm outside of Springfield, Mo. A partner at the Ashcroft Hanaway Law Firm, Ashcroft said the lawyers in the office litigate "acute regulatory problems with the government." Ashcroft continued, "I've had 30 years in politics—the height of arrogance, but no more. Our firm now has offices here, Boston, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Austin, and Dallas." Catherine Hanaway (pictured with the former attorney general), Ashcroft's partner and the former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, chimed in, "We represent 50 of the top Forbes companies." The Ashcroft Hanaway firm has reportedly reaped litigated claims in excess of $20 billion in settlements. Ashcroft served as a guest speaker at the dinner honoring fallen firefighters and police officers.
WORKING THE ROOM
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer M. Joyce huddled with Ashcroft and Hanaway for photo ops after which she was asked her take on the Christopher Coleman trial. The ebulient Joyce shot back, "I have enough murder trials in my office to deal with." With Joyce was her husband of four years, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin Corcoran, who has joined the Department of Homeland Security. Nearby were Ray Wagner and wife Ann Wagner (pictured at left), who is fondly nicknamed "Annie Lou" or "Annie Girl," according to the Congressional hopeful. She offered, "I'll be pro business and a job creator. By the way, we need more GOP governors with good executive leadership." Ray was appointed to the St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners in 2009. Newly anointed St. Louis Chief of Detectives Antoinette "Toni" Filla confided, "I want to look into cold cases with the new technology. Also, I want the rapid deployment unit to go into the streets to change things in the city." On a personal note, Filla beamed and said, "I now have seven grandchildren."
MOVING ON
The Backstoppers exec director and retired St. Louis County Police Chief Ron Battelle introduced his fiancee, Mary Ann Baum (pictured at right), and said they'll be married October 8 at Concordia Lutheran Church. He also noted that he continues to serve as a consultant to American Traffic Solutions, known for its traffic cameras. Retired St. Louis County Police Chief Jerry Lee, cornered by Jack Martorelli and Angelo Lancia, admitted, "I miss the people, but not the politics." Lee was appointed a member of the St. Louis City police board of commissioners by Gov. Jay Nixon last August. Martorelli is tournament director of Guns 'N Hoses, the annual boxing event pitting law enforcers against firefighters in the ring. As a result of ticket sales, event patriarch Jerry Clinton has cut a check for more than $300,000 that's payable to Backstoppers. Before News11 feature reporter Christine Buck handled the introduction chores, she said her brother, Jack Buck Jr., is an exec with Cornerstone Mortgage Co. Former Florissant Mayor Robert Lowery and his wife, Carole, skipped the dinner for a feast in The Tenderloin Room. He enthused over his Sunday night's (May 1) farewell sup at Yacovelli's Restaurant and then spoke of his humble beginning: "I've had a very poor background growing up at Sixth and Biddle Streets," he said. "So I see the need for the poor. My mother was blind and since my father died, I took care of her." Following his recent retirement, Lowery said he plans to serve at Florissant's The Emergency Assistance Ministry (T.E.A.M.) Food Pantry, consisting of 32 churches that pull together for the effort.
