Next year’s election for St. Louis County’s top job was reset Thursday morning when County Executive Sam Page announced he will not seek a third term.
Page said in a press release that serving these past seven years as county executive has been the honor of his life and that he wanted to spend the next year focusing on the county, not running a campaign. “I hope my decision inspires even one person to step up and lead with courage, compassion, and commitment to doing what’s right,” he wrote.
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Page is facing criminal charges, but his defense attorney, Matthew Radefeld, said nothing in that case had triggered the shock announcement. “There’s been no deal whatsoever struck with the AG’s that had anything to do with the announcement,” he said.
Two people have already thrown their hats in the ring to succeed Page as county executive—and they’re affected in different ways by Page’s taking himself out of the race.
State Senator Brian Williams (D-University City), who announced his bid for county executive back in August, is no longer gearing up for a primary against an incumbent. Even before this morning’s news, his campaign was already in a strong position, having picked up endorsement from the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association and Councilwoman Shalonda Webb. They say they have about $800,000 in their coffers.
In a statement, Williams said that Page not running represented an opportunity for a fresh start. “We have serious problems to address and I am committed to working with anyone who has good ideas to solve our County’s problems,” he said.
Former Fenton mayor and current County Councilman Dennis Hancock, who is running for the Republican nomination in next year’s county executive race, told SLM in a statement that, “St. Louis County deserves better than more of the same failed Democrat policies—higher spending, wasteful projects, and a government that puts politics over people. Those policies won’t change, no matter who the next Democrat candidate is.”
But it’s not hard to imagine why, for Hancock, Page dropping out would be unwelcome.
Hancock is a longtime antagonist of Page, so running a vigorous campaign against the incumbent had Hancock very much on terra firma. Near the top of his current campaign website, right below “Support Dennis Hancock,” is text encouraging people to sign up to “beat Sam Page.” With Page out of the race, Hancock will have to re-orient his operation and messaging.
One politico in Williams’ orbit even wondered aloud if Hancock stays in now that Page is out.
The PAC supporting Hancock had around $12,500 on hand at the end of September, according to the most recent filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
A potential wrinkle for Williams’ path to the County Executive job could be County Assessor Jake Zimmerman entering the race, as he’s been rumored to be mulling a run. Reached for comment, Zimmerman told SLM in a statement, “I am humbled and flattered by all the folks who’ve reached out to me today to ask about the County Executive’s race. This is a big moment for St. Louis County, and I’m looking forward to discussing it with my family over the holidays. I will announce my plans in the coming weeks.”
Other potential candidates whose names were swirling Thursday included state Senator Doug Beck and former state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal. Mark Mantovani has run twice previously, once as a Republican and once as a Democrat, so speculation has included the idea that maybe he would give it a third go. There was chatter of former police chief/county councilman, and current treasurer for Hancock’s campaign, Tim Fitch, making a go for the top county job as well.
Page was indicted in late July by then-Attorney General Andrew Bailey over a mailer his office sent out about Proposition B, which would have made it easier for the County Council to fire Page’s department heads. The county executive’s office is allowed to send out educational materials, but the charges against Page allege that the mailer in question was biased against the proposition and crossed the line from explanation to advocacy. (Proposition B wound up losing by nearly a two to one margin.) Page faces two misdemeanor election offenses and two counts of felony theft.
The next hearing in Page’s criminal case is Friday. In the wake of Page’s Thursday morning press release, speculation was rife that he may have come to some sort of agreement with new Attorney General Catherine Hanaway involving his dropping out of the race and her office dropping the charges, speculation that Page’s attorney, Radefield, denied without qualification.
Radefeld added that Page’s decision not to run stemmed from a growing frustration with being a blue dot in a red state constantly attacked from all angles. “This whole prosecution was just kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
Page still has a year left in his second term, and it remains to be seen what that year looks like now that he is no longer saddled with reelection considerations. Longtime Page advisor Richard Callow put it to SLM this way: “I am very interested in seeing what Dr. Page off the chain is going to be.”
