COOL VALLEY — The Cool Valley Board of Aldermen voted to impeach the city’s mayor on Wednesday, but not before he announced via email that he was “retiring from politics.”
The board voted 3-1 on Wednesday to impeach Mayor Jayson Stewart after reviewing allegations that Stewart failed to make sure the city had a budget for two fiscal years, used a city vehicle for personal reasons and neglected to make sure the board had access to the city’s financial accounts, including $230,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
Stewart did not attend the meeting.
“Enough is enough,” said Alderman Floyd Blackwell, who as board president will act as the city’s interim mayor once the impeachment is finalized next month. The board did not accept the email Stewart sent shortly before the hearing saying he was “retiring from politics” as an official resignation.
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Blackwell, a former Cool Valley mayor, said Stewart also failed to show up earlier Wednesday when city officials were scheduled to meet at a bank for more information on the city’s financial status.
Stewart told the Post-Dispatch that he wished the community the best. As for his campaign promise of $1,000 of bitcoin for every resident? “We’ll see what happens,” he said in a text message.
Cool Valley currently has about 1,000 residents.
But residents of the north St. Louis County community say bitcoin is the least of their worries. They want potholes repaired, street lights fixed, trash removed from businesses along its main corridor on Florissant Road, more businesses in the area and relief for homeowners affected by the July floods.
“I really thought he was going to show up for us. He was so young and charismatic when he was running, you really wanted to root for him,” said resident Joan Ferguson.
Ferguson was one of about a dozen residents who attended the impeachment hearing. Some shook their heads and others scoffed while hearing about the allegations of the mayor’s mismanagement and negligence.
Many said this would be a good opportunity to merge with Ferguson, its immediate neighbor to the north.
“If it can get us some better services and is what’s best for the residents, then why not?” said Shirley Williams, who has lived in Cool Valley with her husband for over 30 years.
Also on Wednesday, the Missouri State Auditor’s Office confirmed it has launched an investigation into Cool Valley after reviewing a whistleblower complaint.
The board hired attorney Paul Martin to investigate their allegations against Stewart. Martin also is guiding Louisiana, Missouri, through an impeachment process. Jennings used Martin as its special counsel when its city council impeached the mayor in 2016.
City government disputes and allegations of corruption are not unusual, especially among some of the smallest of St. Louis County’s municipalities.
Kinloch, a tiny community in North County, has impeached its mayor at least three times since 2011. Flordell Hills had two former city officials indicted in August for allegedly embezzling $663,000 over the previous six years, reportedly using the money at casinos and other personal reasons.
And in Bellefontaine Neighbors, two former aldermen are suing the city to recover nearly $4,000 in monthly stipends they say their mayor withheld. They also allege the mayor, who also acts as city manager, spent money without board approval.
Meanwhile in Cool Valley, the city’s contract with Normandy for police services also expired on Wednesday. The city has paid Normandy to patrol its blocks since it disbanded their police department in 2013 for financial reasons.
Over the past decade, Cool Valley’s budget has ranged from $850,000 to $1.25 million. One of the city’s biggest revenue sources, Schnucks, moved three times over the course of 20 years before ultimately relocating about a mile and a half north on Florissant Road in Ferguson. A billion-dollar defense contractor moved its headquarters from Cool Valley to Bridgeton in 2019 after more than 50 years. Many other businesses followed suit.
Now Cool Valley functions mainly on property taxes, in addition to state and federal funds.
• Previously: Cool Valley’s mayor promised Bitcoin for every resident. Now he faces impeachment.
Ward 1 alderman Floyd Blackwell, far left, listens as Timothy Engelmeyer presides over an impeachment hearing for Mayor Jayson Stewart on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at City of Cool Valley city hall. The Board voted 3-1 to impeach the mayor. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
“Enough is enough,” said Ward 1 alderman Floyd Blackwell before an impeachment hearing for Mayor Jayson Stewart on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at City of Cool Valley city hall. The Board voted 3-1 to impeach the mayor. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
“Enough is enough,” said Ward 1 alderman Floyd Blackwell, who raises his hand to be sworn-in before his testimony during an impeachment hearing for Mayor Jayson Stewart on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at City of Cool Valley city hall. The Board voted 3-1 to impeach the mayor. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Attorney Paul Martin, left, interviews Ward 2 alderman Jermain Matthew during an impeachment hearing for Mayor Jayson Stewart on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at City of Cool Valley city hall. The Board voted 3-1 to impeach the mayor. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
“Enough is enough,” said Ward 1 alderman Floyd Blackwell before an impeachment hearing for Mayor Jayson Stewart on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at City of Cool Valley city hall. The Board voted 3-1 to impeach the mayor. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Robert Cohen has been a staff photographer at the Post-Dispatch for 23 years. His work following unrest in Ferguson after the killing of Michael Brown was part of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography awarded to the photo staff. He was a finalist for a Pulitzer in 2010 for work documenting the plight of homeless families living in suburban motels during the recession. Most recently in 2021 he was a finalist for ‘Photographer of the Year’ in the Pictures of the Year International competition.
