ST. LOUIS (AP) — A former St. Louis County employee claims in a lawsuit that he was fired after standing up to a top elected official who later pleaded guilty in a pay-to-play scheme.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Robert Jenkins alleges in the lawsuit that he got in trouble when he raised concerns about the design of a bill establishing standards for inclusion of women- and minority-owned businesses in contracts. Jenkins alleges that the bill was designed to make it easier for then-County Executive Steve Stenger to serve up no-bid contracts to his political donors.
Jenkins previously directed an office that awards contracts. He is seeking damages for lost wages, emotional distress and attorney’s fees in the lawsuit he filed in August. A lawyer for the county largely denied Jenkins’ claims in a response filed last month.
