Cara’s Vision for Restoring Trust and Transparency in City Government
Trust and transparency are core tenets of democracy and critical to a functioning society. Without trust, a system cannot work well, jeopardizing its legitimacy, stability, and the collective well-being of its citizens.
The past several years have seen a troubling but consistent lack of transparency in the functioning of St. Louis City government: failure to respond in a timely manner to sunshine requests, failure to allow for oversight into the very troubled jail system, and most recently, failure to disclose records around some of the largest awardees of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Failures in transparency have real consequences. A recent lawsuit against the St. Louis Division of Corrections has led to a judge determining that the facility “purposefully violated the Sunshine Law.” This not only results in statutory penalties against the division but also a breakdown in trust in the criminal justice system — a system that badly needs trust.
More recently, the failures of transparency in the North St. Louis Small Business & Non-Profit Grant Program, funded by ARPA, have badly damaged the impact $32 million will have in North City. As a member of the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) board, Cara refused to vote on the program. She stood with the public, who continue to have concerns and questions about the distribution of the money, as outlined by both the St. Louis Post Dispatch and KSDK. It's unacceptable that two years into implementing this program, these questions remain.
As mayor, trust and transparency will be more than words used during campaign season. They will be core tenets of Cara’s administration. These are some of the objectives Cara will prioritize from day one:
Providing transparency in the jails. Allowing members of the Detention Facilities Oversight Board into the city jail and working to improve, not hide, conditions in the detention facility.
Enforcing conflict of interest policies. Developing and adhering to real, disclosed conflict of interest policies across city agencies, including quasi-governmental entities such as SLDC.
Complying with the law. Complying with the state Sunshine Law across the board in a timely manner and reasonable prices. Period.
Building reliable reporting systems. Making it easier for citizens to engage and report problems by implementing a 3-1-1 system for nonemergency issues and finally fixing the 9-1-1 system so citizens can have a trusted set of reporting options.
Sharing data to provide accountability. Publishing data related to city services through a platform similar to Baltimore’s CitiStat program to disclose performance metrics and hold city government accountable.
Residents deserve to know how and where their tax dollars are spent and how the city government is operating its departments. As mayor, Cara will use transparency and reporting to build trust and improve systems.