St. Louis Alderwoman Alleges Corruption In Rams Stadium Financing Vote

Even though St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke wants nothing to do with the city and is trying his damnedest to move his team to Los Angeles, St. Louis is going all out to build the team a beautiful new taxpayer funded stadium. And those that would benefit from the Rams remaining in St. Louis are going so far as to bribe members of the St. Louis Board of Alderman, according to alderwoman Megan-Ellyia Green, an opponent of the new stadium.

On Wednesday the board’s Ways and Means committee advanced a bill that has the city contributing $233 million in bond payments towards the proposed new stadium’s $1.01 billion cost. Shortly afterward Green made allegations of corruption on Twitter, and released a statement in which she said that, “a loved one was approached by a member of a pro-stadium organization and offered a bribe in exchange for her favorable vote on legislation impacting the financing and construction of the hotly-contested project.”

Most have reacted to Green’s allegations with extreme skepticism, and board president Lewis Reed tweeted at her to name “your relative who engaged in bribery.” Green said alderman Sam Moore had also been offered favors in exchange for his vote, but what Moore described to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sounded more like the normal horse-trading that goes on in these things:

“If getting jobs for black people is bribery then so be it,” says Alderman Sam Moore, who was referencing a significant minority participation plan that was added to the stadium financing bill.

Green said that she reported the attempted bribe to the FBI, but the head of the U.S. Attorneys Office, Eastern District of Missouri told the Post-Dispatch that he had yet to receive a complaint, and that, “in my 24 years experience as a prosecutor in Jefferson City, when allegations go through the media, it tends to be more political than criminal.”

The full board should vote on the bill today, and it is expected to pass.

Photo via AP; h/t Scott

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