The St. Louis County Council ethics committee is moving to subpoena records tied to an investigation into County Executive Sam Page.
The committee is looking into allegations that Page continued working as an anesthesiologist at SSM Health while serving as county executive, which would violate a change to the charter approved by voters in 2022.
"The indications we have right now is that there are some some pretty egregious charter violations," says Councilman Mike Archer. "I'm not sure if the evidence is going to support that."
Billing records obtained by a county resident allegedly show Page's medical license number was used to bill Medicare on dozens of occasions. The committee voted to recommend subpoenas targeting SSM Health, a billing group, state records, and the resident who brought the complaint.
Sam Page's seat as County Executive
Sean Malone, KMOX News
Page has long maintained the work was unpaid volunteering. But councilman Mark Harder says that explanation raises its own concerns.
"Is that kind of normal? To have a volunteer working in a surgical suite... I don't know that I'd want volunteers working on me in an operation."
Council member Rita Heard Days says the focus now needs to stay on the facts.
"We need to make sure that we let the evidence dictate how we move forward," said Days the Chair of the Council. "We need to make sure that we are clear... and not necessarily jump to any conclusions."
This isn't the first time we've heard these allegations from the council. Members acknowledged a previous round of subpoenas stalled out after more than a year of court fights ... and they never got the records. Councilwoman Shalonda Webb asked what if that happens again.
Committee chair Mike Archer responded
"I think we should fight for the citizens of St. Louis County as velociously as we can." egregious charter violations."
Page says the real story is the county's deepening budget crisis — which has already forced pool closures and reduced hours at government centers — with more furloughs and service cuts on the way. He's calling the council's focus on his volunteer work a distraction from what he calls their own short-sighted budget decisions.
This is only the latest round of infighting between the County Council and County Executive. Recently they have butted heads on Proposition B, a measure which would have empowered the Council to remove Page's department heads. Page's use of taxpayer dollars on a flyer that reads in opposition of Prop B resulted in Page facing criminal charges. That trial, set to begin this month, has been delayed.
