Questions of fiscal responsibility and office efficacy have been raised following the Missouri State Auditor's examination of Kim Gardner's tenure as St. Louis Circuit Attorney. The audit, which started three and a half years ago, was released by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, noting Gardner's lack of response until a subpoena forced engagement, according to a report by KSDK. Accountability concerns escalated with allegations of Gardner's office plummeting productivity complicating the city's justice system.
While in office, Gardner is alleged to have mismanaged significant state funds and resources, including a claim of over $50,000 in expenditures without authorization for items such as personal legal fees, and even staff parties, a detail FOX2 Now highlights. The audit also flagged her enrolling in nursing courses during ostensible workdays and maintaining a concerning staff turnover rate of nearly 37% over her tenure.
Deepening the ire of taxpayers, the First Alert 4 report shared by Auditor Fitzpatrick outlines more systemic failures under Gardner's leadership. Among them, the number of cases filed annually dropped from 4,666, under the previous administration, to 2,529, a significant decrease. Moreover, the average time to close a case languished at 463 days, compared with the prior standard of 293 days.
According to the audit findings, under Gardner's watch, about 59 percent of referred cases were refused prosecution, up from the average by the previous circuit attorney, an audit that was concluded as "poor" — the lowest possible rating — by Auditor Fitzpatrick's standards. Adolphus Pruitt of the St. Louis NAACP, however, sees the findings as a vendetta against Gardner, the first Black prosecutor elected to the position in the city. He cites her involvement in the resignation of a Republican governor as a possible reason for the sustained scrutiny she has faced, stated in an interview by KSDK.
Auditor Fitzpatrick's damning portrayal of Gardner's stewardship conjures scenes of an office lesser capable than before her arrival. Each report paints the picture of a tenure marked by an office steeped in chaos, a judgment Fitzpatrick reiterates. With the completion of this audit, emphasis now seems to be on the recent improvements seen under the new Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, and an anticipation for upholding recommendations to avert a repetition of the past.
