St. Louis County's top minority contracting official says he was sidelined for trying to clean up how the county buys things, and he is taking the fight to court.
Nathaniel Adams, director of the county's Minority and Women‑Owned Business Enterprise program, filed a lawsuit this week accusing the county of retaliating against him for pushing procurement reforms and speaking directly with the County Council. He says he was punished after drafting ordinance language and working to tighten how the county monitors its contracts.
Adams, who has led the MWBE program since August 2020, says the county put him on administrative suspension in January, and that the move came after he reached out to council members, according to St. Louis Magazine. His complaint asks a court to step in and find that the county violated Missouri's whistleblower protections.
What Adams Told The Council
In a September County Council meeting, Adams went public with an example he said showed how the system was failing. He described a project where a general contractor swapped out a woman‑owned subcontractor after winning the work, kept the job anyway, and pocketed roughly $200,000 in savings, while the county recovered nothing.
"There was no way we should have allowed it," Adams said at the meeting. The exchange is visible in the council's own recording, which is posted on Boxcast.
How the MWBE Program Is Organized
In his lawsuit, Adams argues that the MWBE office is structurally hamstrung because it is housed inside the county's procurement operation, which creates built‑in tension between watchdog functions and purchasing goals.
A county job posting for an Administrative Assistant in the M/WBE Program Office notes that the role "supports the M/WBE Program managers and employees as well as the Procurement Division," language that underscores how closely the program is tied to procurement staff, according to GovernmentJobs.com.
Legal Implications
Adams' lawsuit claims violations of Missouri's public employee whistleblower statute and seeks damages tied to the alleged adverse employment actions. The filing lands in the middle of a broader legal fight over how St. Louis County handles diversity and contracting issues.
In related litigation, former diversity, equity and inclusion director Hazel Erby saw her own whistleblower claims revived on appeal in 2025, when the Missouri Court of Appeals sent her case back into play, keeping legal scrutiny of county contracting and workplace practices in the spotlight, according to FindLaw.
The current dispute is unfolding against a backdrop of tension between County Executive Sam Page and several council members. A measure sponsored by Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway's ally, Councilwoman Lisa Clancy ally Councilwoman Rita Heard Days ally Councilwoman Shalonda Webb last year, which would have required apprenticeship programs and elevated the MWBE office, was vetoed by Page. A spokesperson for the county executive declined to comment on Adams' allegations, according to St. Louis Magazine.
