The Missouri Auditor’s office has given its lowest rating possible – poor – to Kim Gardner’s administration of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office.
State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said at a press conference Tuesday that Gardner spent what amounted to 40 separate workdays away from her job as Circuit Attorney to pursue her nursing degree while the office crumbled. Fitzpatrick didn’t buy her excuse.
“(Gardner said) she was trying to improve the office and bring mental health awareness to the Circuit Attorney’s office,” Fitzpatrick said.
He added that her choice to prioritize personal pursuits was the driving force behind the office’s collapse. The audit found that the time it took to close cases under Gardner exploded and felony charges were rejected at a higher rate, sometimes outright ignored.
“Sixty-seven hundred…that’s the approximate number of cases referred by law enforcement that were never even entered into the circuit attorney office case management system,” Fitzpatrick said.
Numerous employees left the Circuit Attorney’s office during Garner’s tenure, citing excessive workloads.
The audit also found that Gardner misused funds to improve office morale, which included hiring a DJ, renting party locations, and buying supplies for a chili cookoff.
She resigned in May of 2023, accusing Republican leaders in Jefferson City of trying to take over the city of St. Louis and that their actions were racially motivated.
Sean Malone of KMOX Radio in St. Louis contributed this report.
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