If this is true, it's not necessarily reflected in the official FY06 City budget for judicial offices: the C.A. office actually shows an increase of two positions (from 144 to 146), through grant funding increases. (See: http://stlouis.missouri.org/government/budget06/7JudicialOffices.pdf )

And if it is true, it's probably going toward increasing lawyers' salaries, which seems reasonable. It seems ridiculous to me that the C.A. staff attorneys would not make as much as attorneys in the City Counselor's office. Prosecuting state crimes is at least as difficult, perhaps moreso, as dealing with city ordinances, housing code, workman's comp, economic development, etc.

The circuit attorney must not be thinking straight. If she were to realign her salary schedule and make it in line witht he city counselor's office she wouldn't have to go through the machinations of a lay off. She would probably also be more effective if she ran her office more like a law office than a sorority house

Deft use of innuendo, ACE. You managed to slur her several times. Trouble with strong women?

Joe, I suspect that the more apt comparison would be to salary scales and case loads -- and lawyer/non-lawyer staffing ratios -- in the county prosecutor's office. Same crimes, etc.

this was reported by the PD the other day, so i guess its true.

Or, a good comparison would be to the public defenders, who are the assistant circuit attorneys' opponents most of the time.

The CA was forced to find money for increased attorney salaries within her own budget because there was not a majority on the Board of Estimate and Apportionment willing to find the funds elsewhere. Replacing poor performers, getting rid of positions no longer needed, and demoting employees or reducing salaries for disciplinary purposes are very different from axing employees and salaries because of E & A politics as well as the lack of a statewide solution to a statewide problem. Sadly, the focus in this matter has been diverted to the CA as a manager instead of the local angle role of Mr. All the Power and None of the Responsibility on E & A and how Missouri funds circuit court level prosecutor and public defender offices.