St. Louis (Mo.) County Executive Sam Page, MD, could be violating a county charter by continuing to practice as an anesthesiologist at St. Louis-based Mercy Hospital, according to local outlets ABC KMOV4 and NBC 5 On Your Side.
What you should know:
1. Dr. Page, a Democrat, took over as County Executive in April 2019. Although his campaign website states he "took a leave of absence" to assume the role, local reports confirmed Dr. Page remains employed by St. Louis-based Western Anesthesiology Associates, which provides services at Mercy Hospital.
2. With the election two weeks away, Republican Councilman Tim Fitch is alleging Dr. Page's work at Mercy Hospital violates a provision in the St. Louis County charter. The provision stipulates the county executive "shall devote his entire time to the duties of his office."
"If he is working regularly and being paid by a hospital, I think the charter is very clear: that's a violation of the charter," said Mr. Fitch, who called for a special prosecutor to investigate.
3. Dr. Page, who is paid $140,000 a year as county executive, works one weekend a month in order to maintain his medical license and credentialing for future medical mission trips, his spokesperson told NBC 5 On Your Side.
4. Dr. Page believes his continued practice informs the decisions he makes as county executive but does not violate the county charter, he told KMOV4.
"I don't do any medical work during regular daylight hours, and I haven't since I became county executive," Dr. Page said. "The limited time I spend on the weekend practicing medicine in my free time, it keeps me current and I think that skill set is very valuable during a pandemic."
5. If Dr. Page is found to be in violation of the charter, there is no automatic penalty or punishment.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell could issue an in quo warranto, but he wrote in a statement that "It's intriguing how often these types of 'allegations' seem to arise shortly before elections. Our office has received no complaints and has no comments, aside from urging all citizens to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3."
6. Michael Downey, a local government ethics lawyer interviewed by KMOV4, said side work is typically not a problem as long as it doesn't conflict with the primary government role "time-wise or purpose-wise."
A Mercy spokesperson denied that there would be any quid pro quo and emphasized that it has no "knowledge, say or influence" over where and when Dr. Page works, as he's not a member of the hospital's medical staff.