Government, Politics & Issues

Politically Speaking: County Executive Dooley Makes His Case For Re-Election

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jason Rosenbaum,

Published March 19, 2014 at 3:13 PM CDT

Every week, St. Louis Public Radio's Chris McDaniel, Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum talk about the week’s politics.

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We know you can’t get enough of Politically Speaking, which is why we have two episodes this week. The Politically Speaking crew's latest interview features St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, a Democrat who has held the powerful local office since late 2003.

Dooley is facing a stiff challenge in the August primary from fellow Democrat Steve Stenger, a county councilman from south St. Louis County.

Dooley says he is prepared to mount a vigorous campaign, contending that there’s still plenty of work to be done to increase economic opportunity throughout St. Louis County.

During the show, Dooley said:

His military service in Vietnam in the 1960s gave him a "different perspective on this country and what it means to me." He says it also made him more attuned to the needs of veterans.
If someone told him in 1978 that he would someday be the chief executive of largest and wealthiest county in Missouri, he would have said, "No, you're joking. It's not true. And it's not ever going to happen."
He was heartened by the Missouri Housing Development Commission's recent decision to approve low-income housing tax credit for senior living facilities in the county.
He flatly denied that either he or his administration is under FBI investigation. He said that "every time Charlie Dooley runs for county executive every four years, somebody indicates that there's corruption or someone is doing something wrong," adding that "all of it has been unfounded."
He called on Stenger, and any Republican challengers, to release their income taxes. During the final minutes of the show, Dooley surprised Mannies, McDaniel and Rosenbaum by pulling out a large envelope containing copies of nearly a decade of his income tax forms.