Melissa Price Smith became St. Louis County prosecutor on Friday, ending a contentious fight between the governor and county executive over who had appointment power.
Smith is the first woman in St. Louis County to hold a countywide office.
“This office belongs to all of us,” Smith said at a press conference following the swearing-in ceremony. “I do not want my name over the door, because it's all of our office. The door is going to say prosecuting attorney's office, not Melissa Price Smith's office … because we're all working together on this.”
She went to work for the county in 2008 and supervised the sexual assault and child abuse team. She graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and attended St. Louis University School of Law.
Smith said one of her priorities is deterring violent crime, including creating a homicide prosecuting team.
She will serve the remainder of Wesley Bell’s term, which ends Jan. 1, 2027. Bell resigned to serve as the representative for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. His departure opened the door to the legal battle between the county and state.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page selected former assistant U.S. attorney and Democratic congressional candidate Cort VanOstran.
Parson and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Page in St. Louis Circuit Court, arguing the state’s constitution doesn’t give Page the authority to appoint Bell’s successor. County lawyers said Parson and Bailey were misinterpreting state law, noting that Parson didn’t object when St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, a fellow Republican, appointed Joseph McCulloch as prosecutor in 2023.
But the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the governor holds the power to appoint the prosecuting attorney. The county asked the Missouri Supreme Court to step in, but the court declined, hearing the appeal just hours before the swearing-in ceremony. Page, who was at the ceremony, said in a statement Friday that Smith has his support.
“This case was about protecting the county charter and ensuring St. Louis County can select its elected officials,” Page said. “It’s important that the prosecuting attorney’s office be successful, and Melissa Price Smith has my full support in working to keep St. Louis County safe. I am confident she will use her experience to build on the work of Wesley Bell.”
Smith said she’s kept her faith in the justice system over the past few months.
“They have made what I have believed all along was the right decision,” Smith said. “My whole career is about putting my faith in the court process, because I believe in our judicial system.”
