The latest edition of Politically Speaking’s weekly roundup show zeroes in on two big stories that made waves in St. Louis County government: Police Chief Jon Belmar’s retirement and the settlement of Lt. Keith Wildhaber’s discrimination case.
Those two events occurred within hours of one another. And St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Julie O’Donoghue and Rachel Lippmann explained how they’ll impact county government going forward.
Here’s what was discussed on the show:
- Lippmann detailed what the process will be for selecting Belmar’s replacement — and how his response to the protests over Michael Brown’s shooting death in Ferguson shapes his legacy.
- O’Donoghue discussed her interview with Wildhaber, who expressed relief that his long legal saga was finally over. Wildhaber won a nearly $20 million award after a jury found he was discriminated against for being gay and was retaliated against when he filed a formal complaint. St. Louis County came to a $10.25 million settlement with Wildhaber and his attorneys this week.
- Rosenbaum spoke with St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Jacob Barker about his story on how Rex Sinquefield sought to help former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger through a host of political action committees and politically active nonprofits.
- Rosenbaum discussed his experience judging a Reynolds Journalism Institute competition regarding “deepfakes.” That’s the term used to describe when someone else’s face and voice are inserted into a video — a process that can be used to blackmail people.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Julie O’Donoghue on Twitter: @jsodonoghue
Follow Rachel Lippmann on Twitter: @rlippmann
Follow Jacob Baker on Twitter: @jacobbarker
Music: “Policy of Truth” by Depeche Mode
