By her own admission, Melissa Price Smith never aspired to public office.
Price Smith had spent roughly 16 years working in the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office. She’d handled basically every type of crime, from low-level misdemeanors to homicides, and for the past several years was in charge of child abuse and sexual assault cases. But when it was clear in August that Wesley Bell would be departing as prosecutor to serve in Congress, Price Smith’s mindset about vying for the elected position changed.
“I realized the office needed a prosecutor to run it,” Price Smith said during a wide-ranging interview for The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air. “It was really just seeing the need and stepping up.”
Price Smith’s ascension as Bell’s successor featured a few twists and turns.
After Bell won election in November, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page started the process to appoint Bell's successor. But Gov. Mike Parson asserted he had the right to choose who would succeed Bell.
With a lawsuit winding through the court system, Page announced he would appoint Cort VanOstran to succeed Bell. Parson chose Price Smith. Ultimately, the Missouri Court of Appeals sided with Parson, and the state Supreme Court declined to take up the case.
“I believed all along that the governor did have the power to appoint,” Price Smith said. “I trusted in the legal process. I've made a career of trusting in the legal process.”
Price Smith didn’t see Page’s decision to press the issue in court as evidence of any animosity toward her.
“I don't think he was rejecting me personally,” she said. “I think he was really trying to just preserve his power of appointment. And now that the appointment has been made, I really just want to focus on this office. And I intend to work closely with the [county council] and with Dr. Page and cooperate. And we can put all of that circus leading up to this behind us.”
A violent crime unit
One of the first things Price Smith did after being sworn into office was getting a violent crime unit running. She is also planning on establishing a homicide unit.
“St. Louis County is so big, and certain types of crimes need special attention and need specialization,” Price Smith said. “And they also need more experienced attorneys who can handle specific types of cases who have the knowledge — and who can also mentor younger and newer attorneys who want to do that type of work.”
Pointing to high caseloads for attorneys in the prosecutor’s office, Price Smith said that St. Louis County’s crime rate is too high. She emphasized, though, that’s not an acknowledgement that previous strategies, such as a 2017 sales tax aimed at bolstering public safety, have failed.
“I just think we need a more efficient, stronger prosecutor's office,” Price Smith said. “We need to work in partnership with law enforcement to lower crime. I think any resident of St. Louis County would say it's definitely higher than we're all comfortable with.”
Price Smith also is supportive of St. Louis County Councilman Mark Harder’s resolution calling for state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick to look into practices in the office that “may be leading to waste, fraud, and/or abuse.”
She said her backing of an audit is “not a criticism or an accusation of anything.” Rather, Price Smith said, “it gives me a clear picture of what's been going on.”
“It will allow me to be transparent with the public,” Price Smith said. “And I think that's really, really important to know what's been going on to put my arms around it so I can make changes and make this office more efficient.”
Breaking the glass ceiling
Price Smith is the first woman to hold countywide office in St. Louis County.
She said that distinction means a lot to her. When Parson first appointed her to the post, she said she thought of her daughter.
“I am so inspired by the strong women that are around me,” Price Smith said. “And we all hold each other up, and I just hope I can help do that for others.”
Price Smith’s path to this point has been unusual. She and her identical twin, Teresa Bomkamp, became professional dancers, including working on a cruise ship and for the Siegfried & Roy show in Las Vegas.
She ultimately decided to shift toward the legal profession. She and her sister both worked in the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office for a number of years before Bonkamp went into private practice in 2024.
“There are some people who immediately can tell us apart. Other people, for years, cannot,” Price Smith said. “She's my twin soul. She's the best trial lawyer I've ever seen. I've learned from her as a prosecutor and, more importantly, as a person. We hold each other up. We keep each other brave. We challenge each other, but we're not competitive with each other.”
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
