St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page announces pick for next prosecuting attorney
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. (First Alert 4)—St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page has announced his pick for the next prosecuting attorney.
Page’s announcement comes a week after Missouri Governor Mike Parson and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit to prevent him from filling the St. Louis County Prosecutor vacancy. The lawsuit requested the court to enter a judgment declaring the Missouri Governor has the power to fill the vacancy and issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting Page from taking any further steps to hire the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney.
The day the lawsuit was filed, Doug Moore, Chief Communications Officer for Page, said, “The residents of St. Louis County should be treated like residents of every other charter county. Dr. Page is confident in our position and that our position will be affirmed by the courts.”
On Tuesday, Page announced that Cort VanOstran was his choice to be the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney. According to the announcement, VanOstran will fill the unexpired term of Wesley Bell, who was elected to fill the seat for Missouri’s First Congressional District.
After Page’s announcement, Parson’s press secretary sent First Alert 4 the following statement:
“Executive Page’s action today changes nothing for Governor Parson in naming the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney. Governor Parson is moving forward and has started the interviewing process to find the best qualified individual for the job, regardless of political affiliations. We remain confident in our legal authority to name this appointment and look forward to the Courts affirming our position.”
Parson’s office said the governor plans to announce his pick for St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney before Jan. 3 “so that the individual can assume the duties of the office immediately.”
In the announcement, Page stated that VanOstran, a Democrat, had resigned from his position as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Missouri to fill the position.
“Cort VanOstran is a proven public servant. As a federal prosecutor, he’s worked to protect victims of crime. As an attorney, he’s represented everyday Missourians and stood up to powerful corporate interests,” said Page. “As the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, he will work every day to keep our community safe.”
On the same day that Page announced VanOstran as his pick, his office responded to the lawsuit filed by Parson and Bailey. The counterclaim states that the St. Loius County Executive has exclusive power to fill the vacancy.
“Whoever leads this amazing office next will have my full . I met with Cort VanOstran today, and he told me that he is a fan of this office, likes what we are doing, and believes his first step as a leader will be to emphasize listening and also learning from our talented and experienced staff,” said Bell. “Today I also met with our staff and advised them of that conversation. I advised them if Cort is the next prosecuting attorney, to give him a fair chance and I think it will pay off for them individually, but more importantly for the office as a whole. I also told them that they are not going to lose me after I am sworn in as a member of Congress - but they will gain an advocate for this office and, ultimately, an advocate for public safety in the St. Louis region as a whole.”
Prior to becoming a prosecutor, VanOstran was with the St. Louis law firm Gray Ritter Graham. He is also a former law clerk to United States District Judge John Ross and United States District Judge Audrey Flessing. In 2018, VanOstran was the Democratic nominee for United States Congress in Missouri’s then-Second District.
VanOstran is married to employment attorney David Wasserman and lives in Richmond Heights. Page’s office said the appointment makes VanOstran one of the highest-profile openly LGBTQ chief prosecutors in the country.
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