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Public advocate accuses county employees of misappropriation; council enforces rules on identifying employees
Summary
At public comment, Arnie Dinoff, identifying himself as County Public Advocate, alleged misappropriation of county assets, urged investigation and said the St. Peters police detective bureau had not presented findings to the county prosecuting attorney; a council member raised a point of order about naming employees.
Arnie Dinoff identified himself as a County Public Advocate and used his three-minute public-comment slot to thank snow-removal workers and then level allegations about improper conduct within county government.
"The former and former, have been accused of misappropriation of county assets and county resources. In my opinion, that's embezzlement and it needs to be investigated," Dinoff told the council, and later said he had spoken to the county prosecuting attorney, who told him he "knows nothing about this incident."
A council member raised a point of order about the content of Dinoff’s remarks and whether they violated council rules by specifically identifying current or former county employees. The chair intervened and reminded the speaker not to name individuals; Dinoff said he had not given names.
The council did not take any formal action during the meeting based on the allegations. Dinoff said the accused individuals had pending Merit Commission appeals and that he planned to attend those hearings. He urged residents to contact him with information about any suspected county fraud.
No county official or prosecutor provided a response during the meeting record to substantiate or dispute the allegations; the transcript records only Dinoff’s statements and the point-of-order objection from a council member.
