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Public Safety Committee forwards Dr. Mark Mullen’s nomination for Detention Facility Oversight Board to full Board
Summary
The St. Louis Public Safety Committee heard from nominee Dr. Mark Mullen, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Saint Louis University, and unanimously moved his mayoral nomination to the full Board of Aldermen for confirmation after committee members asked no questions and voiced support.
The St. Louis Public Safety Committee on March 12, 2026, voted to send Mayor’s nominee Dr. Mark Mullen to the full Board of Aldermen for confirmation after a brief committee review and expressions of support.
Dr. Mark Mullen, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and director of the Consultation–Liaison Psychiatry Service at Saint Louis University Hospital, told the committee that when incarcerated patients who need psychiatric care are brought to the emergency department, "those patients are not eligible to be admitted to our psychiatry units due to their carceral status and security concerns." He said he has worked with incarcerated patients across the state and described himself as "passionate about caring for the most vulnerable people in society," and that he hoped to bring that expertise to the Detention Facility Oversight Board.
Committee members praised Mullen’s qualifications and asked no substantive questions. Alderman Oldenburg said he had "an impressive resume," and Alderwoman Clark-Hubbard told the nominee she was moved by his focus on "the most vulnerable." Several members, including Vice Chair Aldridge and Alderwoman Velasquez, said they had no questions and expressed thanks for his willingness to serve.
Chair Narayan moved to appoint Dr. Mullen to the Detention Facility Oversight Board; a request for a "previous roll" was raised and, hearing no objections, the committee forwarded the nomination to the full Board of Aldermen for further consideration. The committee did not record a formal roll-call tally in the transcript; the clerk stated the nomination "passes to the full Board of Aldermen for further consideration." The transcript indicates the chair expected the final confirmation vote at the full board meeting referred to as "tomorrow." The transcript did not specify who seconded the motion or provide a committee vote tally beyond the "no objections" statement.
The committee also approved minutes from Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the start of the meeting and then adjourned with no further business. The committee clerk will notify Dr. Mullen about the next steps toward confirmation, according to the committee record.
