Contract to run Maplewood License Office Canceled

In a press conference Thursday afternoon, the Missouri Department of Revenue announced that it has withdrawn the contract recently awarded to St. Louis County Council member Kathleen Burkett (D-Overland, District 2) to run the Maplewood License Bureau.  The department cited Burkett’s failure to satisfy the requirements of her proposal for the position without providing any details.  The Maplewood License office is among the top revenue producing fee offices in the state. 

The revenue department’s action is a reversal of its decision last week to award the contract to Burkett, despite her filing for bankruptcy in March of 2011.  The revenue department reported the contract would be awarded to Mid-America Transplant Services, a nonprofit organization that was the runner-up to Burkett in the state application process.  The state’s application scores for Burkett and Mid-America Transplant Services were 73.64 and 73.07, respectively, out of a possible 100.  Burkett had scored the highest of nine applicants for the office.

Burkett had most recently operated the Ferguson License Office and her family had also operated the Overland License Office for many years.  Burkett has been a St. Louis County Council member since 2002 and is seeking re-election this year. 

The complete news story is in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.