香港三级片

Knee-deep in a game of political chess 鈥� which could have been a simple game of checkers 鈥� is where St. 香港三级片 County Executive Sam Page鈥檚 office finds itself.

We speak, of course, about the machinations taking place around naming a replacement for St. 香港三级片 County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell 鈥� who also has moved a few pieces around the board.

While the courts decide whether Bell鈥檚 replacement should be named by Page, who tabbed Cort VanOstran, or Gov. Mike Parson, who chose Melissa Price Smith, some other moves have come down in the last few days.

On Tuesday, the County Council held a special meeting to interview both Smith and VanOstran. To be fair, it also gave the council, increasingly unfriendly to Page, a chance to run his nominee through a wringer.

In this case, the game of checkers could have been for Page to nominate Smith, the most qualified person to lead the office in the two years left on Bell鈥檚 term.

A county prosecutor for the last 17 years, Smith (to use another game metaphor) knocked it out of the park on Tuesday. She answered the council鈥檚 questions with confidence and clarity.

As the questioning progressed, her experience as a prosecutor towered above that of VanOstran, who has spent most of his young career as a civil lawyer for private firms.

But Smith also managed to drop a bombshell of sorts during the proceedings.

Smith told the council that in October, after she had already told Page about her interest in the job, a Page supporter called her not once, but twice, and said Smith needed to get 鈥渟ome dirt鈥� on Mike Archer.

Archer, a Republican and former county prosecutor, defeated longtime Page supporter Ernie Trakas in the August primary and was running a competitive race against Democrat Kevin Schartner in the November election.

鈥淚 was stunned,鈥� Smith said, when asked after the Tuesday meeting about the calls from the Page supporter, whom Smith declined to name.

Smith said that because her and Archer鈥檚 time in the prosecutor鈥檚 office did not overlap, she told the caller she didn鈥檛 really know him and then didn鈥檛 give the matter much more thought.

But then a second call placed some days later by the same supporter did indeed rankle Smith 鈥� especially when Smith said the caller 鈥渋nstructed me that I needed to 鈥榳ork harder鈥欌�� to get damaging information on Archer.

When asked if she believed the caller really wanted information on Archer, or if Smith was merely being tested to see what she would do to secure Page鈥檚 nomination, Smith replied:

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really know, and I don鈥檛 do that鈥� sort of thing, Smith said. 鈥淪o, I passed my own test.鈥�

Page鈥檚 office replied Wednesday, saying 鈥淲e have no idea what Ms. Smith is talking about.鈥�

Smith鈥檚 claim is not the first time someone of solid standing has called out the Page camp for playing politics.

In June, Gretchen Bangert filed a federal complaint which alleges that Page offered her a high-paying job with the county if she would drop out of the council race she eventually won.

Bangert, who is leaving the Missouri House, was running in the Democrat primary to replace loyal Page supporter Kelli Dunaway. Her main opponent was Nicole Greer, Page鈥檚 favored candidate and the mother of Dunaway鈥檚 campaign manager.

In that instance, Bangert was first told of the job offer by a Page supporter, state Rep. LaDonna Appelbaum.

The names of Bangert and Archer loom heavily over Page鈥檚 future relationship with the County Council, to say the least.

Forced recently into trying to maneuver around a council that tends to vote 4-3 against him, Page now likely faces numerous 6-1 opposing votes when the two rookies replace Dunaway and Trakas.

(Side note from Tuesday: Some politicos are wondering what Page did to tick off Trakas, who arguably was VanOstran鈥檚 toughest interrogator.)

Now we move on to the second game that could have been checkers, but has been turned into another chess match:

The removal of Dennis Hancock from the County Council on charges of nepotism, for trying to hire his stepdaughter, Hollie Galati, as his assistant.

When told of the nepotism law, Hancock immediately fessed up to not being aware of the prohibition and promptly rescinded the hire. For her part, Galati said she did not want any money for the short time she worked.

So, in this matter, the checkers game would have been for the county executive and prosecutor鈥檚 offices to embrace a 鈥渘o harm, no foul鈥� philosophy and move on.

But Bell鈥檚 office, which already has taken two losses in their initial attempts to kick Hancock off the board without a trial, spent two hours and two prosecutors on Wednesday to seek grand jury indictments.

And instead of trying to make a case against Hancock, or even Galati, the prosecutors have set their sights on County Clerk Diann Valenti.

According to sources, Valenti has been charged with one felony count of forgery and three misdemeanors in connection to her processing of Galati鈥檚 application.

Valenti could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In the halls outside of the grand jury room, after this bureau was ejected from Bell鈥檚 office lobby by chief of staff Andrea Harrington, Rachel Smith declined to talk about the case.

(Side note from Wednesday: Although Rachel Smith is leading the prosecution on the Hancock case, none of the receptionists in Bell鈥檚 office knew who she was.)

The other prosecutor, Jessica Hathaway, did not return calls.

Bell spokesman Chris King said grand jury matters are confidential and declined to comment further.

The time set aside for the pursuit of Valenti before the grand jury was requested personally by Bell, who then left on a cruise and was unavailable for comment.

As to pursuing charges against Valenti, that did not sit well with Councilwoman Rita Heard Days.

Calling Valenti 鈥渁 consummate professional,鈥� Days said. 鈥淕oing after someone for doing their job, it just makes me sick to my stomach.鈥�

Said Days, 鈥淪omeone is getting desperate.鈥�