MIssouri Gov. Mike Parson selected Gabriel Gore, a former federal prosecutor, to be the next St. Louis Circuit Attorney. Gore is a partner at the Dowd Bennett law firm in St. Louis. He previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney, a law clerk for federal appeals Court Judge John Gibson, and as an assistant special counsel for the investigation of the FBI raid in Waco, Tex. Parson announced his choice to succeed Kim Gardner on Friday. Gardner, who was facing possible ouster by the Missouri Attorney General, unexpectedly moved up her planned June 1 resignation and left the office this week, reports St. Louis Public Radio.
In 2014, then-Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Gore to the Ferguson Commission — which came up with policy recommendations in response to a Ferguson police officer fatally shooting Michael Brown. Parson also picked Gore to serve on the Missouri State University Board of Governors. Even though he’s a Republican, Parson was widely expected to select a Democrat to succeed Gardner. St. Louis is heavily Democratic, and any GOP appointee would likely have lost a bid for a full, four-year term next year. A number of African-American faith leaders wanted Parson to pick a Black person to serve as circuit attorney. Gardner was the first Black woman to serve in the position, and the city of St. Louis is split between white and African American residents. Gore also is Black. Gore will face a challenge in stabilizing an office that is mired in crisis. Gardner faced immense criticism for being unable to hire and retain staff.