Dooley Demands Stenger's Apology For Radio Show Remarks

County Executive Charlie Dooley called for an apology from County Council Chairman Steve Stenger (D-District 6) about his comments on the Mark Reardon Show Wednesday.

“In trying to insult me, Mr. Stenger demeaned and insulted the people of St. Louis County—many of whom do not have a college degree,” Dooley said in a release Thursday. 

Stenger was a guest on the show and discussed the 2012 recommended county budget and the he formed to create alternative suggestions to the proposed closure of . 

Reardon asked Stenger what background Dooley had specifically to the budget. This was after the two discussed Stenger’s 18-year history as a certified public accountant specializing in state and local taxes.

“I don’t think that there’s an educational background. I think Charlie graduated from high school. I don’t think he has any specialized training in accounting or anything like that,” Stenger said. The interview then moved onto (D-District 2).

In his release, Dooley said he was secure and confident in his own ability.

“I have nine years experience preparing and implementing balanced budgets. St Louis County has a Triple A credit rating—the best you can possibly have,” he said.

Dooley maintains Stenger insulted individuals who do not have a college degree.

“None of my remarks were insensitive or insulting,” Stenger told Patch. “My father has a high school diploma. I don’t see anything wrong with having a high school diploma.”

“I was just answering a question that was posed to me,” Stenger said, adding the executive's education information was on the St. Louis County’s website.

“He (Charlie Dooley) is now grasping at straws trying to make a personal attack on me,” Stenger said. “If they’re going to zing me on something, they’re going to need to do better than that.”

Stenger said his problem with the county executive did not stem from his educational background.

“My problem that I have is not a problem with Charlie, it’s a problem with his budget. His chief operating officer (Garry Earls) is a degreed engineer. I disagree with his budget because it’s Charlie’s budget. It has nothing to do with education. It has everything to do with the fact that Charlie wants to close half the parks in St. Louis County, lay off 173 people, and he wants to eliminate snow plowing in my district,” Stenger said.

At Tuesday's special budget committee meeting, , as council chair, did not have enough knowledge of the budget to make recommendations for improvement.

Stenger and other councilmembers said they will not approve the county executive’s budget, which must be passed by Dec. 31.

Do Stenger's comments merit an apology? You decide. Listen to the full interview on the CBS website.