To the editor:

When the St. Louis County Council held hearings on the county’s 2022 budget I raised an issue concerning Sam Alton, the chief of staff for St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. Despite Alton being paid $130,000 a year, it seems he has nine outside jobs.

According to his resume, Alton also runs his law firm, SJAlton Law LLC, and has since August, 2015. The resume says he “represents a variety of clients at all levels of litigation” and primary practice areas include “municipal law, business and commercial litigation and employment discrimination.”

Municipal experience shown on his resume is city attorney and prosecuting attorney for the city of Pagedale, from 2002 to the present. Also prosecuting attorney for the city of Vinita Park, from March, 2014 to the present.

Alton is also city attorney and prosecuting attorney for the city of Jennings, from April 2016 to the present. He is provisional prosecuting attorney for the city of Charlack, from December, 2017 to the present.

In addition, he is city attorney and prosecuting attorney for the city of Breckenridge Hills. Though not on his resume, it seems Alton is also the city attorney for Bellerive Acres. He could be holding a total of 10 jobs, including chief of staff for Wesley Bell.

Alton’s wife, Julia Fogelberg, is an attorney and also works for Wesley Bell at $90,900 a year. It isn’t known if she also works for her husband’s law firm.

It has to be wondered how much time Sam Alton spends on his county job given all his outside work. This is a matter the County Council needs to be concerned about.

Tom Sullivan
University City