Theodore Hoskins

Theodore Hoskins (born June 15, 1938), also referred to as Ted Hoskins, is an American politician with the Democratic Party. He was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and has been mayor of Berkeley, Missouri since his election in 2012. Hoskins was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in Berkeley, Missouri. He served in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1961, and left with an honorable discharge. He received education in business administration at Florissant Valley Community College, where he obtained an associate's degree, and at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is married with three children, and resides in Berkeley, Missouri. Hoskins has worked in a financial capacity with Bi-State Development Agency, and is owner and CEO of T & L Automated Accounting Services.

Hoskins was elected a Berkeley City Councilman in 1985, representing the 3rd Ward of Berkeley, Missouri. He was reelected to the Berkeley City Council in 1986, 1990 and 1994. While city councilman, Hoskins also served as president of the Black Elected County Officials of St. Louis County, Missouri, and supported the redistricting of election districts in Missouri at both state and local levels to emphasize representation of African-Americans. In 1992, he ran against Wayne Goode of Pasadena Hills, Missouri for a seat in the Missouri State Senate, representing the 13th district. Hoskins' platform included increasing representation of African-Americans through redistricting, improvements to education, and a state health insurance plan, but he lost the election to Goode.

In 1995, Hoskins was a candidate for Mayor of Berkeley, Missouri, but lost to incumbent Acting-Mayor Jean Montgomery. He was again a candidate for mayor in 1996, and defeated incumbent Berkeley Mayor Jean Montgomery in the April 2, 1996 election. While mayor, Hoskins often sided with three city council members to create a voting majority of 4–3, with an agenda of encouraging growth and development in the municipality. He was challenged politically in his position as mayor, and opposing members of the city council attempted to oust him in 1996. In August 1997, the Berkeley City Council passed an amendment to the City Charter allowing Hoskins to hold the position of Democratic committeeman for Norwood Township while still serving as Mayor of Berkeley. Berkeley City Councilman Kenneth W. McClendon had filed a lawsuit in St. Louis County Court in July 1997 seeking to remove Hoskins from his position as mayor because of his concurrent role as Committeeman. A group of individuals critical of Hoskins sought to remove him as mayor, and in June 1998 a judge's order removed him from office, citing his concurrent role as a Democratic committeeman as a violation of the city's charter. In August 1998, voters recalled Hoskins as mayor, but the following October the Missouri Court of Appeals reversed the order removing him from office, and he returned to the position as mayor.

Hoskins was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in November 2002, representing District 80, and has served in the 92nd, 93rd, and 94th General Assembly of the Missouri General Assembly. In 2005, he voiced his support for set-asides for minority and women-owned businesses to Governor of Missouri Matt Blunt. In 2006, Hoskins wrote a letter in his capacity as Chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus to the St. Louis NAACP, criticizing the organization for supporting former KTRS radio host David Lenihan. Lenihan was fired after he had used a racial slur on the air in reference to then-United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Hoskins wrote that the action of the local NAACP chapter of giving Lenihan life member status "cheapened the value of our rich history". He received an honorable discharge, In 1997, Hoskins' wife presented an educational booth on cancer prevention, at the Missouri Black Expo event at America's Center.

While in his first term as a Berkeley City Councilman, Hoskins worked as an accountant and internal auditor for Bi-State Development Agency, In 2009 he was owner and chief executive officer of T & L Automated Accounting Services. He was reelected to the Berkeley City Council in 1986, 1990 and 1994.

In 1990, Hoskins was the sole Berkeley City Council member to join with Berkeley Mayor Bill Miller in opposing the hiring of a former city manager of Edgewater, Florida and Cocoa, Florida as city manager of Berkeley. Hoskins and the Mayor both stated they had concerns about the city manager's skills and background.

In 1991, Hoskins served as president of the Black Elected County Officials of St. Louis County, Missouri. Hoskins announced the organization endorsed Lt. Gov. Mel Carnahan in his campaign for Governor of Missouri.

Hoskins supported a 1991 attempt by Charlene Jones of the Missouri House Redistricting Commission to increase the number of House districts with a black majority from 13 to 17. At an August 1991 hearing of the redistricting commission in St. Louis County, Hoskins requested the commission establish a district that contained at least a 65 percent minority representation. In October 1991, Hoskins requested that the Missouri Appellate Senate Apportionment Commission adhere to the Voting Rights Act, by forming black districts. Hoskins informed the Missouri State Senate that the 13th Senatorial District in north St. Louis County the district, then only 56 percent black, must be redistricted to 66 percent black in order to beat the white incumbent politician. Hoskins was a witness for the plaintiffs challenging the Missouri House redistricting plan in 1992, acknowledged black representatives had been elected from white-majority districts and white representatives from black-majority districts, but he went on to state "I know if blacks had their choice, they wouldn't vote for them." When asked by Missouri Assistant Attorney General Michael Boicourt who had chosen Hoskins to represent black voters in the debate, Hoskins replied: "Because I'm black, I designated myself today to speak for blacks." "I'm not concerned about where you take it, and I'm not even going to give you a suggestion. I just want you to take it," said Hoskins. Powers had said in his letter to the council that he wished to resign due to both professional and personal reasons. Hoskins stated he would make education a priority on his agenda if elected. Hoskins asserted that "The biggest issue ... is that the incumbent has lost touch with the residents of the community." Hoskins proposed improvements to education as a priority if elected, as well as a state health insurance plan. Goode won the election by 58 percent.

In October 1993, Hoskins stated his position on a proposed expansion of the county council would be influenced by how this would impact black people, based on the intended changes to boundary lines. In April 1994, in his capacity as president of the Black Elected County Officials of St. Louis County, Hoskins announced the organization would support state representative William L. Clay's campaign for reelection to the 1st district in Missouri, for a 14th term as representative. In November 1994, Hoskins was encouraged by the election of Charlie Dooley as St. Louis County government's first black elected official, and commented "It brings everybody's viewpoints to the table."

Mayor of Berkeley, Missouri In 1995, Hoskins was a candidate for Mayor of Berkeley, Missouri. He campaigned on issues of diversity and improving the economy of the city. Hoskins was again a candidate for Mayor of Berkeley in 1996, and campaigned on issues of building a recreational facility in the city, improving police protection, and stabilizing the housing situation in the city. Hoskins defeated incumbent Berkeley Mayor Jean Montgomery in the April 2, 1996 election. Hoskins received 816 votes, to Montgomery's 725.

quote="Mayor Theodore "Ted" Hoskins joins three council members to make the majority ... They operate the government on an agenda of attracting development and growth to the municipality of 12,240 residents." — St. Louis Post-Dispatch Hoskins stated he had ruled that the heads of Berkeley city departments should report to him as at the time there was not an acting city manager. The newspaper reported that the majority of four politicians including Mayor Hoskins "operate the government on an agenda of attracting development and growth to the municipality of 12,240 residents." Berkeley City Councilman Kenneth W. McClendon had filed a lawsuit in St. Louis County Court in July 1997 seeking to remove Hoskins from his position as mayor because of his concurrent role as Committeeman. On March 17, 1998, a judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals denied a motion to expedite Hoskins' appeal of the court order mandating a recall election. Elbert Walton, who represented Hoskins in the matter, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that an April 7 election date would have violated state law, which specifies a minimum period of six weeks between a court order and the subsequent election. Write-in candidate McClendon was removed from the ballot due to being late with a garbage bill. During the meeting, Mayor Hoskins ordered police to remove individuals, including a city councilman. Associate Circuit Judge Patrick Clifford ordered that Hoskins be removed from office effective June 24, 1998, after ruling he had violated the city's charter by holding both the elected offices of Democratic committeeman from Norwood Township and Mayor of Berkeley, Missouri, at the same time. Hoskins maintained that a group of individuals who supported the prior mayor could not accept his assuming the office, and were motivated by an attempt to gain power over local government politics. On October 6, 1998, the Missouri Court of Appeals reversed the June 1998 order by St. Louis County Associate Circuit Judge Patrick Clifford that removed Hoskins from power as mayor. "As of today, we have our mayor back," said Hoskins' attorney, Elbert Walton. His opponents on the ballot included Kenneth W. McClendon, Gwendolyn M. Verges, Babatunde Deindo, and M. Jean Montgomery.

Missouri House of Representatives In August 2002, Hoskins was a candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives, District 80, and won with 42% of the votes. He was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in November 2002, and has served in the 92nd, 93rd, and 94th General Assembly of the Missouri General Assembly. Hoskins urged the Missouri attorney general's office to obtain expert legal advice in order to defend the set asides. In May 2006, Lenihan was on the air and used a racial slur when discussing then-United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In 2008, Hoskins sponsored a bill which would change the requirements in Missouri to only mandate a license plate on the rear bumper of a vehicle. A similar bill was proposed in 2007, but this bill did not pass. On the bill's prospects of passing, Hoskins stated "I'm always hopeful. Taking our financial condition as a state, we should be looking at any aspect of revenue savings. This would give them one." Hoskins is the only Democratic chairman of a committee in the Missouri House of Representatives.