Ferguson’s new traffic commissioner is on probation for leaving accident

FERGUSON, Mo. – The City of Ferguson uses a traffic commission to identify road safety issues and advise members of the city council on what citizens need. Now, there’s a controversy about a new commission member. “They didn’t know about it until I brought it up,” resident Becca Bryant said. Bryant found new traffic commission member Craig Schorp pleaded guilty to misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident and signed a plea agreement in October 2024. The agreement says he’s now serving two years of court-supervised probation. Bryant remembers attending the March 11 meeting. “I hear Craig Schorp appointed for traffic commission and my husband texted me and goes, 'Traffic commission?!? Of all the boards!'” she said. Schorp did not respond to FOX 2’s social media message or our personal visit to his home, but Councilman Nick Kasoff stood up for him. “All of us make mistakes,” he said. Kasoff added that Schorp explained himself, saying, “Somebody started running toward his car and jumped on the vehicle and he was afraid for his safety and tried to get away.” Kasoff said Ferguson ordinances only require advisory board members be current on their taxes and that having a criminal record does not disqualify you. Kasoff agrees that it should not. “I don’t support digging into the background of everybody that wants to volunteer to help our city. I want to be inclusive here,” he said. In a message to FOX 2 News, Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones wrote that she's “…consistently expressed concerns about the appointment process for boards and commissions, emphasizing the need for greater transparency, accountability, and a clearer set of qualifications.” The mayor added that she’s asked the city attorney to draft legislation to change how the city council appoints people to advisory boards. It’s precisely what Bryant had wondered when she discovered all of this. “At least a little bit of due diligence, especially in a city that’s in a microscope like ours,” Bryant said.