In a legal bid to include party affiliation on the 8th Ward Board of Aldermen July 1 special election to replace Mayor Cara Spencer, the St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee has filed a lawsuit in the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court.
The DCC contends that the current ballot violates the St. Louis City Charter and a Missouri statute
“By stripping party labels and ignoring proper ballot order, the City is depriving voters of clear information and violating both local and state law,” said SLCDCC Chair Sean Fauss.
“We’re fighting not just for our candidate, but for the integrity of the electoral process. Voters deserve transparency, and the city must honor its own Charter.”
Shedrick Kelley, the Democratic nominee said in a release, “Running for public office should be about showing up for the people, being clear about where you stand, and giving voters the full picture. That includes knowing who supports you and what party you represent.”
Spencer has endorsed Jami Cox Antwi to replace her on the board. Cam McCarty is running as an independent. His party affiliation would be listed if the lawsuit proves successful.
Also running as independent candidates are Jim Dallas and Alecia Hoyt.
The 8th Ward includes Bellerive Park includes the Benton Park, Soulard and Lafayette Square neighborhoods and shares the downtown business district with the 14th Ward.
This is my ward and I’ve met the candidates. The one question I did not ask was which party they belong to. They are our neighbors and party affiliation should have nothing to do with it. We all want the pot holes fixed, speed bumps installed, more police presence and stability in City Hall. It will be interesting to see how this ends.