Five months ago, I told readers of the St. Louis American that the Board of Aldermen had a monumental task ahead of us. Today, I’m happy to report that your lawmakers came together to put the foundation for a more strategic, efficient legislative branch in place.
I commend the outgoing Board for working diligently to invest our remaining ARPA dollars in city infrastructure and public safety. The final Board was also instrumental in reestablishing the civilian oversight of the police department.
That work brought us to a turning point in our city. Two weeks ago, voters delivered the most diverse slate of municipal lawmakers in our city’s history. Our newly elected aldermen and alderwomen, many of them supported by this newspaper, will be the first racially balanced Board in our history. Our new Board of Aldermen will have six Black members, six white members, one Asian member and one Latina member. Eight of the Board’s 14 members are women. Two members are openly LGBTQIA.
We need that brand of leadership now more than ever. The Missouri General Assembly is working to dismantle our ability to self-govern. In the weeks ahead, the state legislature could vote to take away local control of our police department and put it in the hands of lawmakers in Jefferson City—politicians who like to appear tough on crime, but insist on inflaming the conditions that lead to crime; who are rushing toward the wrong side of history by erasing basic human rights for transgender Missourians; and who are punishing communities by defunding public libraries. This isn’t governance. It’s fascism. It’s anti-freedom of speech. It’s anti-public safety. And it’s antithetical to the principles on which this country was founded.
But while we work to defend our fundamental freedoms in Jefferson City, we can’t lose sight of the issues facing us at home: the need for safe neighborhoods, greater access to early childhood education and affordable housing.
Crime visits too many of our residents and our government owes it to you to find a way through it. The current model of arrest-and-incarcerate isn’t working. It does little to reduce recidivism. It costs more in the long run. And it puts law enforcement in harm’s way when other alternatives exist. We need to remember that the perpetrators of violence are, many times, victims themselves and that poverty creates an inertia which prevents people from moving forward.
We want our city to be safe so our children can thrive. They rely on us, and we must do everything we can to help them lead dignified, prosperous lives. But for many parents, despite their best efforts and through no fault of their own, those opportunities come at too high a price. We need to help working families shoulder the financial burden of early childhood education.
And we must do more for our unhoused population who are often penalized, even criminalized, for being vulnerable. An Unhoused Bill of Rights will decriminalize homelessness, create safeguards to protect their dignity and help them rebuild their lives.
Renters in our city are too often victimized by predatory landlords who raise rents on their tenants while lowering their quality of life. A Tenants’ Bill of Rights will create eviction protections and a right to counsel for renters—bringing the legal process for evictions into balance.
Most importantly, we must address our city’s housing crisis by rewriting the zoning code to encourage the development of affordable housing. If developers want a deal, they need to ensure that low-and moderate-income St. Louisans have access to housing they can afford.
Our best way forward is to do that work together—to build a stronger connection between people and city government. To that end, the board is changing the way it does business. We have democratized public input and put more citizens in touch with local lawmakers by making virtual hearings permanent.
This brand of collaborative governance will guide the process for deciding how we invest the Rams settlement funds, the promise and potential of which can’t be overstated. Directed toward the right initiatives, these funds will create generational change for city residents.
And for everyone who has experienced roadblocks at City Hall—my office is establishing a Red Tape Commission to thoroughly review our past policies and practices to modernize city government. We need to remove barriers that make it easier to open a business in Ballwin or Belleville than in St. Louis. It’s imperative that we update the City’s minority contracting and procurement practices to guarantee that our development workforce and contracts reflect diversity.
Most importantly, we will address our city’s housing crisis by rewriting the zoning code to encourage the development of affordable housing. If developers want a deal, they need to ensure that low-and moderate-income St. Louisans have access to housing they can afford.
The disparities in our city have been years in the making. Change won’t happen overnight. But if we work together and apply ourselves to a common purpose, we can build a St. Louis that works for everyone.
