It was a dizzying 12 hours. On Thursday night, state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. (D-St. Louis) announced that he would be running as a write-in candidate in the April 4 election for St. Louis mayor.
Franks, who belatedly endorsed Tishaura O. Jones for mayor in the March 7 primary election, said people weren’t ready to let the energy and movement for change that Jones built die – and many community members asked him to pick up the torch.
By a mere 888 votes, Jones, the progressive candidate, lost to Lyda Krewson, who was endorsed by the four-term incumbent Mayor Francis G. Slay. In a crowded race as the only electable white candidate, Krewson won the Democratic primary with merely 32 percent of the vote.
“About 68 percent decided that they wanted something different,” Franks said. “That’s not what we want. I owed it to all the people who came to me and asked me to run.”
But by 9 a.m. Friday morning, Franks – a political newcomer – had decided against running because, he said, he learned that it would hurt the 78th District, which he represents, and House Democrats. After making a few calls trying to secure his replacement, he was told that it’s likely that Republican Gov. Eric Greitens would choose to leave his seat open and not hold a special election. Greitens holds that power. In that event, the people of the 78th District would be without a representative for a year and a half, Franks said.
“I couldn’t have that on my conscience, even though I felt it was the right thing to do for the city to run for mayor,” Franks said. “But how good is it for the city if I’m leaving one part of the city underrepresented? And I’d end up doing the very thing I’m fighting against.”
Immediately after the election on March 7, people were calling for Jones to run as a write-in candidate in the April 4 general election. However, by state law, a write-in candidate for the general election cannot be a candidate from the primary election.
“I just want to do the best job for everyone,” Franks said. “I’m not in it for politics. I just wanted something different for the city that represents everyone.”
A lesson for the newcomer: A collaborative effort put him in office, and almost put Jones in the mayor’s office, and maybe there should have been a greater effort to gain consensus before going public about a mayoral run.
April 4 ElectionÂ
In the Tuesday, April 4 general municipal elections in St. Louis County, voters will select mayors, alderpersons, councilmembers, and village trustees, as well as school board members in several area school districts. Many citywide money measures require only a simple majority to pass. Here are some of the items on the ballot with the St. Louis County Board of Elections.
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School board electionsÂ
School board member races are taking place in 14 school districts and six districts have money measures on the ballot in St. Louis County.
Brentwood School District voters will elect three school board directors for three-year terms.
Ferguson-Florissant School District voters will elect three school board directors for three-year terms. The candidates are Donna Paulette-Thurman, Jessica Ponder, Raychel C. Proudie, Rob Chabot, Roger Hines and Donna M. Dameron.
Hazelwood School District voters will elect three school board directors for three-year terms. The candidates are Brenda C. Youngblood, Mark J. Behlmann, Margo McNeil, Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Rachel, Marcus Allen and Benton Cornell Smith.
Jennings School District voters will elect three school board directors for three-year terms. The candidates are John Schlereth, Terry Wilson, Miranda Jones and Phyllis R. Anderson.
Kirkwood School District voters will elect three school board directors from a field of eight candidates for three-year terms. It also has a Proposition K tax levy increase on the ballot for “ongoing operating expenses and financial stability,” which requires a simple majority to pass. It will increase the district’s operating tax levy by 46 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The ballot question states, “If this proposition is approved, the adjusted operating levy of the District is estimated to be $4.2684 for residential real property, $5.7269 for commercial real property, $2.7485 for agricultural real property and $4.9795 for personal property.”
Ladue School District voters will elect three school board directors out of seven candidates vying for three-year terms.
Lindbergh School District voters will elect three school board directors for three-year terms and one member for an unexpired term that ends April 2018.
Mehlville School District voters will elect three school board directors for three-year terms.
Meramec Valley School District voters will elect three school board directors for three-year terms. It has Proposition K $11.750 million school improvement bond proposal on the ballot that requires a four-sevenths majority to pass. The ballot question states: “If this proposition is approved, the debt service levy of the school district is estimated to remain unchanged from the current debt service levy of $0.88 per one hundred dollars assessed valuation of real and personal property.”
Normandy Schools Collaborative has a Proposition N $23 million facilities bond issue proposal that needs a four-sevenths majority of votes to pass. The ballot question states, “If this proposition is approved, the adjusted debt service levy of the Normandy Schools Collaborative is estimated to remain unchanged at $1.7825 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation of real and personal property.”
Parkway School District has 11 candidates in the race for three school board positions with three-year terms.
Pattonville School District has a Proposition K $23 million school improvements bond measure that requires a four-sevenths majority to pass. The ballot states: “If this proposition is approved, the adjusted debt service levy of the Pattonville R-3 School District is estimated to remain unchanged from the current debt service levy of 49 cents ($0.49) per one hundred dollars assessed valuation of real and personal property.”
Ritenour School District voters will select three school board directors for three-year terms and two members for two unexpired terms that end April 2018.
Rockwood School District has a Proposition T $95.5 million bond proposal to fund capital improvements and the building of a new elementary school, which requires a four-sevenths majority to pass. The ballot question states, “If this proposition is approved, the current adjusted debt service levy of the District is estimated to remain unchanged at sixty-eight cents ($0.68) per one hundred dollars assessed valuation of real and personal property.”
In the School District of University City, voters will select three school board directors for three-year terms. The candidates are Charlotte Tatum, Lisa Brenner, George Lenard, Diarra K. Morris and Chelsea Addison.
Valley Park School District has Proposition R $10 million facilities improvement measure on the ballot, which requires a four-sevenths majority to pass. The ballot question states, “If this proposition is approved, the debt service levy of the school district is estimated to remain the same at $0.941 per $100 of assessed valuation of real and personal property.”
Webster Groves School District voters will select three school board directors for three-year terms.
