Mayor Spencer sworn in as contrasts abound

There were many similarities as well as stark differences in the 2025 and 2021 inauguration ceremonies of Mayors Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer.

First was the size of the two events. There were about five times the number of people who filled City Hall’s rotunda at Spencer’s ceremony than there were at Jones’. That ratio also held true regarding the number of whites who attended the new mayor’s event.

As in 2021, the mayor and comptroller were sworn in on the same day. This year, Spencer and Donna Baringer were sworn in as two of the city’s top three leaders. They join Board of Aldermen President Megan Green.

Audience attendance at Jones’ inauguration seemed paltry compared to Spencer’s where the entire floor and all tiers of the rotunda were packed to capacity. 

Both events included the presence of aldermen, alderwomen, the president of the board of aldermen and other politicians. But unlike those who shared the stage with Jones, Spencer’s platform included three-term mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl Jr. and four-term mayor Francis Slay, and one term mayor Clarence Harmon.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy were also on stage.

“I feel like it’s a new era,” said Barry T. Cervantes, son of Alfonso J. Cervantes St. Louis’ 39th Mayor, who served as chair and MC of the event.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the building and you can feel it. It almost feels like-as some would say- ‘a happy new year.’”

It is indeed a new era in St. Louis politics. For the first time in 30 years, with the elections of two white women, Spencer and Baringer (who defeated longtime comptroller Darlene Green), the city will revert to a powerful all-white Board of Estimate and Apportionment (E&A).  

Also missing from Tuesday’s formality were the soulful elements of Jones’ inauguration.  There were no gospel renderings of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Jones’ event included a poem titled “She Rose,” a tribute to pioneering Black women like her and Green. Singer Kennedy Holmes also gifted the audience with a rendition of George Benson’s (also Whitney Houston’s) “The Greatest Love of all.”

There were no gospel songs, no soulful poems or R&B melodies at Spencer’s ceremony. However, a cadre of decorated police officers conducted the presentation of colors, a formal demonstration of the United States and other flags as one officer sang the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

There was also a bagpipe presentation in recognition of Baringer’s Irish ancestry and a jazzy conclusion from trumpetist Kasimu Taylor’s band.

Both new mayors promised to make St. Louis better for their own and all children.

“Most Saint Louisans share the same core desires, and as a single mom, I know these core desires well myself,” Jones said in 2021.

“I want to raise my son in a safe neighborhood, I want him to receive a quality education, and I want him to be able to envision himself safely raising a family in Saint Louis one day as well.

Speaking to her teenage son, Spencer said: “Cy, when I think about your future. I ask: ‘What can I do to make you proud?’… “I’m going to work hard to build a future for St. Louis where every child who grows up here – from the south side to the north side – will want to stay here to raise their own families.”

Cervantes described Baringer as “a breath of fresh air and an asset to the leadership in the city.”

After she was sworn in, she promised a more equitable future for the city.

“I want to make it the best it can be from the East to the West, from the North to the South, we are one St. Louis,” she said.

“Race” was also an issue addressed by the new mayors in 2021 and 2025.

“St. Louis, this is an opportunity for us to rise,” Jones told her supporters four years ago. “We are done avoiding tough conversations. We are done ignoring the racism that has held our city and our region back.”

Spencer, after highlighting the city’s major accomplishments and influential leaders of the past said, “We also (must) be honest about when we’ve failed to live up to our potential and our expectations.”

“Our city also has a long history of redlining, racial covenants and a deep racial divide. I promise you that I’m going to roll up my sleeves and work hard every day to change our trajectory.”

When addressing opportunities for all, Jones in 2021 said: “I stand ready to begin putting equity for people — not equity for wealthy developers — at the center of our planning and at the center of our development. Development is crucial to the success of our city, but we cannot abandon our most precious resource — our people — in exchange for handouts to the rich and well-connected.”

Spencer made a similar commitment, vowing to be “a mayor for all St. Louisans” who will tear down boundaries and barriers “that divide us.”

She couldn’t, however, make the same credible commitment to dilute equity for wealthy developers after so many of them funded her campaign for mayor. Spencer has already said she will replace SLDC head Neal Richardson, which was the outspoken desire of her wealthiest donor, Clayco CEO, Bob Clark.

Thanking Mayor Jones for her service and St. Louis residents for their votes of confidence, Spencer outlined her administration’s top four priorities: “Openness and accountability, Service Delivery, Public Safety and an Inclusive economy.”

Both candidates ended their inauguration speeches on positive, uplifting notes.

“My name is Tishaura Oneda Jones…and I am the Mayor of the City of Saint Louis, and I am ready to serve,” Jones said, adding: “May God bless you and your families, and may God bless the City of Saint Louis.”

Spencer ended her speech saying: “(I’m) Cheering for St. Louis. No matter the challenges. I know our best days are ahead. I’m excited to be here with all of you today. I’m excited to be your mayor. And I’m excited to get to work.”

Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.