St. Louis voters got a chance to head to the polls on Tuesday for 2023 Board of Aldermen races and set the stage for April 4 showdowns.
The election was the first step in reducing the number of aldermen from 28 to 14 and leaves a month-long campaign in which several races will pit current aldermen against each other. The top two vote getters in each race move on to the April election.
Of the races involving Black majority wards, history was made in the 14th Ward where Brandon Bosley did not finish in the top two.
For now, this ends decades of a member of the Bosley family holding a city office. Bosley’s father, Freeman Bosley Sr., was a longtime alderman, and his brother, Freeman Bosley Jr. served as city clerk before being elected as the city’s first Black mayor in 1993.
Ebony M. Washington garnered 627 votes to win the primary, followed by Rasheen Aldridge with 587 votes. The margin of victory was among the lowest of the day.
In a political rarity, the 9th Ward race remains undecided with 100% of votes tallied.
Michael Browning guaranteed himself a place on the April 4 ballot by garnering 1,003 votes. Tina “Sweet-T” Pihl and Michael J. Gras, both incumbents, tallied 868 votes.
According to Board of Election rules, each campaign will have a chance to scrutinize and challenge ballot signatures in favor of their rivals, potentially setting up a recount. If there’s no resolution, the race to challenge Browning could be determined by chance, like a coin flip or drawing straws.
Ward 12 had the most-crowded field with five candidates. Incumbent Sharon Tyus received 990 votes, and she will take on Tashara T. Earl who placed second with 564 votes.
The three other 12th Ward candidates received 805 votes combined, meaning the April 4 race could still be hotly contested.
Board of Alderman President Megan Green was the lone candidate in the primary for that office and she will run unopposed in April.
Mayor Tishaura Jones, who supported Green’s run for BOA president, had endorsed six aldermanic candidates and five advanced. Green backed five candidates and four moved on. Their shared setback was Shedrick Kelley, who finished third in the 8th Ward race.
Here are results of the 14 Board of Aldermen races, with percentage of ballots
Ward 1
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Anne Schweitzer (I) – 1,170 votes (53.60%)
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Matthew Kotraba – 409 votes (18.74%)
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Tony Kirchner – 1,085 votes (49.70%)
Ward 2
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Phill Menendez – 966 votes (35.99%)
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Thomas R. Oldenburg (I)- 1,593 votes (59.35%)
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Katie Bellis – 751 votes (27.98%)
Ward 3
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Shane Cohn (I)
Will run unopposed in the general election.
Ward 4
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Bret Narayan (I) – 1,353 votes (52.20%)
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Joseph [Joe] Vaccaro (I) – 1,388 votes (53.55%)
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Casey Otto – 220 votes (8.49%)
Ward 5
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Joseph [Joe] Vollmer (I) – 1,527 votes (64.24%)
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Helen Petty – 986 votes (41.48%)
Ward 6
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Daniela Velazquez – 1,239 votes (66.29%)
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Jennifer Florida – 749 votes (40.07%)
Ward 7
Alisha Sonnier – 1,105 votes (60.81%)
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J.P. Mitchom – 729 votes (40.12%)
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Cedric [C-Sharp] Redmon – 643 votes (35.39%)
Ward 8
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Shedrick [Nato Caliph] Kelley – 506 votes (25.48%)
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Cara Spencer (I) – 1,467 votes (73.87%)
Ward 9
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Tina [Sweet-T] Pihl (I) – 868 votes (43.08%)
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Michael Browning – 1,003 votes (49.78%)
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Michael J. Gras (I) – 868 votes (43.08%)
Ward 10
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Shameem Clark Hubbard (I) – 831 votes (61.33%)
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Emmett L. Coleman – 650 votes (47.97%)
Ward 11
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Laura Keys (I) – 566 votes (69.96%)
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Carla [Coffee] Wright – 310 votes (38.32%)
Ward 12
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Darron M. Collins-Bey – 224 votes (14.22%)
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Tashara T. Earl – 564 votes (35.81%)
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Yolanda [Glass] Brown – 465 votes (29.52%)
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Walter Rush – 116 votes (7.37%)
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Sharon Tyus (I) – 990 votes (62.86%)
Ward 13
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Norma J. Walker (I) – 504 votes (36.63%)
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Pamela Boyd (I) – 746 votes (54.22%)
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Lisa Middlebrook (I) – 389 votes (28.27%)
Ward 14
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James Page (I) – 375 votes (23.89%)
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Brandon Bosley (I) – 527 votes (33.57%)
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Rasheen Aldridge – 587 votes (37.39%)
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Ebony M. Washington – 625 votes (39.81%)
