Lewis Reed thinks the political chattering class in St. Louis is missing the point in his challenge to Mayor Francis G. Slay in the March 5 Democratic primary. News reports and commentaries have focused on Slay’s trading of endorsements with high-profile African Americans and his recent co-opting of the minority inclusion issue by issuing an executive order that extends workforce inclusion goals to cover TIF projects of scale.
But, Reed says, these mediagenic gestures have done nothing to bolster Slay’s support on the ground.
“We never hear about those things when we knock on the door,” said Reed, who presently serves as president of the Board of Aldermen – like mayor, a citywide elected position. “What we hear is, ‘Can we have a yard sign?’”
Reed acknowledges two campaign stumbles – hiring a campaign manager, Matt Teter, who did not work out and failing to manage media perceptions of the campaign.
Reed’s successful 2007 campaign for aldermanic president, when he beat Jim Shrewsbury – like Slay in 2013, a white incumbent – was managed by Antonio French. Now 21st Ward alderman, French is a former journalist and blogger with considerable media experience and skill. French, who is African-American, has not assumed a formal position with Reed’s current campaign, acting instead in roles of ally on the board and campaign surrogate.
Reed replaced Teter with Glenn Burleigh, a white progressive with extensive campaign field experience. Burleigh has won some – most recently, he worked Michael Butler’s successful 2012 campaign against Martin Casas for the open 79th District seat in the state House – and he has lost some, most notably incumbent state Rep. James T. Morris’ 2010 challenge by Penny Hubbard for the 58th District state House seat.
Burleigh thinks Reed’s challenge to Slay has more in common with campaigns Burleigh has won than those he has lost.
“Martin Casas had all these endorsements” – including Slay’s – “but they didn’t translate into votes,” Burleigh said. “I think we will see the same from Slay surrogates in Lewis’ race.”
Slay endorsed U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay and Jamilah Nasheed in their contested August 2012 primaries; both won races against a prominent white opponent, Russ Carnahan and Jeanette Mott Oxford, respectively. (Nasheed also had a prominent black opponent in incumbent state Senator Robin Wright-Jones.) Clay has been quiet thus far in the mayoral primary, but Nasheed – now a state senator – has been very active in her support of Slay, acting as a shill on his behalf in full-page advertisements and guiding the mayor to North City neighborhood meetings.
Burleigh brushes aside Nasheed as a minor nuisance.
“When you knock on doors for Lewis in North St. Louis and talk to actual people who don’t get paid to work in politics, what you find is people asking for yard signs,” Burleigh said. “The only lack of buzz we have is in the media.”
Slay’s campaign is managed by Richard Callow of Public Eye, whose skill at managing political campaigns – with a specialty in manipulating Post-Dispatch editors, editorial writers and reporters – is legendary. Callow also works diligently to maintain a positive working relationship with The St. Louis American as well as other media and social media venues.
Slay also has the funds to pay for his message to go out on television. His December 2012 campaign finance report shows nearly $1.5 million cash on hand. Reed’s December 2012 report showed $130,000 cash on hand, less than 10 percent of Slay’s war chest.
“Obviously, we won’t be able to match him on TV time,” Reed said of Slay, “but we are working to get our message out to our targeted population.”
That targeted population is not only in the majority-black North City wards. The Reed campaign has studied the voter patterns that spelled victory for Clay over Russ Carnahan in August 2012, the most recent head-to-head citywide race against a black and a white candidate where the black candidate won.
“You can win in this city for pennies on the dollar if you have a targeted field campaign,” Burleigh said. “Clay’s vote totals in the south in August of last year mirror Lewis’ past vote totals in the south. If voters turn out in March like they turned out in August, then Lewis Reed is your next mayor.”
