8th Ward Alderwoman Cara Spencer will be sworn in as mayor of the city of St. Louis on April 15, 2025, meaning a city with a majority Black population will soon be led by three white members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment.
Spencer toppled Mayor Tishaura Jones with about 64% of the vote, following up her huge advantage over the incumbent in the March municipal primary.
“St. Louis can be a place where everyone has the tools and the support we all need to survive and thrive.”
St. Louis Mayor-Elect Cara Spencer
Joining Spencer on the Board of E&A will be Board of Alderman President Megan Green and newly elected comptroller Donna Baringer. Baringer defeated longtime incumbent Darlen Green in the race for comptroller.
“This campaign was built on the simple idea that St. Louis can do better,” Spencer said to supporters during her victory speech.
She will be the city’s third consecutive female mayor, following Lyda Krewson and Jones. Jones defeated Spencer in the 2021 mayoral election to become St. Louis’ first female Black mayor.
She promised to deliver “better delivery of city services that residents and businesses rely on.”
“But this campaign and election was about so much more than potholes and trash. It was built on the idea that we can build a downtown that the St. Louis region can be proud of.”
Emphasizing the importance of productive north city neighborhoods, Spencer vowed “to work diligently to make those communities safer and more prosperous.”
However, many voters were concerned about her financial support and feared she was putting St. Louis up ‘for sale.’ Spencer’s campaign raised over $1 million.
Nearly $300,000 was raised between Feb. 23 and March 27, and the mayor-elect also benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars in PAC support.
Funds raised by PACs included sizable donations from large developers and construction firms, including Clayco, led by Bob Clark. Clayco donated more than $130,000 and more than $12,000 came from Clark.
But Spencer reassured voters that the large donations would not make her obligated to Clark in the future.
Spencer thanked Jones for her service as mayor and for the work she has accomplished.
“While we disagreed on many things over the campaign trail, I know that we share a deep love and a commitment to our city,” she said.
“St. Louis can be a place where everyone has the tools and the support we all need to survive and thrive,” said Spencer.
As BOA president, Megan Green issued a statement that addressed the racial makeup of the new Board of E&A.
“To those concerned that our leaders don’t reflect the diversity of our city, my promise to you is this: I will continue to use my position to represent the interests of Black and brown St. Louisans, working people and families, and those seeking to build a new life in our city,” she said in a release.
“If you feel that your voice wasn’t heard today, know that I am still listening, still advocating, and still working on your behalf.”
Alderman Rasheen Aldridge shared his concerns, as well.
“I want to be clear: representation matters. As the Board of Estimate & Apportionment becomes all white, and as the only Black man elected at the Board of Aldermen, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. I intend to use my voice and my platform to speak unapologetically for my community,” he said in a release.
The City of St. Louis is not majority black. It was 51.2% black in the year 2000 federal census, but that figure has dropped continually and substantially since then, largely due to ongoing population loss from north St. Louis.
I applaud Mayor Spencer 👏 🙌, now maybe we can get some real work done, every Police precinct in St Louis City MO, should hire all new officers, what was done to me by ex-Mayor Jones, and the North Patrol Division, Katie Beach of the Seniors and Disabled Health Services for the state of Missouri, everyone of them should receive some type of repercussions for what they did to me, I applaud 👏 ✌️ you Mayor Spencer
Have fun polishing this turd, Spencer.
I’m a white girl that lives in the city. The City of STL is 40% black. If I had an issue w black neighbors, would I be here? There are issues but let’s try to be civil to one another. United we can do better.
Cara Spencer has the same agenda that rapper, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson had for Louisiana..to do business for herself. You know damn well she doesn’t have the best interest of North St.Louis City residence. The only thing I applaud is the ability of “White Supremacy” and “anti-Black” supporters to vote on one accord even if it doesn’t benefit them just to smite Black people. Why we Black People can’t do the same when it comes time to rally, support and vote is beyond me. In closing, I’ll end my comment with a line from a song by the rap group, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, where Q-Tip said, “PROGRESSIONS CAN’T BE MADE, IF WE’RE SEPARATED-TOGETHER”