One of the most monumental days in the history of St. Louis politics has come and gone: Aldergeddon is officially over. The shake-up at the Board of Aldermen included not only the election for every single ward seat, but saw further a reduction in the number of wards by half. There is no doubt that the next decade in St. Louis will be different than any we’ve seen before, but as a reminder, odd-numbered wards will begin with two-year terms and new alderpersons for even-numbered wards will get to enjoy full four-year terms.
The newly-redistricted 1st Ward will be represented by incumbent Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer, who withstood a stream of hateful invective from her opponent, deputy sheriff Tony Kirchner, but was steadfast in maintaining her values. Kirchner was backed by his superiors, City Sheriff Vernon Betts and his Chief of Staff, Steve Roberts, Sr. Of note, all of the Betts-backed candidates lost on Tuesday. Nevertheless, we are glad to see Schweitzer’s leadership remain on the Board during this critical time for our city. Further we applaud her for taking the high road.
In the 2nd Ward, incumbent Alderman Tom Oldenburg overwhelmed his opponent and fellow cop Phill Menendez. The new dynamics on the Board will undoubtedly pressure Oldenburg to work more collaboratively with his newly-elected people-centered colleagues. No word on whether Oldenburg will resign from his bank vice president role, which might create a conflict of interest for him – or worse.
Third Ward candidate and incumbent Alderman Shane Cohn ran unopposed, as did Board President Megan Green. While Cohn enjoyed the comfort of being unchallenged, President Green spent the majority of her time canvassing and fundraising throughout the various races in the city. Importantly, eight of her ten endorsed candidates won. We commend President Green for her tireless commitment to building a progressive majority for the Board, even during her downtime.
In our first “Battle of Incumbents,” 4th Ward voters had to choose between two popular incumbent aldermen – Bret Narayan and Joe Vaccaro – but it was Narayan who pulled out a victory with a 55% win. Vaccaro was spotted outside of the Buder library branch on South Hampton Monday, electioneering despite signs of a floundering campaign. As early as Tuesday night, Vaccaro was behaving like a sore loser by actively fear-mongering in neighborhood Facebook groups, stating that he was afraid that his neighborhood would be neglected. However, we see Narayan’s success as rooted in his ability to deliver both city services and policy initiatives – where the historical lack of both has led to a persistent divestment of neighborhoods across the city. St. Louis voters are choosing leaders capable of doing both well.
Our second “Battle of Incumbents” wasin the 13th Ward between Alderwomen Pamela Boyd and Norma Walker. Compared to the other races recapped in this column, this aldermanic race was quiet and fairly uneventful. Boyd will maintain her seat on the Board, but it’s still unclear if she will retain her same political allegiances. Similarly to Oldenburg, Boyd’s allies have dwindled and she will likely feel pressure to collaborate with the new people-centered agenda
Considering how long re-elected incumbent Alderman Joe Vollmer has held office, 5th Ward political newcomer Helen Petty got closer than anyone else to dethroning him. Vollmer will have only two years to show 5th Ward voters that he can work with the new reality on the Board. Also Petty indicated in her speech Tuesday night that she would consider another run. Petty also acknowledged the transphobic and anti-Black attacks by Vollmer supporters that she faced as a result of her uncompromising progressive values. We deeply respect Petty’s hard work and strong leadership and hope that she continues to be an engaged leader in her community.
Next door in the 6th Ward, another political newcomer, Daniela Velázquez, handily defeated former alderwoman Jennifer Florida. Veláquez counted on both corporate support and the backing of Alderwoman Annie Rice and President Green, while Florida resorted to misrepresenting herself, her values, and her supporters to voters. Despite Florida’s shenanigans, Veláquez easily secured her 65-35 victory.
The 7th Ward race was a landslide 61-39 win for St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education member Alisha Sonnier over private school staffer Jon-Pierre Mitchom for the aldermanic seat. Although Mitchom eventually attempted to co-opt Sonnier’s campaign platform in his own campaign literature, it was Sonnier’s authentic message of holistic public safety, equitable development, and supporting children and families that resonated overwhelmingly with 7th Ward voters. Mitchom lost voters after accepting an endorsement from noted homophobe Cedric “C-Sharp” Redmon, who used ageist, sexist terms toward Sonnier and falsely accused her of being against Black men. Sonnier addressed these allegations on Tuesday night and challenged the way identity politics were brought into her race.
Acknowledging her late mentor, former state representative Cora Faith Walker, and referencing the death of Michael Brown, Sonnier reiterated her commitment to constituents in the packed room with a confident and unflinching speech. “Seeing the results from other wards shows me that St. Louis is ready to be bold, to be defiant in the face of a state government that wants to hurt you, to elect people who don’t represent corporations or institutions or developers but who indisputably represent the people,” Sonnier said. “Our city has chosen people power over fear, and our ward has chosen all of us over some of us.
The results of the 8th Ward were unsurprising – incumbent Alderwoman Cara Spencer crushed former alderman Ken Ortmann with a 77-22 victory. Unfortunately, Spencer likely will spend the next year running for a higher citywide office (we’ve heard rumors about either Mayor or Treasurer). The “Joe Manchin” of the Board of Aldermen, Spencer has required a lot of ego-stroking from her colleagues since her 2021 loss to Mayor Tishaura Jones. Our hope is that Spencer sees the decisive victories of the people-centered campaigns and that she will prioritize the needs of her constituents in the newly-doubled 8th Ward over her own political ambitions and selfishness. We see a first step being Spencer’s resignation from her vice president role at St. Louis Bank with a commitment to being a full-time alderperson.
Probably the most surprising results of the night were from the 9th Ward, where we felt former neighborhood association vice president Michael Browning would defeat incumbent Alderwoman Tina Pihl – but we didn’t foresee the large margin by which he would win. Browning’s victory saw one of the largest margins in the city, despite not having Pihl’s incumbent advantage. Ultimately Browning garnered 63% of voter support to Pihl’s 36%. Pihl’s sudden alignment with a “Blue Lives Matter” agenda – coupled with a desperate election day comparison to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – helped cost Pihl’s bid for re-election to represent the Grove, Forest Park Southeast, and parts of the Central West End.
This race saw one of the more contentious, including mudslinging by the incumbent toward Browning’s staffer. But Browning’s grassroots organizing and ground game convinced most of the voters. Their appreciation for a leader who meets them where they are came through loud and clear on election day
Incumbent Alderwoman Shameem Clark-Hubbard will resume her place on the Board, after a seven-point victory over her opponent Emmett Coleman. Coleman engaged in cheap, mean-spirited personal attacks against Clark-Hubbard that simply did not stick. Most of the candidates who chose a positive message and did not go negative against their opponents won, including Schweitzer and Sonnier. Clark-Hubbard has been a strong advocate on the Board with her support for reproductive justice initiatives, police accountability, and a guaranteed basic income program – not to mention strong and reliable service for her constituents.
Our hopes for an aldermanic courtroom saga have been dashed by incumbent Alderwoman Laura Keys’ crushing victory in Ward 11 over perennial candidate Carla “Rainwater” Wright. After the March primary, Keys filed a lawsuit to disqualify Wright from the April general election based on Wright’s residency. But, because her lawyer didn’t file a motion asking for immediate help, Keys was unable to bring her legal complaint before the court prior to Election Day. Ultimately, this victory was won in the voting booths – not the courtroom.
Similarly, Ward 14 was decided by voters and not a judge but it was perhaps the nastiest race of all. Although absentee results seemed to suggest another Hubbard family con, State Representative Rasheen Aldridge pulled out a solid 52-48 victory over Ebony Washington. Throughout the race, Washington’s campaign engaged in voter intimidation and harassed canvassers from Action St. Louis who were knocking on doors in support of Aldridge. In the last few days of the campaign, volunteers for Washington sent voters a series of homophobic text messages. This Hubbards’ hitting of a new low wasn’t enough to counter Aldridge’s public service experience and grassroots efforts in a campaign led by veteran campaigner Marquis Govan.
Washington’s defeat signifies the likely end of the Hubbard political family dynasty while affirming Aldridge’s role as a dynasty slayer. Her place on the April general election ballot also meant a huge setback for the Bosley political family after outgoing Alderman Brandon Bosley lost his bid for re-election in March.
We were most disappointed by the results from the 12th Ward, where Baden neighborhood association president Tashara Earl challenged the most senior alderperson on the Board, Sharon Tyus. Earl lost by around 300 votes, but we know that her candidacy pushed Tyus to work for her re-election.
We couldn’t tell you the last time Tyus knocked on doors or showed up at a neighborhood meeting outside of her own — but she started showing up during this campaign cycle. Earl was able to consolidate votes cast for her primary opponents, but at the end of the day, she came up short. Unfortunately, Earl’s former campaign manager, State Representative Kimberly-Ann Collins, turned on her and volunteered for Tyus, which makes us wonder how successful Earl could have been if she had not been undermined.
That said, Tyus will have four years to show voters that she is willing to put her contrarian, obstructionist ways behind her for the greater benefit of her constituents. The Board’s Black Caucus will look much different, and the young aldermen joining the Caucus will not be bullied by Tyus into supporting her positions. Earl, on the other hand, will also have four years – to keep Tyus accountable and continue her leadership in the community.
The new Board will be sworn in on April 18, 2023. Almost every member of the “Progressive Wave” who won did so on a platform of affordable housing, re-imagining public safety, and improved city services. Since this new group of alderpersons does not carry the same amount of political baggage or start with the same drama as its predecessors, we expect many constructive things from them.
The question of whether St. Louis wants progressive leadership has been decisively answered, “Yes” by the voters.
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The Kelley Group’s influence has certainly waned in these aldermanic races. Show Me Victories tends to focus on digital and TV/radio advertisements with very little canvassing and deep voter engagement. Again we say – show us the victories.
It was their partnership with outgoing Alderman Jack Coatar’s “Leadership Counts” PAC that first showed us the weakness of their approach. Coatar’s PAC supported the losing campaigns of Kirchner, Vaccaro, Mitchom, Pihl, and Washington – and that can’t be ignored.
However, Meyers-Okohson Political Consulting (also known as “MOPC”) led three (out of four) successful campaigns – Narayan, Sonnier, and Browning. Led by veteran campaigner and political strategist Rosetta Okohson, MOPC has become an undisputable force in city politics, especially with their emphasis on grassroots organizing and GOTV efforts. Okohson’s voter-centered, people-powered machine is in stark contrast to Kelley’s lazy and disconnected approach to politics.
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St. Louis wasn’t the only Midwestern city to experience a radical shift in its politics. Our northern neighbors in Chicago voted to elect former union organizer and Cook County commissioner Brandon Johnson as mayor, joining in a progressive wave across the Midwest that included the victory of liberal Janet Protosiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court that will almost certainly lead to the reversal of the state’s abortion ban and end the rise of gerrymandered legislative maps. Johnson’s support stemmed from the Chicago Teacher’s Union, while his opponent education privatizer Paul Vallas was backed by the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. But in the end, similar to St. Louis, the pro-police “tough on crime” messaging failed to connect with enough voters and Johnson prevailed with 51% of Chicagoans’ overall votes.
We are excited for our city and our metropolitan area. Hopefully, brighter days lie ahead with a future that brings greater benefits for all.