After their first nominee failed to meet a residency requirement, the 28th Ward Democrats have chosen a new candidate to run for Mayor Lyda Krewson’s seat at the Board of Aldermen – it’s Heather Brouillet Navarro, executive director for the Missouri Coalition the Environment.
The special election for 28th Ward alderman will be held on July 11. The 28th Ward Democratic Committee presented Navarro as the nominee and received party’s confirmation at the St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee’s meeting on May 18 – but not without some heated debate.
Art Perry, 28th Ward Democratic Committeeman, said Navarro has been part of the Central West End area for almost 15 years and has been a strong asset and organizer in several community groups.
“Heather is a mother, a lawyer and the neighbor anyone would like to have,” Perry told the city’s committeemen at the meeting.
Navarro got up and answered questions from some committeemen about her political stances – including where she stood on ward redistricting and disparities. Then Lucinda Frazier, who was standing in for 5th Ward Committeewoman Penny Hubbard, motioned to close the floor for nominations – and it was seconded. But newly-elected Committeeman Leroy Carter of the 4th Ward objected, saying he had had his hand up because he wanted to nominate another candidate (who the St. Louis American later found out was Steven C. Roberts.)
Chairman Bob Hilgemann moved forward with Frazier’s motion – despite some heavy rumbling from the crowd – and held a voice vote, where he said the “ayes” took it. That made the room’s protest grow even louder.
So, Hilgemann called for each person to individually cast a vote on whether to close the nominations – which ended in 26 “yes” votes and 23 “no” votes. It was basically divided between the newly elected and young progressives against the more established committeemen. Shortly after, they voted to confirm Navarro as the Central Committee’s nominee.
However, that didn’t stop the debate. People told the chairman that they felt shut down and unheard. Hilgemann responded that historically, other committeemen had never tried to nominate aldermanic candidates in wards that weren’t their own.
Perry then got up and called “point of order.”
“This body cannot nominate into the 28th Ward,” Perry said. “It is not in the history and the rules. It’s like coming into my house and telling me what’s going to be on the menu.”
The 28th Dems have interviewed 13 “sterling” candidates, he said, and Navarro is the best one. The Central Committee can’t tell them who they should be working with, he said.
Rasheen Aldridge, the 5th Ward Committeeman, later told the American that the discontent had nothing to do with Navarro as a candidate. There had been tension that had been “bottled up” since the 28th Ward’s previous selection process, when committeemen asked for information about the candidates in advance and never received it from the party leadership. Many of the newly-elected committee people don’t want to just be a “rubber stamp” that shows up to a meeting unprepared and says “aye,” Aldridge said.
On May 6, the 28th Ward Dems selected Elise Miller Hoffman, president of the St. Louis Young Democrats, as their nominee. The Central Committee confirmed her soon after. But then on May 9, Hoffman announced that she misinterpreted the city’s residency requirement to run for alderman and was “stepping down” as the Democratic candidate.
Although Hoffman has lived in the city for seven of the last 10 years, she most recently she has only lived in the city for the last year and a half. That doesn’t meet the three-year residency requirement outlined in the City Charter. Aldridge said that many people thought this mistake – though innocent – pointed to why the other committeemen need to be allowed to vet the candidates more closely.
“What we are seeing now is a shift in perspective,” said Marty Murray Jr., the 7th Ward Committeeman. “What has hindered in the Board of Aldermen is this aldermanic courtesy to the point that it impedes progress. In the end, people just want to be able to vet that candidate.”
Murray said that he believes most people who voted “no” on closing the nominations, as he had done, would have voted for Navarro regardless. It was all about the process being open, he said.
A family advocate
Before the confirmation chaos ensued, Navarro had told the committeeman that she has always strived to be of service to her community and city.
Navarro started the Central West End Families and Friends community group, which tries to attract young families to the neighborhoods and support them so they stick around when their children enter school. The group raised funds to redevelop Samuel Kennedy Park, which is a small triangle of land near Euclid Avenue and Delmar Boulevard that now has fun water and climbing features for kids.
“It’s right on the Delmar Divide,” Navarro said. “It’s got to be one of the greatest accomplishments of my life to develop that park. Because of the nature of Central West End and all the education choices, you got a lot of kids who wouldn’t normally meet each other.”
Perry said that Navarro’s involvement in this group pulled her into broader participation in the ward overall. She is constantly encouraging decision makers to think about “changing direction to benefit more people,” Perry said.
Navarro moved to St. Louis in 1997 to attend Washington University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a law degree. Before joining MCE, she spent more than three years practicing as a civil rights lawyer at a private firm in St. Louis. There, she helped parents of children with special needs obtain much needed services. She also represented those who had experienced discrimination based on their race or disability.
She now fights for environmental protection and justice with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. If elected, Navarro said she would “scale back” at MCE but still be involved at the executive level.
Navarro said she can’t imagine living anywhere else but St. Louis, and her love for her community is at the heart of why she wants to become an alderwoman.
One of the concerns that she hears most from residents and business owners is regarding safety, and it’s an issue she plans on addressing on the board if she’s elected. Equitable development is another issue at the top of her priority list.
“We do want to be attracting development, but there is a huge question about how to make sure it’s equitable if we are using city funds,” Navarro said.
She’s interested in learning more about community benefit agreements, or contract provisions that would require developers to give back to the communities surrounding their real estate projects if the developers are seeking tax incentives. Moving the city forward using a racial equity lens and addressing the city’s disparities are also among her priorities.
Navarro will mostly likely face two Independent candidates in the July 11 election – Steven C. Roberts and Celeste Vossmeyer.
Vossmeyer, an attorney at Thompson Coburn law firm, previously served as general counsel for the Bi-State Development Agency (now Metro Transit Agency). Roberts is currently the chief of staff to Sheriff Vernon Betts and president of the Roberts Companies, and he previously served as an alderman for more than a decade.
“I came to this race as someone who has been working in the community through neighborhood groups and my kids’ schools,” Navarro said. “And that might be different from where Steve and Celeste are coming from. I’m coming from the grassroots perspective.”
