St. Louis city voters went to the polls on Tuesday, March 3 while Department of Justice officials were going over their report on the Ferguson Police Department with Ferguson city officials, and as a leaked summary of the report led national headlines.
Activists on police issues could claim one clear victory on the March 3 ballot. In the 15th Ward, Megan Ellyia Green crushed Beth Braznell, who was backed by the police union and Mayor Francis Slay, 932 votes (71.5 percent) to 372 votes (28.5 percent).
“I’m just almost speechless at how great the margin of victory was,” Green said.
Green, who was hit with tear gas from St. Louis police on MoKaBe’s patio on November 25, was attacked by her opponent for her support of protestors’ exercise of their 1st Amendment rights. Green said she will continue to support the bill to establish a civilian oversight board of police work, as well as the companion bill to give the board subpoena power.
Green said that the 15th Ward, which includes the South Grand business district, is one of the most progressive in the city.
Green was the incumbent, having won a special election as an Independent after Jennifer Florida resigned. But she clearly was the change candidate. “I think tonight that residents chose someone who can be the future of St. Louis,” Green said. “The 15th Ward showed us today that we want change.”
In the other city neighborhoods that have seen protests, voters did not show that they wanted change badly enough.
Kevin McKinney, an African American challenging a 24-year white incumbent on the near South Side, came close but lost to Stephen Conway, 843 votes (53 percent) to 744 votes (47 percent). Their 8th Ward includes the Shaw neighborhood, site of protests following the October 8 police killing of VonDerrit Myers Jr.
The incumbent in the 2nd Ward – Alderwoman Dionne Flowers, who witnessed the police killing of Kajieme Powell in front of her barber shop on August 20 – won by a whisker over Jasmine Turnage, 394 to 389 votes. Two other candidates got about 100 votes between them.
The 7th Ward race had an establishment candidate, though the seat was open following the retirement of Phyllis Young after 30 years on the board. Jack Coatar, who was endorsed by Mayor Slay and the police union, raised nearly $80,000 for the primary. He won 57 percent of the vote in a three-way race, with more votes (593) than his opponents Chelsea Merta (252) and Sam Cummings (190) combined.
In the 26th Ward, incumbent Alderman Frank Williamson beat back a strong challenge from Rodney Norman, 556 votes (55 percent) to 459 votes (45 percent).
In the 4th Ward, Alderman Sam Moore defeated his challenger Arneatrice Meyers by a confident 2-1 margin, 505 votes (67 percent) to 254 votes (33 percent). Though an incumbent, Moore sounded more like an insurgent.
“People in this ward have been suffering too long,” Moore told The American. “We are going to demand more for our tax dollar, we are going to demand to be serviced properly, we are going to protest the process.”
The other incumbents on the ballot – including Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, 18th Ward Alderman Terry Kennedy and 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd – won against no or nominal opposition.
There was one other strong victory by a change candidate. In the 20th Ward, which includes the Cherokee business district, Cara Spencer nearly won a majority of votes (48 percent, 360 votes) in a three-way race that included the incumbent, Craig Schmid (36 percent, 270 votes).
Citywide, the turnout was low, with under 10 percent of registered voters going to the polls, but at least one winner on the ballot saw hopeful signs of positive change.
“People in the 15th Ward want to see equality – racial equality, economic equality, marriage equality,” Green said. “And we need someone who can represent all of that diversity and who can help move the city forward.”
