Pat Brown takes the fight to Alzheimer’s
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St. Louis American See page A12
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Tishaura Jones, our first Black woman mayor
Vol. 93 No. 2 COMPLIMENTARY
Gardner partners with Vera Institute Goal is to reduce racial disparities in legal system
St. Louis City Treasurer Tishaura Jones greets supporters after her win in the mayoral race Tuesday, defeating Alderwoman Cara Spencer.
By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
She will replace St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson when inaugurated on April 20th By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones made history Tuesday night by becoming the first Black woman to be elected mayor of St. Louis. In the city’s unofficial election results, Jones received 51.68% (30,099) of the vote, n Jones received while her opponent Alderwoman Cara Spencer finished the night 51.68% (30,099) 47.77% (27,819 votes). of the vote, while withJones held a drive-in rally to her opponent await the election results at The Alderwoman Cara Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd. There, her son Aden Spencer finished Jones Jeffries, introduced the the night with mayor-elect around 9:50 p.m. 47.77% (27,819 after the unofficial results were votes). released. “Guess what? Don’t tell anybody, but, we won,” he said, then thanking people in his life who have supported him throughout the campaign. “I’m proud of my mom, she’s been in politics ever since I was born,” he said. “I know that I’m a pain in the butt sometimes but honestly I don’t think she would be here without me today.” See TISHAURA, A6
See GARDNER, A7
Photo by Bill Greenblatt / The St. Louis American
Tishaura Jones hugs a supporter at her watch party after clinching the election on April 6, 2021. Jones, the current city treasurer, makes history as the first Black woman to become the mayor of St. Louis.
Election results for St. Louis City propositions By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American Alongside electing St. Louis Tishaura Jones as its new mayor, St. Louis residents also voted on a number of propositions in Tuesday’s general municipal election. Below are the final unofficial results and brief descriptions of each proposition. Proposition E Voters overwhelmingly passed this proposition, with 79.43% of voters casting their ballot in favor of it. This proposition retains the city’s earning tax. The 1% tax is paid on compensation and
A new partnership between St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and the Vera Institute of Justice will work to reduce racial disparities in the city’s criminal legal system by at least 20% through data-driven diversion efforts and policy changes. The partnership includes Gardner working with a local organization, Freedom Community Center, through Vera Institute’s Reshaping Prosecution campaign. Jami Hodge, director of the Reshaping Prosecution campaign, said that, in part, the program launched to help those prosecutors deliver on campaign promises of criminal justice reform. Vera will provide assistance with data analysis, staff training, community engagement and policy support. Hodge said Gardner and Mike Milton, Jami Hodge founder and CEO of the Freedom Community Center, a newly formed (not yet formally launched) organization that “seeks to interrupt violence by disrupting harm inflicted by the criminal legal system and harm that happens within communities.” Milton and Gardner will work together to create a diversion program that does not limit participation on the basis of previous criminal history or ability to pay, in an effort to keep people out of jail and actively engaged in the community. Milton said that when police write up a criminal complaint and give it to Gardner’s officer, she and her prosecutors will be able to decide to instead send the defendant to the center’s community pre-charge program, and if they successfully complete the program
Progressives win across Board of Aldermen Victories give them narrow majority
By Sophie Hurwitz Of the St. Louis American
profits earned in the city of St. Louis. The revenue from the tax, about $180 million annually, accounts for approximately 36% of the city’s overall funds. The city’s mayor, Lyda Krewson, and Collector of Revenue, Gregory F.X. Daly, came together at the start of March in support of passing Proposition E.
lion in sewer revenue bonds. The project is part of a consent decree with the federal government, which in turn will cost a minimum of $4.7 billion over two decades to fix sewage overflows and complete other improvements. Funding this work through the bond issues could potentially add several billion dollars of interest to the final tab.
Proposition Y
Proposition 1
Voters overwhelmingly passed this proposition, with 82.86% of voters casting their ballot in favor of it. Prop Y asked the voters if they wanted to fund five years of upgrades for Missouri Sewer District’s “Project Clear” by issuing $500 mil-
Voters passed this proposition, with 68.47% casting their ballot in favor of it. Essentially, this proposition removed obsolete provisions, modernizes certain provisions,
Three out of four “flip the board” candidates won in their respective Aldermanic races on Tuesday, April 6, bringing a more explicitly progressive stance to the Board of Aldermen. The “flip the board” effort, led by 15th Ward Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green, has since 2020 been pushing to create a new progressive majority on the Board of Aldermen. On a 28-member board, even a few votes can change the balance of power significantly on critical issues. While 16 of the city’s 28 wards were up for re-election this year, only 12 races included multiple candidates. According to unofficial results, three of the candidates that came out on top were part of the “flip the board” slate. Anne Schweitzer won with a large majority of several hundred votes against 13th ward incumbent Beth Murphy,
See PROPOSITIONS, A7
See PROGRESSIVES, A7