St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones will square off against three challengers in her bid for a second term.
When filing closed for the March primary on Friday, four candidates had signed up to run for mayor — Jones, Alderwoman Cara Spencer, Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler and businessman Andrew Jones.
Andrew Jones, Spencer and Tishaura Jones ran for mayor in 2021, while Butler is making his first bid for the city’s top job.
Jones took office after the city received an unprecedented amount of federal money from the American Rescue Plan — as well as a settlement from the departure of the St. Louis Rams. She’s also been in office during a downturn in violent crime, particularly homicides.
Both Spencer and Butler have said they can do a better job managing city government than Jones, adding that they’ve heard from residents dissatisfied about the direction of the city.
Meanwhile, after facing either marginal or nonexistent opposition in recent years, St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green will face state Rep. Donna Baringer and small-business consultant Celeste Metcalf.
Green has often been a swing vote on the Board of Estimate and Apportionment when there’s disagreement between a mayor and a Board of Aldermen president. The comptroller also plays a major role in St. Louis’ financial affairs.
Under the city’s approval voting system, the top two candidates in the March 4 primary will move on to the April 8 general election.
No last-minute entrants for Board of Aldermen
Board members Michael Browning and Pam Boyd will run unopposed in the 9th and 13th wards, respectively. Matthew Devoti will face no opposition in the election to succeed 5th Ward Alderman Joseph Vollmer, who is not running for another term.
Here are the contested races for the board based on where they’ll be listed on the ballot. Incumbents are highlighted in bold.
Ward 1
Anne Schweitzer
Anthony Kirchner
Ward 3
Dallas Adams
Shane Cohn
Inez Bordeaux
Ward 7
Alisha Sonnier
Cedric Redmon Jr.
Ward 11
Melinda Long
Rebecca McCloud
Laura Keys
