St. Louis politics has long been a family affair, especially when it comes to the Board of Aldermen. Outgoing Mayor Francis Slay, for example, got his start as the 23rd Ward alderman, and his father was the ward’s Democratic committeeman for 45 years.
But the power of political families may be waning. Tuesday’s Democratic primary saw two families retain control, while two other families lost and the fourth stepped away entirely.
In the 3rd Ward, in northeast St. Louis, Brandon Bosley outpolled five primary opponents. He’s the son of retiring Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr., who served on the board 36 years.
In the 5th Ward, the embattled Hubbard family scored a win when incumbent Alderman Tammika Hubbard also fended off five opponents. Her mother, Penny Hubbard, is the ward committeewoman and had been a state representative. The family has been the subject of court fights over alleged irregularities in absentee ballots.
But in the 27th Ward, the next alderman won’t be named Carter for the first time in more than 20 years. Keena Carter, former director of the St. Louis Election Board and aunt of outgoing Alderman Chris Carter, lost to ward committeewoman Pam Boyd. In the 16th Ward, Michele Kratky lost to Tom Oldenburg in her bid to become 16th Ward alderman. Both Michele Kratky and her husband Fred Kratky represented southwest St. Louis in the Missouri House from 2003 to 2017.
And in the 11th Ward, the Villa family is giving up control after almost 60 years. Retiring Alderman Tom Villa had campaigned for Tuesday’s Democratic winner, Sarah Wood Martin. She beat out two rivals, and is the wife of State Sen. Jake Hummel.
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