St. Louis Board of Aldermen

The city’s charter says that unless a vacancy occurs within six months of a general election, a seat on the Board of Aldermen must be filled by a special election within 90 days.

Federal prosecutors Thursday charged St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed, 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, and former 21st Ward Alderman John Collins-Muhammad with bribery for accepting cash, cars and other gifts in exchange for pushing forward development deals.

A grand jury indictment unsealed on Thursday accuses St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed, as well as former Alderman John Collins-Muhammad and Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, of taking payments in return for their support for development deals.

A provision introduced at the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Friday would charge people in some neighborhoods $10,000 to remove dwelling units in a single building. That would include converting a duplex into a single-family home, or converting a four-flat into a duplex. The money from those fees would contribute to a fund to create, improve and maintain affordable housing.

The lawsuit takes issue with the changes the proposition would make and the way it was proposed to voters.

The 17th Ward alderwoman, whose friend gave her the nickname “Sweet T,” joined Politically Speaking to talk about equitable development, efforts to reduce opioid overdoses and a varied athletic and professional career.

St. Louis County is also considering how to spend federal coronavirus relief money. County Executive Sam Page outlined some proposed plans Monday.

Aldermen needed an extra meeting to be able to accomplish all they wanted to before the current session adjourns on Monday. But the five-hour meeting also included some heated exchanges.

Proposition R would put a citizens commission in charge of drawing wards in the future. Its backers have already said they would not use the new process until 2030.

The 13th Ward alderwoman joined Politically Speaking to talk “Zooming while driving,” spending the Rams settlement dollars and running for reelection.