Let the speculation begin. DB, are you in?

StlToday - Holleman: Spencer mum about what’s next; Vollmer clear on staying put

But the bash at McGurk’s Irish Pub in Soulard — marking a huge win by Alderman Cara Spencer — felt more like the next stage of an expansion.

“That’s not going to happen,” Spencer said, when asked if her victory speech Tuesday would include an announcement that she will indeed run for mayor in 2025.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/col ... 6b751.html

I will make a decision by fall. 

A Reddit post on r/StLouis about Ald. Spencer with 62 comments and almost all are glowing, even from a couple of Ken Ortman supporters.  And you get people all over the map on that SubReddit, so that consensus jumped out to me.

I think she has built a brand as a pragmatic progressive, that can get things done without seeming to "play politics".  A rematch would be very interesting.

Time to up your mulling a notch, DB!

StlToday - Rep. Steve Butz 'mulling' run for St. Louis mayor

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... 13826.html

I would vote DB for Mayor.

A real "man of the people."

I have a very compelling story to tell on the campaign, a 10 year old Muslim refugee who came here with his family and $10 and spent the next 2 decades in a true American fashion of faking it til I made it

Much respect. That was in jest.

Hope Spencer runs.

I’ve been rather impressed by Mayor Jones. I think she’s shown a balanced and steady approach. She understands the job and appears to show up everyday.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... d73e3.html

addxb2 wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

I’ve been rather impressed by Mayor Jones. I think she’s shown a balanced and steady approach. She understands the job and appears to show up everyday.

You may be the 1st person I have heard that view from in the last two or so years, even from people that voted for Mayor Jones last election. I think she has lost a lot of voters with her inability to guide the operating departments to provide basic services at an acceptable level. There are many reasons for that in and out of her control, but she is ultimately the top boss. That said, her chance of re-election of course depends on who decides to run against her. Does Cara Spencer give it a go again? Anyone else already in an elected position? Someone out of left field?

I don’t think Mayor Jones is that unpopular among actual city residents. Probably more so among city workers as she doesn’t do a great job overseeing the departments underneath her and she has obvious ties to the old political machine.

She has a fairly good story to tell around crime improvements and economic recovery.

Is she great? No. But most city government officials aren’t. I’d be willing to give Spencer a try over her, but I don’t think she beats Jones and I don’t see any other obvious candidates.

MattnSTL wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

addxb2 wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

I’ve been rather impressed by Mayor Jones. I think she’s shown a balanced and steady approach. She understands the job and appears to show up everyday.

You may be the 1st person I have heard that view from in the last two or so years, even from people that voted for Mayor Jones last election. I think she has lost a lot of voters with her inability to guide the operating departments to provide basic services at an acceptable level. There are many reasons for that in and out of her control, but she is ultimately the top boss. That said, her chance of re-election of course depends on who decides to run against her. Does Cara Spencer give it a go again? Anyone else already in an elected position? Someone out of left field?

This view has always confused me.  I didnt vote for her, but really St. Louis' mayor is judged on a few things and its really hard for me to sit here and say the results arent impressive. 

- Crime down significantly since she became Mayor (It was up significantly under Krewson)
- 911 call center seemingly fixed after years of mismanagement
- Actual progress on metrolink & road diets

Was she the lucky benefit of timing? Or years of work finally coming to fruition when she happened to be mayor?  Maybe. .  I didnt vote for her and maybe Spencer wouldve done better, but the results are pretty damn good compared to what people say they want from the city.  

I agree. I live in the county and work in the city (Dutchtown) and there has been a steady streak of improvements since Mayor Jones was elected, notably a decrease in crime and the repaving of streets (which has been happening a lot around Dutchtown this spring).

The money

pmbender wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

I agree. I live in the county and work in the city (Dutchtown) and there has been a steady streak of improvements since Mayor Jones was elected, notably a decrease in crime and the repaving of streets (which has been happening a lot around Dutchtown this spring).

Dutchtown east of Grand is Spencer's ward. I'm guessing any street improvements there have more to do with her than with the mayor. She's been working on street-calming projects for years.

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

The money

WHY DOES DALY HAVE SO MUCH MONEY? Dude's been revenue collector for life. 

PeterXCV wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

The money

WHY DOES DALY HAVE SO MUCH MONEY? Dude's been revenue collector for life. 

He always wanted to run for Mayor, but he has been the ultimate team player and always deferred to others. And why not when you can keep running for Collector of Revenue with no real competition for a gravy job? He can and does use that big account to support other candidates of his choice for various offices.

PeterXCV wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

The money

WHY DOES DALY HAVE SO MUCH MONEY? Dude's been revenue collector for life. 

Because everyone writes him checks. He's the richest man in town! LOL.

urban_dilettante wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

pmbender wrote: ↑

May 07, 2024

I agree. I live in the county and work in the city (Dutchtown) and there has been a steady streak of improvements since Mayor Jones was elected, notably a decrease in crime and the repaving of streets (which has been happening a lot around Dutchtown this spring).

Dutchtown east of Grand is Spencer's ward. I'm guessing any street improvements there have more to do with her than with the mayor. She's been working on street-calming projects for years.

FWIW, I work west of Grand, and the street repaving that has most improved my commute is in that area on Meramec and Gustine. Not sure who is ultimately responsible, but it is fantastic to see.

Spencer is in the race.

https://x.com/caraspencerstl/status/179 ... 52812?s=46

I'll be voting for Spencer certainly, but Jones has not been as bad as I expected her to be. The progress on crime has definitely been encouraging, though I do agree that basic city services are not always being managed competently, especially the streets department.

Can someone help me understand the general policy differences between Jones and Spencer? I voted for the latter in the last election for purely superficial reasons, (namely she and I share a college alma mater), but I think there was a reasonable expectation at that time that Spencer would be more "centrist," by which I just mean less concerned with fighting the culture war and more focused on practical governance. Now after 3.5 years of the Jones administration, I think that distinction has proven irrelevant, so I'm looking for something else to separate them for evaluation.

From my perspective, Jones has governed very competently (certainly above my expectations), making smart long-term strategic decisions regarding ARPA and Rams money, taking significant steps to address longstanding issues related to crime/policing, improving basic city services (though still below acceptable levels), and largely avoiding scandal, with the possible exception of failures at the Dept. of Corrections. What should I expect Spencer to do better/differently if elected?

Here's the Nextstl mayoral survey from 2021. You can see how each has kept to what they said.

https://nextstl.com/2021/02/mayoral-candidate-survey/

I feel that Gabe Gore is most responsible for any decrease in crime. He's not getting enough credit locally or nationally. There was tons of glowing media coverage about all the "progressive" DAs back when that was thing and almost all of them have been recalled or voted out (Price in Oakland is next). Portland "progressive" DA was just voted out and basically a Republican will be DA now.

Jones hasn't been a total trainwreck imo. She's had two things going for her during her tenure so far. Gabe Gore and ton of free money.

I had to edit the part about SF. They simply recalled one DA, Portland was the most recent. It's early.