Amid an election shakeup and new rules, St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed is joining the race for mayor.
Reed announced his bid over the weekend, saying he would officially file Monday afternoon. Reed said he would focus on education and transportation if he won his bid.
“Expanding education and access to education, transportation issues, those are the things we have to on — those are the things we have to hit home runs on,” Reed said. “St. Louis is a great city with a lot to offer, but we have to begin to operate differently.”
Reed has worked for the city since his first election to the Board of Aldermen in 1999. He won his first bid for board president in 2007.
Reed ran for St. Louis mayor in the last two elections.
He also said responding to the COVID-19 pandemic would be a major test for whoever won the mayoral seat.
“We have a ton of rebuilding to do post-coronavirus,” Reed said. “It’s going to take some mileage and some skills and some experience to get us through that.”
Reed announced his bid days after outgoing Mayor Lyda Krewson revealed she would not be seeking a second term in office next year. Krewson previously served as an alderwoman before becoming the city’s first female mayor in 2017.
St. Louis City Treasurer Tisharua Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer have also announced their bids for next year’s election. Business owner Dana Kelly, who planned to file on Monday, said she was in quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test and would file as soon as it was safe to do so.
“The field is starting to take shape and l look forward to having a conversation with the citizens of our city,” Kelly said. “I will be an ally for underserved communities that I believe have often been overlooked, a leader who will confront inequalities tethered throughout our City, and a champion for opportunity available to all St. Louisans. This is our time to move in a different direction.”
The city approved a major change to mayoral election proceedings in St. Louis with the passage of Prop D this year. Prop D allows for voting in the primary election to decide the top two candidates, no matter party affiliation. Meaning, it could be possible for two Democrats or two Republicans to run against one another in the general election.
The general municipal election in St. Louis is slated for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April.
Cover image from Lewis Reed’s Twitter account.
Cameron Gerber studied journalism at Lincoln University. Prior to Lincoln, he earned an associate’s degree from State Fair Community College. Cameron is a native of Eldon, Missouri.
Contact Cameron at cameron@themissouritimes.com.
