Impossible Trinity
The most important election in St. Louis was decided in nail-biting fashion on March 5th, when twelve-year incumbent Lewis Reed retained his position as President of the Board of Aldermen (BOA) by winning the Democratic primary. Reed won the primary with only 35 percent of the vote; his two opponents, Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed and St. Louis Alderwoman Megan Green each received just over 31 percent of votes cast. The election was virtually ignored at Wash U. In fact, it may have passed by most St. Louisans. Even as the election generated surprising headlines, voter turnout remained below 20 percent. Yet looming fights about the privatization of Lambert Airport and the possible merger of St. Louis City and County mean that Reed’s retention of the President’s office has massive implications for the future of St. Louis and Missouri.[su_pullquote]Looming fights about the privatization of Lambert Airport and the possible merger of St. Louis City and County mean that Reed’s retention of the President’s office has massive implications for the future of St. Louis and Missouri.[/su_pullquote]
President of the Board of Alderman is not a title that inspires much enthusiasm or even recognition. But the officeholder has as much, maybe more, power than the Mayor of St. Louis. The Riverfront Times framed the election by saying, “If St. Louis’ government were a game of chess, the president of the Board of Aldermen would be the queen.” The President of the Board can both sponsor bills and vote for them. Aside from their legislative powers, the President also sits on the “Board of Estimate and Apportionment,” the city’s executive branch which approves all budget and contract decisions. The other two votes are held by the mayor’s office and the city comptroller. The product of this governmental structure is a powerful executive in which a few individuals hold immense legislative power.
The race was also notable because of the three candidates who contested it, each representing different constituencies that shape the city. Reed, the twelve-year incumbent, is a longstanding member of St. Louis’ powerful Democratic establishment. His unpopularity stems from his perceived loyalty to special interests, which drew criticism from both his rivals throughout the campaign.
The second candidate, Jamilah Nasheed, won a seat in the Missouri state senate in 2013. She rose to prominence as a forceful advocate for Missouri’s black community, chairing the Missouri Black Legislative Caucus, and was arrested during the 2014 protests in Ferguson. Her campaign focused on representing St. Louis’ underserved black communities. Her critics point to her record of voting with Republicans multiple times early in her career, and Nasheed has responded by styling herself as a pragmatist, albeit one whose advocacy for the black community will not be sidelined.
Rounding out the trio is Megan Green, an avowed Democratic Socialist who represents a different movement within the Democratic party. A former public school teacher, she joined the Board of Aldermen in 2014, representing parts of Tower Grove with Reed’s endorsement. In her five years as an Alderwoman, Green has developed a reputation for speaking out on corruption and the insider politics that characterize governance in St. Louis. She courted controversy by alleging that a potential deal to build a new stadium for the then St. Louis Rams was being pushed through by “legalized corruption.” Green’s outspokenness earned her enemies among her colleagues. She and Reed had a very public falling out. Their feud culminated in a bizarre 2016 interview Reed, a black man, did with infamously racist St. Louis radio host Bob Romanik, host of “Kool Killer Kountry Radio.” While on air, Romanik lobbed insults at Green, referring to her as “alderb***h” and “a low-life” who made him “ashamed to be white” while Reed laughed awkwardly in the background. Reed later apologized for the interview, but the relationship between the two aldermen never recovered.
With this backdrop in mind, it is no surprise that the race took on a nasty tone, a reflection not just of the candidates involved but also of the high stakes of this election. Both challengers attacked Reed for his unwillingness to oppose airport privatization and his closeness to Conservative donors. Nasheed took the fight to Reed during one particularly vitriolic debate, calling his leadership “broken” and “laughable.” Reed responded by labeling her “double agent Nasheed,” referring to his campaign’s repeated charges that Nasheed is in league with Conservative billionaire Rex Sinquefield who is spearheading efforts to privatize Lambert and funds the controversial Better Together proposal for city-county unification. In response, Nasheed labeled the incumbent “lying Lewis” for the rest of the debate. The tone of that debate reflected the larger themes of the race. Nasheed and Green leveled similar attacks at Reed, but also sharply criticized one another. Green’s campaign attacked Nasheed’s record of voting with Republican legislators during her early political career. Nasheed implied multiple times that a real ally to the black community would stand aside a help ensure progressive, black representation for the community on the BOA. These debates, while less bitter than the allegations of corrupt and self-serving leadership leveled at Reed, may have had more of an impact on the final result.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]The BOA election is over, and, for better or worse, Lewis Reed now has the power to make some of the most consequential decisions to ever face St. Louis.[/su_pullquote]In the end, Nasheed and Green appear to have split the progressive, anti-incumbent vote. Over 62 percent of voters cast their ballot in support of one of Reed’s challengers, yet he will continue to hold one of the most powerful offices in the city. The lessons of this race are relevant to anyone thinking about the upcoming national elections. For one, Reed’s ascension with only 35 percent of the vote has led to renewed calls from advocacy groups for St. Louis to implement ranked choice voting, which would allow voters to select a second choice candidate, and provide the winner with a more clear mandate. Implementing this system might help avoid a repeat of the last mayoral election, which was won by Lyda Krewson with 32 percent of the vote, less than 2 percent more than her closest competitor Tishaura Jones. It also might help boost the city’s miserable voter turnout by guaranteeing voters that their ballot would not be wasted. The debates raging about the electoral method mirror the national debate about the democratic implications of the electoral college in a country in which two of the last three presidents lost the popular vote.
[su_pullquote]In 2020, when the nation will hold an election with global consequences, the lessons learned here in St. Louis might shed light on how that contest will be decided.[/su_pullquote]Another takeaway is that over ten thousand people voted for a committed Democratic Socialist, a fact that combined with Bernie Sanders’ strong showing in the 2016 Missouri Democratic primary provides further evidence for the viability of left-wing candidates in the Midwest. However, it is worth noting that, despite good performances, both Sanders and Green lost their races. For supporters of Green and the politics she stands for, dismissing support for Nasheed as misguided identity politics is a mistake. Nasheed, while to the left of Reed on issues like privatization and Better Together, has a decidedly more centrist vision for the city than Green. Nasheed’s appeal among black voters is also significant. One major reason Sanders failed to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016 was the lopsided margins she enjoyed among black voters. The Sanders 2020 campaign has made adjustments to diversify campaign staffing and improve messaging to black voters. However, the St. Louis BOA election provides another reminder that it is crucial for the Left to both articulate how its platform will benefit minorities and, perhaps most importantly, recruit minority candidates to represent their own communities. The BOA election is over, and, for better or worse, Lewis Reed now has the power to make some of the most consequential decisions to ever face St. Louis. In 2020, when the nation will hold an election with global consequences, the lessons learned here in St. Louis might shed light on how that contest will be decided.
Rohan Palacios ’21 studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at rpalacios@wustl.edu.