St. Louis is (still) Ready for Change
The 2025 Municipal Elections
St. Louis is just three weeks away from the general election on April 8th, and what this campaign season and the primary results has shown us is that St. Louisans are demanding change. The local media coverage on the mayoral race between Cara Spencer and Mayor Tishaura Jones has focused heavily on the “back-to-basics” policies that citizens are most concerned about. On the campaign trail and in neighborhood meetings, I hear over and over again from frustrated constituents about long 911 wait times, safety concerns, and poor infrastructure. The city is ready for change, or at least, the 17% of voters who came out on March 4th indicated that they were ready for change. Cara Spencer gained much of the support of Tishaura Jones in just 4 years, after being more evenly matched in 2021*.
I got out on the campaign trail for Donna Baringer for comptroller in September of 2024, and I had a glimpse of how voters are feeling about the issues the city is facing and their views on the mayoral race. Those who did not support Jones the first time around, have not changed their minds (to say the least!). But there is another interesting split for those who avidly supported Jones in 2021. I met one woman last September at National Night Out in a South St. Louis neighborhood, who said that she was excited about Jones four years ago, but she is very disappointed that she did not fulfill her campaign promise to solve the homeless issue and was considering voting for Spencer. Jones lost much of her critical progressive base and has pushed her detractors even further away. In neighborhood candidate forums, citizens are most concerned about overflowing dumpsters, potholes, and out of control drivers. And unfortunately for Jones, the lack of a response to the snowstorm (Lippmann, 2025) earlier this year is still fresh on everyone’s minds.
Another top issue concerning voters is the 911 wait times, which was an issue four years ago and a major campaign priority for Cara Spencer (Fenske, 2021). In the past few years, action has been taken to address this. Pay raises for dispatchers were implemented to address staffing shortages, and a new call center was built in October 2024 to unite all emergency services under one unit. The city saw an increase in 911 call times from 50% of calls answered in 10 seconds or less in 2023 to 85% in 2024 (Rieck, 2024). Still, voters in these candidate forums report not getting through when they need to, and this has led to a mistrust in the crime statistics which show improvement (SLMPD). One thing I have learned through the presidential campaign and this current municipal election is that no matter how positive a statistic looks, the voters underwent a very rough four years-and they are ready for a change. Pointing to the positive statistics is not the answer that voters want from an incumbent right now. They want their leaders to acknowledge that what they are seeing and experiencing is valid, and they want to know what candidates plan to do to address it.
*Data Source: St. Louis City Board of Elections https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/board-election-commissioners/elections/results/index.cfm
The Real Opportunity for Change: The Comptroller’s Race
So much of our focus and the media’s focus has been on the higher-profile mayoral race, but the real opportunity for change is in the upcoming race for comptroller. The St. Louis comptroller is the Chief Fiscal Officer (CFO) of the city. They serve on the 3-person Board of Estimate and Apportionment with the Mayor and the President of the Board of Aldermen. The comptroller is responsible for auditing city offices, managing the city’s contracts, paying the city’s bills, and sits on the city’s Airport Commission and more. The current comptroller, Darlene Green, has served in this office since 1995 (30 years!). If St. Louis is really yearning for change, then much attention should be focused on this critical and powerful position that is sometimes overlooked.
The Change Candidate, Donna Baringer
For the first time since she was appointed in 1995, Darlene Green has a real challenger in the 2025 race for comptroller. In the March primary, Donna Baringer came out on top with just 532 more votes than Darlene Green**. With these close margins and such a small voter turnout in March, the Baringer campaign still has work to do to unseat a 30 year incumbent.
**Data Source: St. Louis City Board of Elections https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/board-election-commissioners/elections/results/
Donna Baringer is well known in the South Side districts that she represented over her 20+ year career in politics. She served as alderwoman of the (old) 16th ward for 14 years before serving as Representative of the 82nd House District from 2016-2024. I have known Donna for many years. My mom used to be her secretary at the board of aldermen, but I didn't really get to know Donna until I got involved with the 2nd Ward Democrats. As our representative, Donna showed up to every ward meeting, sometimes on her way home from Jefferson City, and educated us on the events at the state level and was transparent and straightforward about her decisions. This is the type of leadership that I think we need more of on every level of government: a straightforward, “no bullshit”, person who looks out for their community.
For more information about Donna’s campaign, click here.
Top 5 Reasons to Vote for Donna Baringer
Donna Baringer will show up for work
The current comptroller’s attendance has come into question in recent years, with reports that she only shows up for work once or twice per week. This has resulted in employees and contractors not being paid on time, which the comptroller blamed on the rollout of new accounting software (Barker, 2023). The public should not accept this as an excuse! For an elected official who makes six figures per year, they should have managerial skills to execute the implementation of the technology that makes sure people are being paid on time.
The city was awarded $500 million in ARPA funds, the Ram’s settlement money, and is facing population loss aka our tax base (Solomon, 2024). Even with the modern conveniences of remote work, the taxpayers deserve a comptroller who is hands-on and making sure that these issues are being addressed, which leads to reason number 2 to vote for Donna Baringer:
Fiscal Responsibility
Back in September, when I first started collecting signatures for Donna to get on the ballot, many of her constituents were asking her why she wanted to run for comptroller. It began with her hobby of poring over the city budget and looking into how the city is spending our tax dollars. Months before it became a major story in local news, Donna saw that the ARPA funds were being allocated to non-functioning businesses and families of elected officials. She knew then that there needed to be a fresh pair of eyes in the comptroller’s office, which is responsible for conducting audits in the city.
The current comptroller has not fulfilled her fiduciary responsibilities, including not paying the contractors who clean the bathrooms at the airport on time (Barker, 2023). This almost led to the closure of the cleaning company, and would have created a negative image of the city from outside visitors that we absolutely cannot afford. In 2020, The St. Louis Development Corporation adopted a program to increase equity by creating a “level playing field” in their contracting processes. (Link to that document here). The comptroller’s inability to pay contractors on time impedes this type of programming because smaller minority owned businesses cannot afford to not get paid.
Experience
Donna Baringer has a bachelors in Management and a masters in Communications. During her tenure as alderwoman, she served on the budget committee, and during her tenure as Missouri’s 82nd District Representative, Donna Baringer served on the Fiscal Review Committee. When Donna was assigned to this committee, she went through each bill with a fine-tooth comb, and earned the title of “Fiscal Hawk”. Her Democratic and Republican colleagues quickly found out that under Donna’s watch, they would not be able to sneak any funding through that does not serve the public’s interest (Lippmann, 2025).
Transparency
“Transparency” is a sometimes overused buzzword, but Donna Baringer practices transparency by asking the important questions that many others would not think of. For example, Donna followed the recent Board of Aldermen legislation that authorized the purchase of electric Ford Mustangs to replace older city vehicles. Donna says that she would have put a stop to it because those purchases were made in the county, and the city should be supporting city businesses whenever there is an opportunity (Lippmann, 2025). Though many politicians say that they embrace the concept of transparency, putting those ideas into actions is much more challenging. It requires politicians to be straightforward about the tough decisions they have to make. It requires them to ask questions and scrutinize every piece of legislation, and it requires them to inform constituents about how resources are being spent. In her 20+ years in office, and through this campaign, Donna has checked all of those boxes.
Fairness & Integrity
Two key values that I believe every politician must embody for them to be trusted to represent us are: fairness and integrity. For the city’s comptroller, it’s important because of their position managing employees in that office, they are responsible for conducting audits and paying our bills, and they oversee city contracts. Donna Baringer demonstrates fairness and integrity through her approach to decision-making. She consults with experts about potential implications of initiatives. She questions every penny in legislation, no matter what party or affiliation is sponsoring it. And she knows how to work with others to get things done.
Other St. Louis Election News
Board of Aldermen Races
All election result data was sourced from the St. Louis City Board of Elections website.
This year, all the odd wards in St. Louis are up for election, and wards 1, 3, 7, and 11 have competitive races. Unfortunately for the odd wards, they had to run 2 years after ward reduction because of a coin flip. They will be on the regular 4 year election cycle after this year.
Ward 1: Anne Schweitzer vs. Tony Kirchner
The first ward will see a rematch between Deputy Sheriff Tony Kirchner and incumbent, Anne Schweitzer. Schweitzer won the last election in 2023 with 1,614 votes to Kirchner’s 1,472. Schweitzer was first elected in 2021. Based on signs, this match could be closer than it was in 2023. Either way, I’m sure the winner will be glad that they won’t have to run again for another 4 years.
Ward 3: Shane Cohn vs. Dallas Adams
The Dutchtown/Carondelet/Gravois Park area is seeing its first competitive race in years. Shane Cohn, who served six terms as alderman, is being challenged by Dallas Adams. The primary results were close, with Cohn grabbing 921 votes, Adams with 694, and Inez Bordeaux with 450. If Adams can gain support from Bordeaux voters and get out the vote in their ward, the third ward can see a change in leadership.
Ward 5: Matt Devoti- no opponent.
Ward 7: Alisha Sonnier vs. Cedric Redmon
Alisha Sonnier’s seat is being challenged by Cedric Redmon, who ran for alderman in 2023 and has gotten his name out through his work in the community. Though he came in third in the primaries in the last ward 7 aldermanic race, his chances may be stronger in this anti-incumbent era.
Ward 9: Michael Browning- no opponent
Ward 11: Laura Keys vs. Rebecca McCloud
The incumbent Laura Keys is facing a challenger in the 11th ward race. In the March primary, Keys garnered the most votes with 744, McCloud came in second with 422, and Melinda Long finished third with 140 votes.
Ward 13: Pam Boyd- no opponent
Election Information 2025
All voters need an ID to vote. Acceptable Forms of ID can be found here.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 8th.
Early Voting begins Tuesday, March 26th. You can vote at these locations.
Election Day and Absentee Information from the Board of Elections website.
Are you Registered to Vote?
You can check your voter registration on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.
Full Disclosure: I volunteer on Donna Baringer’s campaign. I am viewing each election through the lens of “who will be the best administrator?” because the city has a lot of big challenges ahead with the Trump administration policies and their economic implications (Neuman, 2025). The city needs someone who can MANAGE & LEAD, and when someone who is qualified steps up, I want to help!
References
Barker, J. (2023, November 20). St. Louis can’t pay its bills on time. Darlene Green and her work hours draw attention. St. Louis Post-Disptach. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/st-louis-can-t-pay-its-bills-on-time-darlene-green-and-her-work-hours/article_955553a4-7a7b-11ee-b65f-076b441dc41a.html
Barker, J. (2023, November 20). How St. Louis airport’s failure to pay bills on time nearly tanked a local business. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/article_2943331e-8013-11ee-8e2d-d3bd48c41fc6.html
Fenske, S. (2021, February 3). As mayor, Cara Spencer would use ‘focused deterrence’ to fight crime. St. Louis Public Radio.https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2021-02-03/as-mayor-cara-spencer-would-use-focused-deterrence-to-fight-crime
Lippmann, R. (2025, January 17). St. Louis admits it messed up response to winter storm, will plow side streets. St. Louis Public Radio. https://www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/2025-01-17/st-louis-admits-messed-up-response-winter-storm-plow-side-streets
Lippmann, R. (2025, February 13). Baringer pledges to do her homework if elected St. Louis Comptroller. St. Louis Public Radio. https://www.stlpr.org/podcast/politically-speaking/2025-02-13/baringer-pledges-to-do-her-homework-if-elected-st-louis-comptroller
Neuman, S. (2025, March 11). As Trump downplays economic fears, the data shows people feel differently. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2025/03/11/nx-s1-5323098/trump-economy-uncertainty-tariffs-confidence
Reick, D. (2024, April 15). St. Louis’ 911 hold times continue to improve. They’re approaching national standards. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/st-louis-911-hold-times-continue-to-improve-they-re-approaching-national-standards/article_798fb440-f8d2-11ee-94f1-d39a8f2231ee.html
Solomon, B. (2024, May 17). St. Louis mayor announces reelection bid amid the report the city has one of the worst population declines in the nation. KSDK. https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/st-louis-mayor-announces-re-election-bid-amid-population-decline-report/63-870796d5-9b09-4af8-88e1-380d283a10ab