ST. LOUIS—The four candidates running for Mayor gathered Thursday for what may be the last time before early voting begins ahead of the March primary election. In a nearly two hour question and answer session at Harris-Stowe State University sponsored by the non-profit 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis, incumbent  Mayor Tishaura Jones, Alderwoman Cara Spencer, Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler and businessman Andrew Jones spoke of their vision for the city, but also addressed issues facing the city that will largely be out of their control over the next few months.

Police control 

All four candidates are opposed to a return to state control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, although Andrew Jones did say he favored state control if one of the other three candidates was elected.

Legislation that would authorize a state-controlled board to oversee the department, which has passed through committees in both chambers in Jefferson City, hit the Senate floor this week for the first time this session. While previous efforts have fallen short, there is new momentum this year, despite what St. Louis leaders contend are falling crime statistics. While the Parson administration also had GOP supermajorities in both chambers, he never publicly advocated for state control. His successor, Gov. Mike Kehoe has made it a main policy objective. While there was no vote taken on it Tuesday, Kehoe told reporters earlier in the day in St. Louis that he was hopeful that the measure would reach his desk.

Tishaura Jones called it a “hostile takeover”. Butler, echoing complaints by State Sen. Steve Roberts in Jefferson City this week, said the state isn’t prepared to put more resources into the department to go along with state control. Spencer wants local control to remain, but highlighted the fact that both of the police unions representing city officers want the state in charge.

Earlier this week, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a resolution opposing state control, despite opposition from two north side Alderwomen–Pam Boyd of the 13th ward and Sharon Tyus of the 12th–who each voiced frustrations over what they say is a lack of police presence in their wards. Andrew Jones agreed Thursday. 

Corruption

On Thursday morning, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick confirmed that his office likely will undertake full audit reviews of the St. Louis Building Department and the St. Louis Development Corporation’s handling of the north St. Louis grant program which was to spend more than $30 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help businesses and non-profit organizations. Preliminary investigations were indicating that there was enough to warrant full audits, something that could be made official in a few weeks.

Mayor Jones asked for the FBI and state probes of the Building Department after reports that employees had ties to firms awarded federal money distributed by the city through programs they supervised.

A whistleblower complaint came forward regarding the SLDC’s work on the grant program, which has been plagued by reports that awards were given to businesses and organizations that weren’t located in the city, or had little chance of achieving the goals promised with the money they were given.

It was this topic where the candidate forum may have had its sharpest contrasts. Jones insisted she’s worked proactively to address problems.

“The buck stops with me. And when it hits my desk, I’m going to take care of it,” she said, and in a veiled reference to Spencer, who quit the SLDC board in protest of the way the grant program was being administered, said later, “I’m not going to run away. I’m not gonna quit certain parts of my job when I don’t like what’s going on with that particular agency.”

Spencer said the SLDC’s oversight was a sham and that the program was “set up to fail.” She promised institutional changes to ensure accountability.

Butler said he would look to remove certain awardees’ funds and reduce funds given to others as a way to make room for others who should receive awards.

NFL settlement

While some city elected officials had hoped that a bill laying out a plan to use the city’s $290 million settlement with the NFL would have been signed before the board of aldermen took its legislative break, barring some change, it now looks like those negotiations will continue into the next legislative session starting in April, after the election. 

Mayor Jones defended the intentions of the plan that ultimately couldn’t get enough aldermanic support which would have established separate funds for areas like early childhood education and post secondary education help for children of city employees, along with infrastructure and other investments, which could have been extended with private philanthropic support. 

Spencer said she supported help for early childhood education for all city children, not just those of city employees, but suggested that the amount wasn’t enough to do that. At the same time, she said that the city’s population losses would create larger revenue holes in the tax base, and that uncertainty over federal dollars coming into the city were a concern.

Andrew Jones said the money is a windfall that can’t be relied upon long term beyond using the interest to pay for emergency needs.

Butler said he would spend $25 million annually for five years on wraparound services for St. Louis school children, $8 million on equipment for St. Louis police, and focus on housing needs in north St. Louis.

Absentee voting with an excuse is already underway. No excuse voting begins on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

As a reminder, St. Louis operates under an "approval voting" system in municipal elections. Voters can select as many candidates as they want. The two candidates receiving the most votes will advance to Apri’s general election.