Poll: Who Will Be Elected St. Louis Mayor In 2013?
Now that we are past the midterm elections it is time to think of St. Louis Spring 2011 elections. But first I’m thinking about the race for mayor in 2013.
The first & second mayors of St. Louis are the only two that have served more than three terms, but those first two don’t really count:
“Under the original city charter, the mayor was elected to a one-year term. The mayor served a two-year term after the adoption of a new city charter in 1859. Â The mayor’s office was extended to its present four-year term after passage of the Charter and Scheme in 1876 which separated the City of St. Louis from St. Louis County. The mayor is not term limited.” (Wikipedia)
Francis Slay is our 45th mayor and at the end of his current term he will be only the fourth mayor to have served three (3) four-year terms. Slay may decide to seek an unprecedented fourth term in office but I’m guessing he won’t. Our last 3-term mayor, Vincent C. Schoemehl (1981-1993), did not seek a fourth term.
So I thought since we are just over two years away from the next mayoral election that it would be interesting to see who you think would be the person elected in 2013. Not who you necessarily want, but who you think will be elected to the office.
Will Slay become the first four-year four term mayor? Â Perhaps a current holder of another city-wide office? A current alderman? Bill Haas? Â Don’t like my answers, make up your own. The poll is in the upper right for for a week, final results will be posted Wednesday November 24, 2010.
– Steve Patterson
Jeanette Mott-Oxford would make a wonderful mayor of St. Louis
Who?! Never even heard of her . . .
A Missouri State Rep who is term limited.
while i agree, and love having Jeanette as my rep, I don't think St. Louis is ready to elect an openly gay mayor (as silly as that is).
Gay and term limited doesn't qualify any politician to be mayor. Name recognition and the ability to build coalitions counts for a lot more.
Eight years as a well-respected politician is good. I like JMO's stance against public funding of sports facilities. That said, I don't know that she is interested in the office.
To clarify, I don't have anything against JMO, I just honestly haven't heard of her, and am using her as an example. We're a little more than two years away from the election and any potential candidate needs to be out, citywide, making people aware of who they are and what they want to do to make St. Louis a better place to be. Trying to appeal to any minority constituency has its merits, but it also carries the risk of alienating non-members of that minority. Getting tagged as a politician needing to find another position because they're term limited carries its own set of baggage, as well, especially in this political environment.
Realistically, I see only three potential sources for a successful candidate, the incumbent (duh), someone currently in city government, or someone from the private sector who can both fund a campaign and convince the voters that they can manage the city in a more businesslike manner. And I don't see any member of the state legislature having the ability to be elected. Being a St. Louis Democrat in the Republican-dominated legislature means not having a lot of real success, yet having a trail of votes, and most aren't well-known within their own districts, much less outside of them. It has nothing to do with their abilities, ethics or agenda. It has everything to do with the real world of politics.
Joe Edwards.
Is he a St. Louis resident? Doesn't matter, he us way too low-key/shy to get elected to city-wide office.
john roach gets my vote
Why are you “guessing” that Mayor Slay won't seek another term? He seems to enjoy being in the position and there doesn't seem to be any major groundswell to replace him. Sure, others would like to be Mayor, but does anyone have either the constituency or the financial resources to win?
I'm using history as my guide.
Antonio French should run, but he has to wait his turn.
French is a criminal that has not been caught yet.
Pretty stupid conjecture two years out.
I like Mike. MM in MMXIII.
Douglas Duckworth would make a strong mayoral debate happen. That's all I'm sayin'.
French is a criminal that has not been caught yet.