This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 13, 2009 - It's Friday evening, and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay is at his second church fish fry of the night. That's been his Friday schedule of late, as Slay steps up his unscripted public appearances leading up to his April 7 quest for a third term.
Campaign aides say the mayor prefers casual off-the-cuff stops at coffee shops, churches, street corners and senior centers. Don't expect to see much of what one adviser called "staged events,'' such as news conferences or debates.
The unspoken message: Slay, a Democrat, has few -- if any -- plans to participate in joint appearances with his three rivals on the ballot.
At Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 4092 Blow Street, Ann Donohue and a half-dozen of her relatives were among hundreds packing the cafeteria and devouring the fish. Donohue said she was glad to see Slay join them.
As he traveled from table to table, several diners said they knew that the mayor and his wife, Kim, had recently moved into a new house a few blocks away.
"When he came in, people were like 'Good, the mayor's here,' " said Donohue, 54, who also works at the church. She was among several who asked the campaign aide accompanying Slay how they could get a yard sign.
Shrewsbury resident Jim Peters, 62, also welcomed the sight of Slay. "It's nice to see his presence. Sometimes they get isolated,'' Peters said. "I believe in the man. St. Louis is so important to the region, it's almost like people in the county should have a chance to vote for the mayor."
In this part of St. Louis, a goodly number of the residents are Republicans. One man told Slay he was placing the mayor's campaign signs in the spot where GOP presidential nominee John McCain's had stood last fall.
Slay chuckled, thanked the man, and emphasized the importance of showing up to vote. The mayor veered off topic only once, when he mentioned to yours truly that he wanted to clear up the record about his appearance last week on CNN's "special report'' on stimulus spending.
Slay said he was shocked when his comments about some spending being illegal were juxaposed with footage of construction of a new bridge over the Osage River. The mayor contended that he had made it clear to the reporter that he knew nothing about that project and "I don't want to even comment on it."
"I watched the CNN interview, and they made it appear like I did,'' Slay said.
Slay added that he stuck by his basic point, that the city of St. Louis wasn't getting its share of stimulus money.
Most the region's allocation, he added, "went into Akin's district." Slay was referring to U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country, who voted against the stimulus package.
Amid his campaigning this week, Slay took time to call U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., to set the record straight about the interview. He says he also called several Democratic state legislators who have expressed concern about his televised comments.
Then it was back to the occasion at hand. Fish and shaking hands.
"These are real popular during Lent,'' said Slay, a devout Catholic. "You meet a lot of good people, and eat a lot of good food."
The mayor, known for being health conscious, then gently patted his stomach and emphasized that he focused more on the people than the food.
