This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 3, 2012 - St. Louis Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed will challenge St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay in next year’s Democratic primary, setting up what could be the most competitive race for the city’s chief executive office in years.
Standing in front of a crush of supporters and media at Sqwires Restaurant in Lafayette Square, Reed characterized his run against Slay as a forward-thinking battle against complacency and a push to bring together a divided city.
“I’ve been all throughout this city – north, south, east and west,” Reed said. “And I’ve experienced firsthand the talents and commitment of our citizens. That’s where our power lies. The belief that 'yes, we can be a great city again' is one of a shared belief. We all know that. We all feel that. The question becomes – what’s the challenge?
“Our shared vision is that St. Louis has been long stifled by ineffective leadership,” he added. “And next March, St. Louis will have a clear choice in this 2013 mayoral election.”
Reed worked in the telecommunications industry before making his foray into politics. He was elected 6th Ward alderman in 1999, representing an area that encompassed Lafayette Square, parts of downtown, Compton Heights and JeffVanderLou. In 2007, Reed staged a political upset when he upended then-St. Louis Board of Alderman President Jim Shrewsbury. He was handily re-elected to the position in 2011.
The above video shows an excerpt of Reed's speech announcing his bid for mayor.
During his prepared remarks, Reed emphasized his aldermanic efforts to redevelop Lafayette Square and to develop a biking infrastructure throughout the city. He also cited an effort to expand the Neighborhood Ownership Model, an anti-crime initiative.
Reed said after his speech that one change would be to look to other large communities for strategies to combat crime, eradicate poverty and improve a beleaguered school system.
“When you look at our challenges, we look at our crime rate, you look at all of these things in the city of St. Louis, all those things have been combatted in other communities,” Reed said. “If we refuse to look at that data, if we refuse to change our approach and change our direction, I can guarantee you we will not see any change – at all.”
While Reed’s decision to challenge Slay isn’t particularly surprising, it does represent the incumbent’s most significant challenge since he was elected to the office in 2001. Slay easily won his 2005 and 2009 re-election bids against increasingly weaker competition.
Still, Slay’s campaign possesses considerably more resources than Reed. Slay has nearly $1.44 million on hand, compared to the $129,526.02 Reed has on hand.
Slay has also cultivated a particularly potent organization that’s become adept at helping other candidates. Slay for instance was a prominent endorser of U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, a St. Louis Democrat who easily defeated Reed's longtime friend, U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan.
In a statement posted on his campaign website, Slay said "is fair to say I am ready for a campaign."
"I will start off with the support of County Executive Charlie Dooley and Congressman Lacy Clay, with both legislators who will represent St. Louis in the state senate next session, with much of the small and large business community, and with the unions representing many government employees and the construction trades," Slay said. "I have a good campaign staff, a healthy campaign account, and a strong record of making St. Louis a better place to live and work. I won’t take anything for granted."
Near the end of his statement, Slay said he doesn't "have anything terrible to tell you about Reed today, but I do want to tell him that the job of mayor is very different from the job he now has."
"I expect this to be a positive campaign, because Reed has supported me throughout most of my term – until he recently decided to run for higher office," Slay said. "I very much look forward to it."
But perhaps a sign of the pugnacity to come though, Slay's chief of staff Jeff Rainford Tweeted Tuesday that "has done almost nothing for his $90,000 per year salary. So, in the last few weeks he has tried to invent a record to run on."
Lana Stein, a professor emerita of political science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said it’s difficult to chart the trajectory of the Slay-Reed battle. She noted that Slay is marching into uncharted territory, as no St. Louis mayor has ever been elected for four terms.
While a robust campaign treasury may be able to purchase television and radio advertisements or direct mail, a candidate’s ground game could also be a crucial in determining the outcome, said Stein.
“If you can have people go door-to-door to get people out, that can make a difference too,” Stein said. “Because with television, you’re reaching a lot more than the city of St. Louis. And direct mail can help. But I really think the ground game in St. Louis is very important.”
And that may be exactly how Reed hopes to win. Asked about his financial disadvantage against Slay, Reed said his campaign “has not raised money as a mayoral candidate yet.”
But, he added, "Here’s how we win this race. We win this race by people showing up and voting. When you’re engaged in something like this, this isn’t a beauty contest. This isn’t about who has the most money in the bank. Because I will never have the all of the Republican money that my opponent has – ever. I’m not willing to compromise that much. But the people of the city of St. Louis are going to speak. And when they speak… they’re going to speak loud and clear. And we’re going to demand change in this city.”
The winner of the March 2013 Democratic primary effectively becomes mayor because the city is overwhelmingly Democratic.
