This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 2, 2013 - Just over two months before St. Louis’ Democratic primary, mayoral candidate Lewis Reed is preparing to hire a new campaign manager.
Reed, who is challenging Mayor Francis Slay, confirmed that he has parted ways with Matthew Teter, former executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party.
“I never meant for Matt to be my permanent campaign manager,” Reed said in a New Year's Day interview. The candidate said his plan had always been “to transition him out’’ in early January.
That’s not how Teter sees it. “We had very different ideas on how to win this campaign,’’ Teter said in an email. “When a client is unwilling to listen to sound advice, I must move on. I wish him all the best.”
Reed acknowledged some differences, observing that Teter appeared more comfortable with a “big media campaign.”
Reed said that he has a couple of people in mind to replace Teter. He declined to identify the likely contenders but said that both already are involved in his campaign.
Candidate filing highlights Democratic edge
Candidate filing continues through Friday for the March 5 primary. So far, the major Democratic candidates for mayor are Reed, Slay -- who is seeking an unprecedented fourth four-year term -- and Jimmie Matthews, a former alderman.
No Republican has yet to file for St. Louis mayor, underscoring the city’s reputation as a Democratic stronghold. At the moment, the only non-Democratic candidate for mayor is the Green Party’s James McNeely.
That means the Democratic victor will likely have an edge in the April 2 general election.
Reed, who generally has been low key since his filing, said his own plans call for “more of a grassroots operation’’ that relies primarily on people, not campaign cash. He said that people were walking into his south St. Louis campaign office over the holidays, offering to volunteer or seeking yard signs.
Reed indicated that he doesn’t expect to match Slay when it comes to campaign contributions. Their last reports, filed Dec. 6, showed Slay with close to $1.5 million in the bank – compared to Reed’s $132,333.
“You always want more money,’’ Reed said, but emphasizing that he believed he will have enough to deprive Slay of his bid for a fourth term.
Reed plans to focus on the same issues he cited when he filed for office Nov. 26, including the city’s crime rate and its health department. Reed contends that both need to improve.
Slay has cited the city’s recent declines in crime, but Reed contends it hasn’t dropped enough.
Reed highlights online attack
Meanwhile, Reed contends that the mayor or his allies are likely responsible for an attack photo that Reed said began circulating over the weekend on social media websites. Reed provided a copy of the attack, which features a photo of Reed superimposed with criticisms of his professional record and personal life.
Reed, who is African-American, is particularly upset that the listed criticisms include the fact that his wife is white and the assertion that “the only thing black in him (Reed) is his skin.”
Reed contends that the attack is racially motivated and evidence of the usual effort to inject race into his contest with Slay. "I'm going to hold him accountable every step of the way,'' Reed said.
However, Reed did not provide any proof that Slay was responsible for the online attack or any links to any social-media site where the photo was posted.
Slay's campaign spokesman Richard Callow said neither the mayor nor the campaign knew anything about the online attack.
“There are 50 reasons Mr. Reed shouldn't be mayor, but having the good sense to marry Mary Entrup isn't one of them,” Callow said, referring to Reed’s wife.
