A south St. Louis alderwoman wants to make major structural changes to how the city is run.
Daniela Velazquez of the 6th Ward introduced the measure stripping power from the mayor on Friday.
Under Velazquez’s proposal, the mayor would remain the political and policy head of the city. But the office would lose oversight of city departments and the power of appointment in them. All general management of the city would fall to a city administrator hired by the mayor and approved by the Board of Aldermen.
If approved by the board, the change would go to voters in 2026. The Office of City Administration could begin operating in 2029.
The board has just five meetings left before the end of its current legislative session. President Megan Green said that timetable made it unlikely the proposal would pass this year.
“I think the intent of the bill is to start a conversation,” she said, adding that a city manager form of government is an idea the board’s Special Committee on Charter Revisions may consider.
Kansas City, Missouri, and Cincinnati have city manager forms of government similar to Velazquez’s proposal.
