City elections in St. Louis, Missouri (March 7, 2023 primary)

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2024
2022
2023 St. Louis elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: December 27, 2022 (college board) & January 6, 2023 (aldermen)
Primary election: March 7, 2023
General election: April 4, 2023
Election stats
Offices up: Board of aldermen and community college board
Total seats up: 16
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2023


The city of St. Louis, Missouri, held nonpartisan primaries for the Board of Aldermen on March 7, 2023. All 14 seats on the board and the seat of the president of the board were up for election. The top two candidates in each primary advanced to a general election set for April 4, 2023.

The 2023 primary was the first to take place under a new ward system that reduced the number of seats on the board from 28 to 14. The reduction in board size was part of Proposition R, a charter amendment passed by voters in 2012 that took effect on Jan. 1, 2022. In accordance with Proposition R, the board passed new ward maps in 2021.[1]

Another initiative affecting the 2023 primary, Proposition D, was approved by voters in 2020. The measure made elections open and nonpartisan for the offices of mayor, comptroller, president of the Board of Aldermen, and the Board of Aldermen. The measure also changed the primary election system from plurality voting to approval voting, a voting system in which voters may vote for any number of candidates they choose. In St. Louis, the top two candidates in the primary advance to the general election.

Eighteen incumbents, including the board president, filed to run for re-election in the downsized board. Fourteen advanced to the general election. Four were defeated in the primary and did not advance to the general election.

Ten incumbents did not seek re-election in 2023.[2]

As a result of the reduction in the size of the board, four wards—the 4th, 9th, 13th, and 14th—had multiple incumbents running against each other in the primary. Click here to read more about the results in those wards.

Two wards—Ward 6 and Ward 7— were open, meaning no incumbents filed to run in those primaries.

Two primaries were uncontested. Shane Cohn (the incumbent in Ward 25) ran for re-election unopposed in Ward 3. President of the Board Megan Ellyia Green also ran unopposed for re-election.

The closest primary took place in the 9th Ward. Two incumbents—Tina Pihl (Ward 17) and Michael Gras (Ward 28)—were tied in second place with 868 votes each on Election Day. Pihl received eight additional votes after provisional ballots were counted, and advanced to the general election. Michael Browning, a Washington University School of Medicine staffer, finished in first place and also advanced.[3]

Candidates elected in odd-numbered wards in 2023 would serve an initial two-year term and be eligible to run for four-year terms after that. Candidates elected in even-numbered wards would serve four-year terms. The president of the Board of Aldermen, a separate position elected at large, would also serve a four-year term.[4][1]

The Board of Aldermen is St. Louis' equivalent of a city council. It's the city’s primary legislative body, responsible for adopting the city budget, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances. The President of the Board is responsible for presiding over board meetings.

The filing deadline for this election was January 6, 2023.

This page covers the March 7, 2023 primaries. For coverage of the April 4, 2023 general election, click here.

Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

Candidates and results

Offices up for election in 2022:

Board of aldermen

See also City elections in St. Louis, Missouri (2023)

General election

St. Louis Board of Aldermen general election 2023

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Candidates
St. Louis Board of Aldermen President

Green check mark transparent.pngMegan Ellyia Green (i)
Ward 1

Green check mark transparent.pngAnne Schweitzer (i)
Tony Kirchner 
Ward 2

Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Robert Oldenburg (i)
Phill Menendez 
Ward 3

Green check mark transparent.pngShane Cohn (i)
Ward 4

Green check mark transparent.pngBret Rajiv Narayan (i) Candidate Connection
Joseph Vaccaro Jr. (i)
Ward 5

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Vollmer (i)
Helen Petty  Candidate Connection
Ward 6

Jennifer Florida 
Green check mark transparent.pngDaniela Velazquez  Candidate Connection
Ward 7

Jon-Pierre Mitchom 
Green check mark transparent.pngAlisha Sonnier  Candidate Connection
Ward 8

Green check mark transparent.pngCara Spencer (i)
Kenneth Ortmann 
Ward 9

Tina Pihl (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Browning  Candidate Connection
Ward 10

Green check mark transparent.pngShameem Clark Hubbard (i)
Emmett L. Coleman III 
Ward 11

Green check mark transparent.pngLaura Keys (i) Candidate Connection
Carla Wright 
Ward 12

Green check mark transparent.pngSharon Tyus (i)
Tashara Earl 
Ward 13

Green check mark transparent.pngPamela Boyd (i)
Norma Walker (i)
Ward 14

Green check mark transparent.pngRasheen Aldridge 
Ebony Washington 

Primary election

St. Louis Board of Aldermen primary election 2023

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Candidates
St. Louis Board of Aldermen President

Green check mark transparent.pngMegan Ellyia Green (i)
Ward 1

Green check mark transparent.pngAnne Schweitzer (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngTony Kirchner 
Matthew Kotraba 
Ward 2

Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Robert Oldenburg (i)
Katie Bellis 
Green check mark transparent.pngPhill Menendez 
Ward 3

Green check mark transparent.pngShane Cohn (i)
Ward 4

Green check mark transparent.pngBret Rajiv Narayan (i) Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Vaccaro Jr. (i)
Casey Otto 
Ward 5

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Vollmer (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngHelen Petty  Candidate Connection
Ward 6

Green check mark transparent.pngJennifer Florida 
Green check mark transparent.pngDaniela Velazquez  Candidate Connection
Ward 7

Green check mark transparent.pngJon-Pierre Mitchom 
Cedric Redmon 
Green check mark transparent.pngAlisha Sonnier  Candidate Connection
Ward 8

Green check mark transparent.pngCara Spencer (i)
Shedrick Kelley 
Green check mark transparent.pngKenneth Ortmann 
Ward 9

Michael Gras (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngTina Pihl (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Browning  Candidate Connection
Ward 10

Green check mark transparent.pngShameem Clark Hubbard (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngEmmett L. Coleman III 
Ward 11

Green check mark transparent.pngLaura Keys (i) Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngCarla Wright 
Ward 12

Green check mark transparent.pngSharon Tyus (i)
Yolanda Brown 
Darron Collins-Bey 
Green check mark transparent.pngTashara Earl 
Walter Rush 
Ward 13

Green check mark transparent.pngPamela Boyd (i)
Lisa Middlebrook (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngNorma Walker (i)
Ward 14

Brandon Frazier Bosley (i)
James Page (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngRasheen Aldridge 
Green check mark transparent.pngEbony Washington 

Special district offices

St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees

General election

General election for St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees Subdistrict 2

Nicole Robinson defeated incumbent Pam Ross in the general election for St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees Subdistrict 2 on April 4, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Nicole Robinson (Nonpartisan)
 
49.7
 
9,323
Pam Ross (Nonpartisan)
 
48.9
 
9,181
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.4
 
255

Total votes: 18,759
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Missouri elections, 2023

What's on your ballot?
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Wards with multiple incumbents running

As a result of the reduction in the size of the board, four wards had multiple incumbents running against each other in the primary:

  • In the 4th ward, incumbents Joe Vaccaro (the incumbent in Ward 23) and Bret Narayan (Ward 24) ran in the primary and advanced to the general election. Vaccaro finished first in the primary, with 46.9% of the vote, and Narayan finished second, with 45.7% of the vote. Professional photographer Casey Otto finished third and did not advance.
  • In the 13th ward, three incumbents—Norma Walker (Ward 22), Pamela Boyd (Ward 27), and Lisa Middlebrook (Ward 2)—ran against each other. Walker and Boyd received 45.5% and 30.8% of the vote, respectively, and advanced to the general election. Middlebrook finished third with 23.7% of the vote and did not advance.
  • In the 14th ward, real estate agent Ebony Washington and State Representative Rasheen Aldridge defeated incumbents Brandon Bosley (Ward 3) and James Page (Ward 5) in the primary and advanced to the general election. Washington finished first, with 29.6% of the vote, and Aldridge finished second, with 27.8% of the vote. Bosley and Page finished in third and fourth place, respectively.[5][6]
  • In the 9th ward, Michael Browning, a Washington University School of Medicine staffer, advanced to the general election after finishing first in the primary with 49.7% of the vote.[5][6] Two incumbents—Tina Pihl (Ward 17) and Michael Gras (Ward 28)—were tied in second place with 868 votes each on Election Day. Pihl received eight additional votes after provisional ballots were counted, and advanced to the general election.[3]

What was at stake?

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About the city

See also: St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city located in Missouri. It was at one time the county seat of St. Louis County, but voters chose to separate from the county and form an independent city in 1876.[7] As of 2020, its population was 301,578.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of St. Louis uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis Missouri
Population 301,578 6,154,913
Land area (sq mi) 61 68,746
Race and ethnicity**
White 45.7% 78.3%
Black/African American 43.1% 11.1%
Asian 3.4% 2.1%
Native American 0.2% 0.3%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.2%
Other (single race) 1.6% 1.7%
Multiple 5.9% 6.3%
Hispanic/Latino 5.1% 5.1%
Education
High school graduation rate 90.5% 91.6%
College graduation rate 40.2% 31.9%
Income
Median household income $55,279 $68,920
Persons below poverty level 19.8% 12.6%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


2023 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2023 battleground elections included:

See also

St. Louis, Missouri Missouri Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes