Ferguson, Missouri municipal elections, 2015

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The city of Ferguson, Missouri, held nonpartisan elections for city council on April 7, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was January 20. Three of the six city council seats were up for election. Council members served three-year overlapping terms.

Four of the eight candidates who ran for the three open seats were African-American, which was largely unprecedented given that, at that time, only two black members had ever served on the council. To put this into perspective, according to the United States Census Bureau, Ferguson was 67.4 percent African-American. Ward 3 was guaranteed a black incumbent, as both candidates, Wesley Bell and Lee Smith, were African-American.

None of the incumbents on the council — David Conway, Tim Larson or Kim Tihen — ran for re-election. These three members were first elected to the council in 2012.

The city struggled with well-documented racial tension in 2014 and 2015, most notably after the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Adding to the city's racial strife, two white police officers were shot outside the city's police department by a black assailant.

See below for a detailed outline of issues in Ferguson. You can read more information about the area school board election taking place simultaneously here.

City council

Candidate list

Ward 1

Note: Incumbent Kim Tihen did not run for re-election.

• Ella M. Jones
• Doyle McClellan
• Adrienne J. Hawkins
• Mike McGrath

Ward 2

Note: Incumbent Tim Larson did not run for re-election.

• Brian P. Fletcher
• Robert "Bob" Hudgins

Ward 3

Note: Incumbent David Conway did not run for re-election.

• Wesley Bell
• Lee Smith

Election results

Ferguson City Council, Ward 1, General Election, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ella M. Jones	50%	824
Mike McGrath	23.6%	389
Doyle McClellan	13.2%	217
Adrienne J. Hawkins	13.2%	217
Total Votes		1,647
Source: St. Louis County - Official election results

Ferguson City Council, General Election, Ward 2, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Brian P. Fletcher	57.1%	847
Robert "Bob" Hudgins	42.9%	636
Total Votes		1,483
Source: St. Louis County - Official election results

Ferguson City Council, General Election, Ward 3, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Wesley Bell	67.1%	494
Lee Smith	32.9%	242
Total Votes		736
Source: St. Louis County - Official election results

Issues in Ferguson

See also: Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri

Michael Brown shooting

Michael Brown, an 18-year-old resident of the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, was shot and killed by a police officer on August 9, 2014. Brown and a friend reportedly got into an altercation with a police officer, Darren Wilson, who fired his weapon at Brown. A robbery had reportedly taken place at a convenience store just prior to the shooting with the suspect allegedly matching Brown's description. Attorney General Eric Holder announced a federal investigation into the matter on August 11, 2014.

Timeline of subsequent events

Rioting in Ferguson

Riots and violence from Ferguson citizens began the night of August 10, 2014, and continued through August 18, 2014. Looting and protests against the police led to officers shooting tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds in an attempt to restore order to the community. By August 12, 2014, the police department announced that 32 people had been arrested in connection to the violence and looting, with the department defending their tactics, stating, "What occurred last night, the mob action, we know certainly is not representative of what's going on and what the people in the neighborhood necessarily think."

Highway patrol takeover

Following days of riots and violence, including the arrests of two journalists by local authorities, the Missouri Highway Patrol took over security in Ferguson on August 14, 2014, with the intent of changing the mood of the area and de-escalating the violence. The highway patrol ditched riot gear for plain clothes, talked with the people and even marched with them for a short time. Ron Johnson, the captain of the patrol, said of his personal ties to the area, "I roamed these streets. When the media from out of state is gone and when the people from out of this community are gone, Ron Johnson is still going to be here."

State of emergency declared

Police barricade the streets of Ferguson

Governor Jay Nixon (D) declared a state of emergency and established a curfew between the hours of 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. on August 16, 2014. The following day, the NAACP, the ACLU and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called for Governor Nixon's curfew in Ferguson to end, arguing, "Any order restricting constitutional rights must clearly communicate to the public when and where it will apply, articulate valid justifications for the restrictions, and provide ample alternative locations where people may gather to express their views on the important issues being discussed in Ferguson." Governor Nixon canceled the curfew for the following day.

Violence continued on the evening of August 17, 2014, when peaceful daytime protesters turned markedly more violent after dark. Molotov cocktails and gunshots were fired in the direction of the highway patrol officers. Officers responded by firing tear gas into the crowd. Three more reporters were temporarily placed under arrest at the direction of Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson. Governor Nixon responded on August 18, 2014, by ordering the National Guard to Ferguson to help restore order.

National Guard in Ferguson

With the National Guard in place, protests devolved into violence once again on August 18, 2014, continuing into August 19, during which it was initially reported that 31 protesters were placed under arrest. Records obtained by local media outlets on August 19 confirmed there were actually 78 arrests. Four police officers and two civilians were injured by gunfire from the protesters, police said. Of those arrested, some had come from as far as New York, California and Washington. Prior to the protests on August 18, Johnson announced that journalists in the area would continue to be detained because of the violent nature of the protests. He stated that once taken into custody, journalists would be treated properly and would be promptly released, if called for; he explained, "in the midst of it, we cannot — in the midst of it, in the midst of chaos, and trying to move people on, we have to be safe. ... And we are providing protection for journalists. We had, we had a journalist who was trapped in the midst of that gunfire, in the midst of that chaos. And we're providing protection for them. We took journalists back to their trucks."

Police investigation

Officer's identity revealed

Wilson's identity as the shooting officer was revealed on August 15, 2014, following days of death threats. Governor Nixon called the release of the officer's name, Darren Wilson, a "good move" as the violence de-escalated. On the same day, 48 media organizations called on the Ferguson Police Department for increased transparency and lighter tactics in a letter written to the department. The letter stated, "As organizations that cover news and defend the rights of journalists to gather the news, we write to express our deep concern over the unwarranted detention of two journalists on Wednesday and with other reports of police intimidation and harassment of journalists in Ferguson. It is also extremely troubling that the police have not been more timely in releasing the records surrounding these incidents and the shooting of Michael Brown."

Autopsy results

Autopsy results, released on August 17, 2014, by Dr. Michael Baden, former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, showed Brown was shot six times by Wilson, including two shots to his head. His clothes were not examined in the initial report, but no gunpowder was discovered on his skin, indicating that he may not have been at close range to Wilson when he was shot. The report also indicated that Brown was facing Wilson during all shots fired. Baden said some of the shots caused multiple wounds, including one shot that went through the top of Brown's head, stating, "This one here looks like his head was bent downward. It can be because he’s giving up, or because he’s charging forward at the officer." Baden, brought in at the request of the Brown family to conduct an independent autopsy, noted that not enough information had been gathered to fully reenact the scene, explaining, "Right now there is too little information to forensically reconstruct the shooting."

St. Louis County officials also conducted an autopsy, but the findings were not released to the public. The U.S. Department of Justice was also scheduled to conduct an autopsy, which was considered common in cases where local authorities were not trusted by their communities, in order to ensure an honest investigation.

Release of evidence

Ferguson protesters in New York City

St. Louis County investigators announced on August 19, 2014, that evidence in the case would not be made public until it was presented to a grand jury, which would potentially take months. While the media and public made calls for the evidence to be made public, United States Attorney Richard Callahan stated, "While the lack of details surrounding the shooting may frustrate the media and breed suspicion among those already distrustful of the system, those closely guarded details give law enforcement the best yardsticks for measuring whether witnesses are truthful." Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated the need for patience in the investigation, explaining, "No matter how others pursue their own separate inquiries, the Justice Department is resolved to preserve the integrity of its investigation."

National Bar lawsuit

The National Bar Association filed a lawsuit against the City of Ferguson in an effort to preserve all evidence of Brown's death, including officers' notes and all information collected from the scene of the crime. The suit was filed August 18, 2014.

State senator arrested

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed (D) was arrested outside the Ferguson police station during a protest on October 20, 2014. St. Louis County police said that Nasheed had violated a city ordinance forbidding "walking in a roadway where sidewalks are accessible," and did not move when warned. Nasheed was released from the St. Ann jail the following morning after an unidentified party posted bond. Nasheed said her arrest was intentional and "symbolic," urging non-violent protest going forward. At the time of her arrest, the grand jury had yet to deliver a decision on whether to charge Darren Wilson, but Nasheed told reporters upon leaving jail that protesters "have a long road ahead of us these next three weeks." Police said that Nasheed was carrying a loaded handgun and that she refused a breathalyzer test; Nasheed, who denied being intoxicated, said that she has a concealed-carry permit and regularly carries a gun.

Grand Jury findings released

On the evening of November 24, 2014, the results of the grand jury determined officer Darren Wilson would not be charged in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Evidence shown to the grand jury portrayed an altercation between Brown and Wilson inside Wilson's police car during which Brown's blood got on Wilson's clothes and gun. Attorney General Holder confirmed, however, that the federal investigation had not concluded and that civil rights charges were still a possibility depending on their findings.

Issues in the election

Four African-American candidates vie for seat

As of 2015, in the past 120 years, only three African-American candidates ran for the city council in Ferguson, and only two ever actually served. In 2015, however, of the eight candidates running for office, four of them were African-American. Ward 3 was guaranteed to have a black incumbent, as both candidates, Wesley Bell and Lee Smith, were African-American. The other two African-American candidates were Adrienne J. Hawkins and Ella M. Jones, who both vied for a seat in Ward 1. City council positions in Ferguson paid only a monthly $250 stipend, and many wondered why candidates would want a seat given the pressure and scrutiny with which members are often faced. According to Hawkins, after the Michael Brown shooting, "it takes a village. Our community needs some help. I believe that I represent the change that’s coming and the change that’s arrived.”

Affidavit to recall Mayor James Knowles

After two police officers were shot outside the city's police department, five Ferguson residents delivered letters to Mayor James Knowles and Ferguson city council members on March 13, 2015, calling for Knowles to resign. The city was faced with well-documented racial tension following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, and the city's police chief and city manager resigned earlier in 2015 following the release of a blistering report from the Department of Justice detailing widespread racial bias in Ferguson. The five residents who called for the Knowles' resignation cited his alleged failure to "rein in an out-of-control police department during the protests following Mike Brown’s death." They had 60 days to collect the signatures of 15 percent of registered voters in the last mayoral election before a special election could be called. Knowles had no intention of resigning: "Somebody has to show leadership, and I'm focused on how we can move this community forward."

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ferguson Missouri election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Ferguson, Missouri municipal elections, 2015 - Google News

See also

• Ferguson, Missouri
• Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri

External links

Suggest a link

• City of Ferguson
• City of Ferguson - Official candidate list
• St. Louis County - Official election results