St. Louis Elects Tishaura Jones As City's First Black Female Mayor

The St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones will be the first Black female mayor of St. Louis. Tishaura Jones won the election on April 6, 2021, and will be sworn in on April 20.

Tishaura Jones won against Alderwoman Cara Spencer in the general election with 51.7 percent of the votes against Spencer’s 47.8 per cent. In her victory speech, Jones stated that “I told you when I was running that we aren’t done avoiding tough conversations. We are done ignoring the racism that has held our city and our region back.”

In her concession speech, Spencer stated that Jones’s victory should be celebrated. She added that “Our city broke a glass ceiling tonight, a ceiling that shouldn’t have been there.”

The 49-year-old Tishaura Jones is a former state representative and has been the St. Louis Treasurer since 2013. When she is sworn in on April 20, she will replace Mayor Lyda Krewson, who is the city’s first female mayor.

Both candidates Jones and Spencer agreed that the most important crisis for the city was curbing violence. According to police statistics, 262 people were killed in St. Louis last year. The record of 267 killings was set in 1993. Since the population of St. Louis has severely declined, the per capita homicide rate was much higher in 2020.

Tishaura Jones pledged to bring in more social workers, substance abuse counsellors, and mental health counsellors, rather than increasing the number of uniformed officers.

In a debate, Jones had questioned whether a white mayor could adequately lead the city. She stated that “While I appreciate the role of white allies in this movement of progress, I don’t believe that they have the lived experiences to lead a majority-minority city.”

Her victory speech mostly focused on overcoming racism and bigotry. In her speech, Jones stated that “I will not stay silent when I spot any injustice.”

Feature Image Credit: St. Louis Today