The Mayor's Blog
I would always rather see a building reused than demolished. For the past twelve years, I have taken a firm but reasonable line on demolitions. As a rule, we do NOT allow any demolition unless the building has little significance - or the building is a true danger to health and safety or it stands in the way of a development that will significantly advance the City’s status as a quality place to... Read More
With patience, compromise, and a mayoral staffer who liked burritos and cupcakes, food trucks – I mean the sort of brightly painted mobile kitchens that now pop up on street corners during lunch and after concerts – have found a home in parts of the city. The "patience" part was important because not everyone (including their brick-and-mortar competitors, health officials, and motorists competing for parking) initially (or, yet) welcomed them. But, a staffer working... Read More
The grandson of a lawyer and the son of a doctor, Dr. Leslie F. Bond, Sr., grew up in a city and in a country that sought to limit his accomplishments because of his race.
They failed. Badly so. Dr. Bond became, without question, our leading citizen. A chronicle of Dr. Bond’s life in St. Louis contains a whole litany of “firsts.” A recitation of his distinguished career in the... Read More
The news from Boston is tragic – and still incomplete. Police Chief Sam Dotson tells me that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has identified no threats against our city, but that his officers remain vigilant. President Obama has promised “the full weight of justice” will fall on those responsible. We must take from that the consolation we can.
There really is not much we can do, except to extend our... Read More
Winning a fourth term isn’t the history. What we do over the next four years is how we are going to make history.
I’ll start my term with a city of many strengths on which to build and many assets to be leveraged. We have become cleaner, healthier, safer, more open to diversity, better educated, more urban, and more fun. We have a great philanthropic community, good medical centers, strong neighborhoods,... Read More
I would like it to be harder for a criminal in the City of St. Louis to get his hands on a gun. And I would like it to be easier for police officers, prosecutors, and judges to get gun criminals off our streets. It is far too easy for criminals to get guns here – and there are too many of them in our neighborhoods(both guns and criminals).
We have people who... Read More
On Saturday, March 23rd, the City of St. Louis will join 7000 or so other cities around the world observing Earth Hour. The lights at City Hall – and at my own house – will be turned off from 8:30-9:30 pm, an hour less of energy consumption that will signal the City’s commitment – and my own – to addressing climate change. I know that turning off a few lights in St. Louis... Read More
Lynne M. Cooper, a founder of DOORWAYS, died Saturday after a short illness.
For twenty-five years, Lynne Cooper inspired and led a local effort to provide compassionate care for St. Louisans affected by HIV/AIDS. Her example made a city better; her work touched thousands of lives.
She is, simply, irreplaceable.
At the time of her recent retirement, her colleagues wrote this -- hugely impressive, but still an understatement... Read More
We won.
It was not an easy campaign, despite the wide margin of victory.
This is a city of many neighborhoods, each with its own set of interests. This is a city of a lot of government, with many different centers of power. And this is a city with a population more diverse than any other in the state. To win in such a city requires an extraordinary campaign.
Fortunately, I had... Read More
It was not an easy campaign, despite the wide margin of victory.
This is a city of many neighborhoods, each with its own set of interests. This is a city of a lot of government, with many different centers of power. And this is a city with a population more diverse than any other in the state. To win in such a city requires an extraordinary campaign.
Fortunately, I had... Read More
This is a list of the strategies, and specific objectives that will be my special focus over the next 5 years to make the city safer, healthier, and cleaner.