At inauguration, new St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson urges cooperation and collaboration

The city of St. Louis has its first female mayor, and it only took 194 years to do it.

Long after William Carr Lane became the city’s first mayor, on April 14, 1823, Lyda Krewson was sworn in as the city’s 46^th mayor Tuesday. She told the crowd gathered in City Hall’s rotunda that she realized she “did not get here by myself, and I won’t govern by myself either.”

In addressing the myriad issues facing the city, including public safety, Krewson called for citizen cooperation and regional collaboration. “Over the last year, I have spoken often about neighborhood safety,” she said. “We must find the will and the resources for more summer jobs and more recreation programs. We must also find a way to a more competitively paid, staffed, and trained police department, who can rebuild the frayed relationships between law enforcement and in our community.”

Krewson, whose first husband was killed during a carjacking in front of their Central West End home in 1995, was elected alderwoman of the 28^th Ward in 1997. She served as alderwoman for 20 years. Born in Iowa, she graduated from Moberly High School in Moberly, Missouri, before graduating from what is now Truman State University. A certified public accountant, she was previously chief financial officer at PGAV Architects.

Krewson won the Democratic primary in March by 879 votes, receiving 32 percent of the 56,097 votes cast. In April, she won the general election with 67 percent of the vote.

In citing positive recent developments in the city—including the revival of Cherokee Street, the Cortex innovation district, and the retention of the National Geospatial Agency—Krewson also pointed out that some city residents are left out of that resurgence. “This success has not reached everyone,” she said. “Thirty percent of our neighbors live in poverty. For a family of four, that means household income of less than $24,600 a year. Food insecurity, a shorter life expectancy, and violent crime are often the reality for these men, women, and kids, who are our neighbors.”

Uncertainty about federal and state funding complicates the city’s situation, she added. “We are at an urgent and worrisome moment in our country, an urgent moment in our state, and that translates into an especially urgent moment in our cities,” Krewson said. “Federal and state funding for programs that we depend on—for law enforcement, health services, housing, and real estate development—are on the chopping block. If those funds disappear, progress won’t be easy.”

Kansas City Mayor Sly James spoke at the inauguration. Krewson said she hoped that they would work together “for the good of our cities and our urban agenda.” Former Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, and St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern were also among those in attendance.

Mike Wolff, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri and former dean of Saint Louis University School of Law, administered the oath of office to Krewson. Afterward, he was upbeat about both the new mayor and the city.

“There’s a new wind blowing in the city,” Wolff said. “Things are looking up, and I remember when they weren’t. I think she’ll do great.”

The city’s first African-American mayor, Freeman Bosley Jr., said Krewson’s political experience will benefit her in her new position. “She’s got to get in there,” he said. “She’s been on the board of alderman, so she should have some idea of what it takes. I think she’ll be all right. She just has to settle in.”

To accomplish goals from her platform, Krewson must work with a board of alderman that has recently experienced turnover. Six new members were sworn in Tuesday to the 28-member board. About five or six aldermen are considered “progressive” and may oppose some of Krewson’s agenda. They could pose an obstacle to Krewson, particularly if they ally with the city’s 11 African-American aldermen on the North Side, who represent areas where Krewson did not fare well in the Democratic primary.

Photography by D.J. Wilson

Photography by D.J. Wilson

Krewson did not win Ald. Megan Ellyia Green’s South Side 15^th Ward in March, though Green said there’s still potential for cooperation. 

“I am hoping we have greater collaboration and more of an open door between the board of alderman and the mayor’s office,” Green said. “We need to address some of our issues with crime and safety at the root-cause level, which we have not been good at doing. That means affordable housing, access to education, access to jobs, substance abuse and mental health programming.”

“We have a heroin epidemic in this city right now and essentially no treatment to meet the demand at the moment,” she added. “You see a cyclical process of people committing crimes and theft to get what they need to get that next fix. We need to be willing to put in the resources to break that cycle and get people back in the workforce.”

Among Krewson’s recent hires is Nicole Hudson, who was part of Forward Through Ferguson, the nonprofit formed to continue the work of the Ferguson Commission. Hudson will be the new mayor’s Director of Racial Equity and Priority Initiatives.

Lana Stein, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and author of St. Louis Politics: The Triumph of Tradition, expressed optimism about the new mayor. “She is not only the first woman mayor, she’s highly competent, intelligent, and very innovative,” Stein said. “I think she’ll work very hard for everyone in the city of St. Louis. She knows the process, and she knows the offices of government. That is a great advantage.”

Photography by D.J. Wilson

Photography by D.J. Wilson

Editor’s Note: A caption in this article has been updated to reflect the correct first name of Ald. Frank Williamson.

A Transcript of Mayor Lyda Krewson’s Inauguration Speech

Good afternoon. Welcome to each and every one of you. Thank you to my family for their neverending help and support. Thank you, June Fowler, for MCing today. And thank you, Justice Mike Wolff, for making this official. It’s such an honor to be sworn in by you and to begin serving as the 46^th Mayor of St Louis—and as the first woman mayor ever.

Congratulations to Comptroller [Darlene] Green, who for two decades has served as the city’s chief fiscal officer. And thank you to President Lewis Reed, my colleagues at the Board of Alderman, and a special welcome to the six new aldermen and alderwomen, who were sworn in just two hours ago. 

Thank you and a special welcome to Kansas City Mayor Sly James. I believe this will be the first of many times that we will talk and work together for the good of our cities and our urban agenda.

Welcome, County Executive Steve Stenger and St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern.  I hope we will talk much more over the coming months and years.

I am also so pleased to be joined by the honorable Mayor [James] Conway, Mayor [Vince] Schoemehl, and Mayor [Freeman] Bosley. And of course, thank you to Mayor Slay for your 32 years as an elected official, the last 16 years as mayor. You’re going to be a tough act to follow. You and your team came to work and made a difference every day.

And finally, welcome to the hardworking city employees who are here today, and especially to those who are on the job today: police officers, firefighters, refuse workers, grass cutters, Health and Human Services workers, and those who answer citizen calls, tweets, and emails. Thank you.

I am well aware that I did not get here by myself. And I won’t govern by myself either.

This afternoon, or maybe tomorrow morning, the real work begins. I have a great team and great aspirations for our city. I hope you will join me in dreaming big and raising our collective sights high.

As I said many times during this campaign, we have a lot to be proud of in St Louis. We have had a lot of success over the last 10 to 20 years. Cherokee Street, The Grove, the Loop, Old North, Hyde Park, Macklind Avenue, South Grand, two new rec centers, Forest Park, trails, greenways and bikeways, and CityArchRiver… Most of that did not exist 10 to 20 years ago. Then there’s Cortex, one of the country’s best innovation districts, where 5,000 people go to work every day, dreaming up the next cure or tech project. NGA, a $1.7 billion construction project and 3,100 good paying jobs—it is a big opportunity for us; we’ve got to get it right.

We have great medical centers, universities, financial services companies, and our arts scene and cultural institutions are top-notch. St. Louis Public Schools were recently accredited, and we have good charter and parochial schools.

Just last week, The Economist reported that the Pew Charitable Trust proclaimed St Louis is the fourth most popular city for college-educated Millennials. That is all great news.

But this success has not reached everyone. Thirty percent of our neighbors live in poverty. For a family of four, that means household income is less than $24,600 a year. Food insecurity, shorter life expectancy, and violent crime are often the reality for these men, women, and kids, who are our neighbors.

We are at an urgent and worrisome moment in our country, an urgent moment in our state, and that translates into an especially urgent moment in our cities. Federal and state funding for programs that we depend on—for law enforcement, health services, housing and real estate redevelopment—are on the chopping block. If those funds disappear, progress won’t be easy.

Over the last year, I have spoken often about neighborhood safety. We must find the will and the resources for more summer jobs and more recreation programs. We must also find a way to a more competitively paid, staffed, and trained police department, who can rebuild the frayed relationships between law enforcement and in our community.

We need safe, efficient, and reliable public transportation—not just to get to the ballgame, but more importantly to get to school, a job interview, a doctor’s appointment, or the grocery store.

We will focus renewed energy on delivering efficient and reliable city services to every neighborhood. We will look at processes, track complaints, and measure outcomes.

We vow to tackle the vacant building problem, especially those owned by LRA.

To achieve these goals, though, we must all work together. Government can’t do it alone—we need all of you: our businesses, our universities, our nonprofits, our arts organizations, and especially our citizens. Be engaged, attend your neighborhood meetings, report street lights are out, and call, tweet, or email when something is not right.

Let’s work together to build a safer city, a city that welcomes everyone, no matter where they are from or what religion they are. A city that cares about—and cares for—our most vulnerable residents. A city where you can get a good education and a good job.

And finally, I will continue to seek every opportunity to work with other regional leaders; to think and act regionally; to combine into one region; to build a St. Louis that is sharper, stronger, and more competitive in the world marketplace.

I am excited and proud to be your mayor. Thank you for your confidence and encouragement.

Thank you, St. Louis, and God bless.