On Tuesday, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III fended off a challenge from city councilwoman Ella Jones to win 57 percent of the vote and a third term.
“We all want the same thing,” Knowles said after Tuesday’s victory was at hand. “We’re all here for the same purpose, which is our community.”
Get a fresh take on the day’s top news
Subscribe to the St. Louis Daily newsletter for a smart, succinct guide to local news from award-winning journalists Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull.
Knowles was running for re-election for the first time since former police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August 2014. Compared to the 2013 mayoral election in Ferguson, there was a 50 percent increase in turnout.
“These past three years have been very difficult, but I’ve been the one who has shown I can lead through tough times,” Knowles told the Associated Press last week. “That I can take the heat but also make the changes, the reforms necessary to make the community move forward.”
See also: Ferguson, a year later
Two years ago, Jones successfully ran for a seat on the Ferguson City Council, making her the first African-American woman to serve in that role. She recently told USA Today that Knowles is a reminder of the “division and racism” in Ferguson that the world came to know. “We need a fresh start,” she said. “I don’t know how we do that if he remains as mayor.”
Ferguson voters also overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the city’s charter regulating how police officers use body cameras. Police must now keep body cameras turned on while on duty, and the department must keep the video for at least two years. Any video taken in public places becomes part of the public record. Video not obtained in public place will become a closed record to the extent allowed by law. Police body camera videos involving using force must be sent to the City Council monthly.
