Kevin A. Roberts
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.
Francis Slay, the longest-serving mayor in St. Louis history, won’t seek re-election, he announced in a surprise press conference Friday morning.
Slay, who has one year left in his fourth term, says he won’t step down or leave early.
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“I plan to be mayor for the next year, and we plan to get a whole heck of a lot of things done,” he said after hurriedly calling reporters to City Hall for the short announcement.
Slay assured St. Lousians that he’s not because of health problems or to take another job, joking that Hillary Clinton, whom Slay has campaigned for in other states, has not asked him to be her running mate.
Slay did hint that he may run for another public office and still has a million dollars in his campaign fund.
The announcement was short, and Slay did not take any reporter questions.
“I did not want this to be an extended eulogy,” he said.
The news is a major surprise for the St. Louis political scene.
Update, 11:45 a.m.: Slay posted his announcement online:
"Although St. Louis is still very recognizably the city that I have represented in one elected position or another since 1985, it is also a city that has slowly won back some of its swagger as a place to start a business, to raise a family, and to walk and ride a bicycle to work," Slay said. "I love what we are becoming."
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
