View source for St. Louis Board of Aldermen

{{Short description|City legislative}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox legislature
| background_color = {{party color|Democratic Party (US)}}
| coa_pic = Seal of St. Louis, Missouri.svg
| name = St. Louis Board of Aldermen
| legislature = [[City of St. Louis]]
| house_type = Unicameral
| term_limits = None
| leader1_type = President
| leader1 = [[Megan Green]]
| election1 = November 18, 2022
| leader2_type = Vice-President
| leader2 = Shane Cohn
| election2 = April 18, 2023
| leader3_type = Floor Leader
| leader3 = Shameem Clark-Hubbard
| election3 = April 18, 2023
| leader4_type = Assistant Floor Leader
| leader4 = [[Rasheen Aldridge]]
| election4 = April 18, 2023
| authority = Charter of the City of St. Louis
| salary = $72,000/year (alderpersons)<br>$80,000/year (President)
| members           = 14 ward-based alderpersons and 1 city-wide president (officially [[non-partisan]])
| structure1        = St. Louis Board of Aldermen_2023.svg
| structure1_res    = 250px
| political_groups1 = {{legend|#0000FF|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] (14)}}
| voting_system1 = [[Nonpartisan blanket primary]] using [[approval voting]]
| redistricting     = Legislative control
| last_election1 =  [[2023 St. Louis elections|April 4, 2023]]
| next_election1 = April 1, 2025
| session_room      = [[City Hall (St. Louis, Missouri)|St. Louis City Hall]]
| website           = [https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/ stlouis-mo.gov/BoardofAldermen]
}}The '''St. Louis Board of Aldermen''' is the [[lawmaking]] body of [[St. Louis]], an independent city in the U.S. state of [[Missouri]]. The Board consists of 14 alderpersons, one elected by each of the city's 14 [[Ward (electoral subdivision)|wards]]. The President of the Board is a separate position elected by all city voters with the same voting power as an alderperson, and serves as the body's presiding officer.

Alderpersons may introduce legislation known as board bills, which are subject to approval by the [[Mayor of St. Louis|mayor]] if passed by the Board. The Board is responsible for setting the city budget and conducting oversight of city departments and agencies.

The Board meets in the north wing of [[City Hall (St. Louis)|City Hall]], located in the [[Downtown West, St. Louis|Downtown West]] neighborhood. Regular elections to the Board of Aldermen are held in the spring of odd-numbered years.  Beginning with the [[2023 St. Louis elections|2023 elections]], the Board of Aldermen was reduced from 28 members to 14.

==Composition==
The Board of Aldermen consists of one representative from each of the city's 14 wards. The President of the Board is elected as a separate office by a general citywide ballot. After the [[2023 St. Louis aldermanic elections|2023 ward reductions]], all alderpersons are elected to four-year terms during the spring election of odd-numbered years, as is the mayor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laws and Lawmaking |url=https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-laws/index.cfm |website=stlouis-mo.gov}}</ref>

=== Proposition R (2012) ===
Proposition R (2012) was a charter amendment passed in November 2012 to reduce the number of city of St. Louis alderpersons from 28 to 14.  It was slated to take place 10 years in the future (effective January 1, 2022) and was passed by city voters on November 6, 2012, with 61 percent voting in favor (60 percent was needed for passage).<ref>{{cite news | title=Propositions pass to cut St. Louis aldermen, return local police control | url=http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/morning_call/2012/11/propositions-pass-to-cut-st-louis.html | date=November 7, 2012 | access-date=January 16, 2016 | newspaper=[[St. Louis Business Journal]] }}</ref>

=== Proposition D (2020) ===
Proposition D, a ballot measure to make municipal elections in St. Louis officially [[Nonpartisanism|non-partisan]], was passed by city voters on November 3, 2020 with 68 percent voting in favor.<ref>{{cite web |title=St. Louis, Missouri, Proposition D, Approval Voting Initiative (November 2020) |url=https://ballotpedia.org/St._Louis,_Missouri,_Proposition_D,_Approval_Voting_Initiative_(November_2020) |website=[[Ballotpedia]] |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> Proposition D also changed St. Louis municipal elections to use [[approval voting]], which allows voters to vote for as many candidates in a race as they would like, with each of their choices carrying an equal weight, meaning they do not rank the candidates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/St._Louis,_Missouri,_Proposition_D,_Approval_Voting_Initiative_(November_2020)|title=St. Louis, Missouri, Proposition D, Approval Voting Initiative (November 2020)|website=Ballotpedia}}</ref>

=== Proposition R (2022) ===
Proposition R (2022) called for an independent commission to draw boundaries between the wards of St. Louis and ensured that that the board was not able to change the election method without a public vote.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pro & Con: How Prop R would affect St. Louis' Board of Aldermen |url=https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2022-04-01/pro-con-how-prop-r-would-affect-st-louis-board-of-aldermen |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=STLPR |language=en}}</ref> Prop R also strengthened ethics by creating new stipulations for conflicts of interest and required alderpersons to recuse themselves when such conflicts arise. Finally, it changed the "Board of Aldermen" to the gender-neutral "Board of Alderpersons."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/St._Louis,_Missouri,_Proposition_R,_Redistricting_Commission,_Public_Vote_to_Change_Voting_Methods,_and_Conflicts_of_Interest_Requirements_Initiative_(April_2022)|title=St. Louis, Missouri, Proposition R, Redistricting Commission, Public Vote to Change Voting Methods, and Conflicts of Interest Requirements Initiative (April 2022)|website=Ballotpedia}}</ref>

==Powers==
By custom and tradition, an alderperson has a great deal of influence over decisions impacting the ward they represent on matters ranging from zoning changes, to street resurfacing, to tax abatement to business licensing, etc.

By city charter, alderpersons are legislators. Alderpersons introduce laws and legislation known as board bills that can become city ordinances which can impact the quality of lives of city residents.

==Committees==
Since April 2023, the Board of Aldermen has had seven standing committees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/rules/upload/2023-2024-Rules-Final-20230413.pdf|title=Rules of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen 2023-24 Session}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
!Committee
!Chair
|- 
|Budget & Public Employees
|Cara Spencer (8th)
|-
|Health & Human Development
|Pam Boyd (13th)
|-
|Housing, Urban Development, & Zoning
|Shameem Clark-Hubbard (10th)
|-
|Legislation & Rules
|Joe Vollmer (5th)
|-
|Public Infrastructure & Utilities
|Anne Schweitzer (1st)
|-
|Public Safety
|Bret Narayan (4th)
|-
|Transportation & Commerce
|Shane Cohn (3rd)
|-
|}
==Qualifications==
To become an alderperson, one must be a registered voter, twenty-five years of age, have been a United States citizen for at least five years, a resident of the city for three years, and for one year a resident of the ward from which elected. The President must be at least thirty years of age and a city resident for at least five years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/about/index.cfm|title=About the Board of Aldermen|website=stlouis-mo.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/cco/Rules/append.htm |title=St. Louis City Board of Aldermen Rules |access-date=2013-10-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312125641/http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/cco/Rules/append.htm |archive-date=2015-03-12 }}</ref>

==Membership==
While the office of alderperson is officially nonpartisan, all incumbents are either [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] or [[independent politician|independents]]. The last [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] to hold a Board seat lost re-election in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/st-louis-board-of-aldermen-will-have-all-democrats-two/article_b06a1469-0c74-556f-a3c2-9ed1d24e5137.html|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|last=McDermott|first=Kevin|date=April 9, 2015|title=St. Louis Board of Aldermen will have all Democrats, two new faces}}</ref> The current composition of the Board was sworn in on April 18, 2023.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Ward / Position
!Map
!Member
!Took office
!Corridor
!Major neighborhood(s) served
!Current term expires
|- 
|President
|[[File:STL2020FullCity.png|75px|center]]
|[[Megan Green]]
|2022
|colspan=2|At-large
|2027
|-
|Ward 1
|[[File:STL2020Ward01.png|75px|center]]
|Anne Schweitzer
|2021
|South
|[[Carondelet, St. Louis|Carondelet]], [[Patch, St. Louis|Patch]], [[Bevo Mill, St. Louis|Bevo Mill]]
|2025
|-
|Ward 2
|[[File:STL2020Ward02.png|75px|center]]
|Tom Oldenburg
|2017
|South
|[[St. Louis Hills, St. Louis|St. Louis Hills]], [[Princeton Heights, St. Louis|Princeton Heights]], [[Boulevard Heights, St. Louis|Boulevard Heights]]
|2027
|-
|Ward 3
|[[File:STL2020Ward03.png|75px|center]]
|Shane Cohn
|2009
|South
|[[Dutchtown, St. Louis|Dutchtown]]
|2025
|-
|Ward 4
|[[File:STL2020Ward04.png|75px|center]]
|Bret Narayan
|2019
|South
|[[Dogtown, St. Louis|Dogtown]], [[Lindenwood Park, St. Louis|Lindenwood Park]]
|2027
|-
|Ward 5
|[[File:STL2020Ward05.png|75px|center]]
|Joe Vollmer
|2003
|South
|[[The Hill, St. Louis|The Hill]], [[North Hampton, St. Louis|North Hampton]], [[Southwest Garden, St. Louis|Southwest Garden]]
|2025
|-
|Ward 6
|[[File:STL2020Ward06.png|75px|center]]
|Daniela Velázquez
|2023
|South
|[[Tower Grove South, St. Louis|Tower Grove South]], [[Shaw, St. Louis|Shaw]], [[Compton Heights, St. Louis|Compton Heights]]
|2027
|-
|Ward 7
|[[File:STL2020Ward07.png|75px|center]]
|Alisha Sonnier
|2023
|Central/South
|[[Tower Grove East, St. Louis|Tower Grove East]], [[Benton Park West, St. Louis|Benton Park West]]
|2025
|-
|Ward 8
|[[File:STL2020Ward08.png|75px|center]]
|[[Cara Spencer]]
|2015
|Central/South
|[[Downtown St. Louis|Downtown]], [[Soulard, St. Louis|Soulard]], [[Lafayette Square, St. Louis|Lafayette Square]]
|2027
|-
|Ward 9
|[[File:STL2020Ward09.png|75px|center]]
|Michael Browning
|2023
|Central
|[[Central West End, St. Louis|Central West End]], [[Forest Park Southeast, St. Louis|Forest Park Southeast]]
|2025
|-
|Ward 10
|[[File:STL2020Ward10.png|75px|center]]
|Shameem Clark-Hubbard
|2019
|Central/North
|[[Skinker-DeBaliviere, St. Louis|Skinker-DeBaliviere]], [[West End, St. Louis|West End]]
|2027
|-
|Ward 11
|[[File:STL2020Ward11.png|75px|center]]
|Laura Keys
|2022
|Central/North
|[[JeffVanderLou, St. Louis|JeffVanderLou]], [[O'Fallon, St. Louis|O'Fallon]], [[Midtown, St. Louis|Midtown]]
|2025
|-
|Ward 12
|[[File:STL2020Ward12.png|75px|center]]
|Sharon Tyus
|2013{{efn|Tyus was previously an alderwoman from 1991 to 2003.}}
|North
|[[The Ville, St. Louis|The Ville]], [[Penrose, St. Louis|Penrose]]
|2027
|-
|Ward 13
|[[File:STL2020Ward13.png|75px|center]]
|Pamela Boyd
|2017
|North
|[[Wells/Goodfellow, St. Louis|Wells Goodfellow]], [[North Riverfront, St. Louis|North Riverfront]]
|2025
|-
|Ward 14
|[[File:STL2020Ward14.png|75px|center]]
|[[Rasheen Aldridge]]
|2023
|Central/North
|[[Downtown St. Louis|Downtown]], [[St. Louis Place]], [[Hyde Park, St. Louis|Hyde Park]]
|2027
|}

==List of presidents==
The president presides at all the meeting, preserves decorum and determines all questions of order. The president appoints standing and special committees and serves as an equal member of all committees. The president assigns bills to appropriate committees and refers bills, when ready, to the Engrossment Committee. The president directs action from the broad elevated podium in the front and center of the semi-circulate position.

{| class="wikitable" class="wikitable" width="450px"
|- 
!colspan=2 width=3%|Party
!President
!colspan=2|Tenure
!align=center|Ref
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|Louis P. Aloe
|1917
|1924
|rowspan=18|<ref>{{cite book|last=Stein|first=Lana|title=St. Louis Politics: The Triumph of Tradition|publisher=Missouri Historical Society Press|page=255|date=2002|location=St. Louis, Missouri}}</ref>
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Walter J. G. Neun
|1924
|1935
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|William L. Mason
|1935
|1941
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Michael J. Hart
|1941
|1943
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Aloys P. Kaufmann
|1943
|1943
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Edgar S. Nicolai
|1943
|1945
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Albert L. Schweitzer
|1945
|1947
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Charles Albanese
|1947
|1955
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|Donald Gunn
|1955
|1959
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|A. J. Cervantes
|1959
|1963
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|Donald Gunn
|1963
|1968
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|James Noonan
|1968
|1969
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Joseph Badaracco
|1969
|1975
|-
|{{party shading/Republican}}|
|Republican
|Paul Simon
|1975
|1980
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|Eugene Bradley (interim)
|1980
|1980
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|[[Tom Zych|Thomas Zych]]
|1980
|1987
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|[[Tom Villa|Thomas A. Villa]]
|1987
|1995
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|[[Francis Slay|Francis G. Slay]]
|1995
|2001
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|James F. Shrewsbury
|2001
|2007
|
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|[[Lewis E. Reed]]
|2007
|2022
|
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|Joseph Vollmer (interim)
|2022
|2022
|
|-
|{{party shading/Democratic}}|
|Democratic
|[[Megan Green]]
|colspan=2|2022 (incumbent)
|
|}

==Party composition==
{| class="wikitable" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" width="400px"
|-
!colspan=4|Party composition
|-
! Year<ref>Lana Stein--"St. Louis Politics" page 174</ref> !! Democratic !! Republican !! Independent
|-
| 1945 || 8 || 20 || 0
|-
| 1947 || 8 || 20 || 0
|-
| 1949 || 13 || 15 || 0
|-
| 1951 || 17 || 11 || 0
|-
| 1953 || 21 || 7 || 0
|-
| 1955 || 24 || 4 || 0
|-
| 1957 || 24 || 4 || 0
|-
| 1959 || 24 || 4 || 0
|-
| 1961 || 24 || 4 || 0
|-
| 1963 || 24 || 4 || 0
|-
| 1965 || 26 || 2 || 0
|-
| 1967 || 22 || 6 || 0
|-
| 1969 || 24 || 4 || 0
|-
| 1971 || 24 || 4 || 0
|-
| 1973 || 25 || 3 || 0
|-
| 1975 || 26 || 2 || 0
|-
| 1977 || 27 || 1 || 0
|-
| 1979 || 26 || 2 || 0
|-
| 1981 || 26 || 2 || 0
|-
| 1983 || 27 || 1 || 0
|-
| 2009 || 27 || 1 || 0
|-
| 2011 || 27 || 0 || 1
|-
| 2013 || 27 || 0 || 1
|-
| 2015<ref>{{cite news | title=St. Louis Board of Aldermen will have all Democrats, two new faces | url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/st-louis-board-of-aldermen-will-have-all-democrats-two/article_b06a1469-0c74-556f-a3c2-9ed1d24e5137.html | date=April 9, 2015 | access-date=July 2, 2018 | newspaper=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] }}
</ref> || 28 || 0 || 0
|-
| 2017 || 28 || 0 || 0 
|-
| 2019 || 28 || 0 || 0
|-
| 2021 || 28 || 0 || 0
|-
| 2023 || 14 || 0 || 0
|}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/Wards-1-28.cfm Board of Aldermen] of the City of St. Louis

{{St. Louis}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Louis}}
[[Category:Government of St. Louis]]
[[Category:Missouri city councils]]