New St. Louis Mayor Faced Unexpected Challenges on Taking Office

Some bad timing has made Cara Spencer’s job a lot harder. A few days before she won election as St. Louis mayor in April, Missouri lawmakers voted to take control of the city’s police force through an oversight board.

“There’s a lot of time and energy being spent on setting up something that didn't have to exist, that I wish didn't exist,” says Spencer, a Democrat. “Who has to pay for lawsuits as they relate to the policies and procedures and actions of the police department? The state has a very paltry financial stake in that.”

Much more harmful was a tornado that tore through much of the city a month after Spencer was sworn in. The tornado, which stayed on the ground for 20 miles, damaged 5,000 structures, causing more than $1.5 billion in damage.

In that instance, Spencer credits the state with offering immediate and substantial assistance, along with other institutions. “Our governor and our state delegation truly understand the depth of the damage here and the need to be supportive, and they have been with us every step of the way,” she says.

The resilience of residents, Spencer adds, has made her optimistic about the city. “In the midst of the devastation, and despite the monumental challenges that lie ahead, I have never been more inspired by and committed to the city of St. Louis than I am today,” she told reporters during a news conference marking her first 100 days in office. 

Governing sat down with Spencer in her capacious City Hall office to talk about the challenges that lie ahead. Here are edited excerpts from that interview:

Governing: You were still unpacking after a short transition and then this huge disaster hits the city. What was that like for you, in terms of having to jump in with both feet and face such a huge challenge?

Spencer: So we win, of course, and six days later, we were here in the mayor's office. My plan at the time was to get through the first 30 days, show the community we were able to get some things done, and then take a small break, before sprinting toward our 100-day mark and then shifting into long-term planning. Of course, on day 31 we were hit with a tornado.

There was really no thinking. It was all just action. You know, I remember those first few hours and days almost like a blur. But the mayor's office, many of whom were new staff persons, just really sprung into action and didn't look back, trying to figure out how to address the needs of tens of thousands of people, without the help of the federal government, at a time when we needed it the most.

You mention the lack of federal help. President Donald Trump has made it clear he wants states and localities to play the lead role in responding to disasters, with less federal assistance. How does that look on the ground?

It’s a really critical question. Where do we go from here as a nation? Are we a nation that has a strong federal system that supports what we do? A question we should all be asking ourselves, is FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] an organization that's just going to be funding locally organized emergency response? In that case, we need to have a clear understanding of what the roles and responsibilities of local governments are. If so, what guidance should we as a nation be providing them to be able to equip themselves and to be able to do that work.

I think this is the question of the day, because these national disasters and these extreme weather events are becoming way more frequent. The volume of major disaster declarations has more than tripled in just a couple of decades, and that's only going to increase. If we're leaving cities and states to their own devices, that's a sobering reality.

In responding to the damage, you’ve gotten assistance for individuals from FEMA and $100 million so far from the state. The city has stitched together ARPA money [from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act] and Rams money [from a settlement with the NFL Rams when they broke their stadium contract and left for Los Angeles]. But the city’s budget is flat. What are your plans for paying for storm damage over the long haul?

We're going to be wrestling with this for years, if not decades, to come, just as many of our residents will be. Getting the declaration for the individual assistance from FEMA was super instrumental in getting some of this going immediately. They have been able to provide over $30 million of direct, immediate assistance to individuals, which has been very helpful to kind of stabilize at least some folks' lives. About 7,000 households at this point have been approved for FEMA individual assistance, and we are very hopeful that we’ll get approved for the public side of things. We're looking for assistance on debris removal and the demolition that's going to be required to make our community safe again.

As mayor, you don’t control the schools, but the district is considering a proposal to close half the schools. The city’s population is below 300,000 for the first time since the 19th century. New home permits in St. Louis County dropped by a third last year and the metropolitan area as a whole is near the bottom on new homes nationwide. How do you turn things around and get the city growing again?

Population growth is a key metric. We talked a lot about it during the campaign. We are losing population faster than almost any city in the United States. The population loss has been precipitous and historic, and unfortunately, the tornado hit the area where we were seeing the largest population loss over the last few years, and so it's almost a double whammy there.

And you're right, the schools are losing population. It's heartbreaking to think about closing schools. On the other hand, so many of our schools are at or below capacity, and the cost associated with running half-empty buildings means that you're taking your limited education dollars and putting them into HVAC systems, rather than into that quality education that our kids so badly need.

I am the parent of a St. Louis public school kid. I believe in our St. Louis public school system, and I view the role of the mayor's office and city government to be one that is supportive of our schools. I’ve talked a lot about having a more constructive role in our St. Louis public schools, and I intend to have that. As we move into the discussions about closing schools, I think that's going to be critically important. But I also think it's important that we are honest with the community.


A mayor’s job is dealing with problems, but what makes you excited about the next few years in the job?

I haven't seen the community come together like I have over the last several months, even going beyond the tornado. The tornado was an enormous opportunity for so much of our community to come together, and they did. They showed up. Our business community donated everything from construction crews removing debris to just the massive amount of financial contributions that went into the tornado zone. Then the volunteer hours, just the community helping the community. That's going to continue, I think, as we move forward.

I see so much constructive conversation and working together with the city and county, like the Save Lives Now initiative under the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, which is coordinating an approach to violence between the city and county.

We have a similar approach to homelessness from a regional perspective. I'm extremely hopeful about the business community coming together on issues like the downtown entertainment district. These are impressive feats.

We have some really, really incredible things in the works, and I am feeling so much hope from the community and so much gratitude. We're all pulling together and it’s really, really hopeful. It's inspiring.