Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis

The Board of Aldermen, is the legislative body of the independent City of St. Louis, Missouri. The Board of Aldermen is charged with passing legislation, known as board bills, which after passage of the Board are sent to the Mayor to be signed into law. The Board serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government model. The Board monitors performance of city agencies and makes land use decisions as well as legislating on a variety of other issues. The Board also has sole responsibility for approving the city budget. The presiding officer of the Board is the President, who is elected separately city wide. The President of the Board is the second highest ranking official in the City directly behind the Mayor. The Board is made up of 28 aldermen representing the city's 28 wards. The Board meets in the north wing of City Hall (St. Louis, Missouri) in the Aldermanic Chambers.

Composition

The Board of Aldermen consists of one representative from each of the city's 28 wards; the body's President is elected separately by a citywide ballot. Like the mayor, Aldermen representing odd-numbered wards are elected in odd numbered years following the United States Presidential Election, while the President of the Board and the aldermen from even-numbered wards are elected in the off-years, terms are four years.^[1] Proposition R, a charter amendment to reduce the number of city of St. Louis aldermen from 28 to 14 effective January 1, 2022, was passed by city voters on November 6, 2012 with 61 percent voting in favor; 60 percent was needed for passage.^[2]

Powers

By custom and tradition, a alderman 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, Aldermen are legislators. Aldermen introduce laws and legislation known as board bills that can become city ordinances which can impact the quality of lives of city residents.

Committees

The Board of Aldermen uses committees for a variety if purposes, including the review of board bills or proposed laws, and the oversight of the city's executive and administrative branch The appointment of committee members is formally made by the President, while committee chairmanship is determined by seniority. Committee Chairman preside over committee meetings and hearings. The Board has the following standing committees:

• Committee on Ways & Means
• Committee on Public Safety
• Committee on Housing, Urban Development, & Zoning (HUDZ)
• Committee on Streets & Traffic
• Committee on Transportation & Commerce
• Committee on Neighborhood Development
• Committee on Public Utilities
• Committee on Public Employees
• Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs
• Committee on Parks & Environment
• Committee on Health & Humans Services

Qualifications

To become an Alderman 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, and 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 a least five years.^[3][4] However, Contrary to what the qualifications say, the City's website also specifies one must be 18 Years old to file and run for any political office in St. Louis.

Current members

Ward or position	Member	Map	Neighborhoods
President	Lewis E. Reed
Ward 1	Sharon Tyus		Wells/Goodfellow, Kingsway West, Kingsway East, Penrose, Mark Twain, Walnut Park East
Ward 2	Lisa Middlebrook		Near North Riverfront, College Hill, O'Fallon, North Point, Baden, Riverview, North Riverfront
Ward 3	Brandon Bosley		JeffVanderLou, St. Louis Place, Hyde Park, College Hill, Fairground Neighborhood, O'Fallon
Ward 4	Samuel L. Moore		Lewis Place, Kingsway East, Greater Ville, The Ville, Vandeventer
Ward 5	Tammika Hubbard		Downtown West, JeffVanderLou, St. Louis Place, Carr Square, Columbus Square, Old North St. Louis, Near North Riverfront, Hyde Park
Ward 6	Christine Ingrassia		Fox Park, Tower Grove East, Compton Heights, The Gate District, Lafayette Square, Peabody/Darst/Webbe, Downtown West, Midtown, JeffVanderLou
Ward 7	Jack Coatar		Kosciusko, Soulard, Benton Park, McKinley Heights, Fox Park, Compton Heights, Lafayette Square, Peabody/Darst/Webbe, LaSalle Park, Downtown, Downtown West, Near North Riverfront
Ward 8	Annie Rice		Southwest Garden, Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, Shaw
Ward 9	Dan Guenther		Dutchtown, Mount Pleasant, Marine Villa, Gravois Park, Kosciusko, Soulard, Benton Park, Tower Grove East, Benton Park West
Ward 10	Joseph Vollmer		The Hill, Southwest Garden, North Hampton, Tower Grove South, Kings Oak
Ward 11	Sarah Martin		Carondelet, Patch, Holly Hills, Boulevard Heights, Mount Pleasant
Ward 12	Larry Arnowitz		Boulevard Heights, Princeton Heights, St. Louis Hills
Ward 13	Beth Murphy		Carondelet, Holly Hills, Boulevard Heights, Bevo Mill, Princeton Heights, Southampton, Dutchtown
Ward 14	Carol Howard		Bevo Mill, Princeton Heights, Southampton, Tower Grove South
Ward 15	Megan Green		Tower Grove South, Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Tower Grove East, Benton Park West
Ward 16	Tom Oldenburg		Princeton Heights, Southampton, St. Louis Hills, Lindenwood Park
Ward 17	Joseph D. Roddy		Shaw, Botanical Heights, Tiffany, Midtown, Central West End, Forest Park Southeast, Kings Oak, Cheltenham
Ward 18	Terry Kennedy		Central West End, Academy, Kingsway West, Fountain Park, Lewis Place, Kingsway East, Vandeventer
Ward 19	Marlene Davis		Shaw, Tiffany, The Gate District, Midtown, Vandeventer, JeffVanderLou, Covenant Blu/Grand Center
Ward 20	Cara Spencer		Dutchtown, Marine Villa, Gravois Park, Benton Park West
Ward 21	John Collins-Muhammad		Kingsway East, Greater Ville, O'Fallon, Penrose, College Hill
Ward 22	Jeffrey L. Boyd		West End, Wells/Goodfellow, Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial, Hamilton Heights
Ward 23	Joe Vaccaro		Lindenwood Park, Ellendale, Clifton Heights, North Hampton
Ward 24	Scott Ogilvie		Lindenwood Park, Ellendale, Clifton Heights, The Hill, Southwest Garden, North Hampton, Cheltenham, Clayton/Tamm, Franz Park, Hi-Pointe
Ward 25	Shane Cohn		Carondelet, Dutchtown, Mount Pleasant
Ward 26	Frank Williamson		Skinker/DeBaliviere, DeBaliviere Place, West End, Visitation Park, Wells/Goodfellow, Academy, Kingsway West, Hamilton Heights
Ward 27	Pamela Boyd		Walnut Park East, North Point, Baden, Walnut Park West
Ward 28	Heather Navarro		Central West End, Hi-Pointe, Wydown/Skinker, Skinker/DeBaliviere, DeBaliviere Place, West End

List of Presidents

The President presides at all the meeting, preserves decorum and determines all questions of order. He or she also 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.

Party Composition

References

External links

• Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis