Stage set for three-way mayor’s race
Slay, left, faces challenges from Maida Coleman, center, and Irene J. Smith
Outgoing State Sen. Maida Coleman has issued a press release indicating her intention to file for mayor today, the last day candidates can put their name on the ballot for the March 3 primary.
Coleman, who has served in Jefferson City for over a dozen years in both the House and Senate, faces an uphill climb in her attempt to unseat Mayor Francis Slay, who has over $1 million in the bank as he seeks a third term.
Also in the race is former Alderman Irene J. Smith, who Slay defeated in 2005. This year, she poses more of a threat to taking votes away from Coleman than from chipping into Slay’s base.
In her release, Coleman provided a preview of the issues she intends to put before voters as she embarks on a campaign that, win or lose, will be barely three months long.
“Under the current administration, St. Louis has been named the most dangerous city in the US. St. Louis Public Schools have been taken over by the state, jobs are disappearing in droves and the city has become more polarized than ever,” Coleman said. “I believe St. Louis deserves a mayor who wants to represent the whole community and not simply a small portion.”
Coleman is expected to make her entrance into the race official shortly before filing closes at 5 p.m.
I’ll be voting for the first person who vows to get rid of the Earnings Tax. Plain and simple, that thing is an incentive killer to individuals and businesses alike. Why move to the city when you can just move outside the limits and still say you’re in St. Louis? Makes no sense. Want change? Change that…
Ms. Smith needs to get out of the race. Maida Coleman can win with her in, but not by much. To win, she’ll need the north side to come out en masse for her (guaranteed, they are sick of Slay), the east side (60/40 goes to Coleman), and parents, (who know her well, they will definitely support her overwhelmingly). I think Coleman has a much better shot than people realize.
I’m voting for Slay just to spite the way the press tried to crucify him over having the gaul to demote a black man who didn’t do his job.
Well then you’d be giving the press their wish then. They’ve protected Slay for far too long, and Im sick of it!
You’re insane.. Their treatment of him in that is proof enough of an agenda. All the guy did was demote someone who refused to do their job.. And you would have thought he started the KKK the reaction there was. Until people stop playing race politics nothing will change in this city.
Wow. Just wow. The press going after Slay? I wish! Where was the press when he was covering up the city parking scandal for his pal, Mokwa? Oh yeah, they covered it, covered how he really “had no control”. Where was the press when he was blowing lead removal money out his a**? Only a couple of stories were the result of the local Green party raising State-level hell. Where was the press when he did a 180 degree flip-flop the day after his precious school board lost to parents? Right out there on the front lines vilifying the parents! This doesn’t even cover the nepotism at Lambert, the tax scams, developer favoritism (I don’t hear a lot of pressure from the mayors office to fix Lake DeWitt), the Kiel lies, and the redistricting scam (the only story worth a damn was done by the RFT). The press out to get Slay? Ridiculous!
You do know that Lambert isn’t even in the city right? People blaming him for all this stuff is just stupid political games. Oh it’s his fault that the crackheads in the city don’t know how to raise their kids so no education happens in the city. It’s his fault that a statistically meaningless survey came out with St. Louis as the most dangerous city even though he personally tried to stop that publication b/c of how inept their reporting was. Is there anything else you wanna blame him for? It’s kinda cold out.. Is that his fault too? Or is that Bush’s? You pansy liberals will stop at nothing til you get the lunatics in office you want.
Huh,
Actually, while not IN the city, the city does own the airport. Check your information before posting.
“”"Wow. You must be REALLY out of the loop. The schools were three points away from full accreditation before the Slaymobile hit it.”"”"
When your drowning and your just 3″s from the surface it just doesn’t count does it? Now who are the others running? Will they pull into mid ring in a mini cooper.
Most districts in this state operate at less than full accreditation, Nick. Your analogy is senseless. That’s like telling a kid with a 3.7 GPA that he’s a complete failure. And no, I’m not saying SLPS was perfect, but it also wasn’t a complete failure, unlike what the Post and Slay would have you believe.