St. Louis mayor’s race is free-for-all
Maida Coleman (AP Photo/Kelley McCall)
There’s certainly reason to be skeptical:
On Jan. 2, the last day to file for the Democratic primary for mayor of St. Louis, two would-be rivals to two-term incumbent Mayor Francis Slay appeared at the St. Louis Board of Elections shortly before the deadline.
Both were named Coleman.
Maida Coleman was expected. The outgoing state senator’s candidacy had been discussed publicly for months and her filing was considered a near certainty among political handicappers.
Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman, a low-profile lawyer who has served in a variety of public positions over many years, was not expected.
The last-minute filing of Ms. Watson-Wesley Coleman has produced predictable responses. Supporters of Maida Coleman — who declined to file as a Democrat and now says she intends to run against Mr. Slay as an independent in the general election — have cried foul. Some imply that the mayor or his campaign supporters cultivated a second Coleman candidate to confuse voters and siphon possible votes away from Ms. Coleman, the state senator. Slay supporters have denied any involvement.
Let us acknowledge that St. Louis has a rich tradition of political “stalking horses”: Unknown candidates are found and entered in political contests for the sole purpose of taking away votes from a more established candidate by confusing voters with a similar name or by fracturing racial voting blocks.
Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman
Claims that Ms. Watson-Wesley Coleman is a stalking horse are just that: claims with no proof and little evidence beyond the similarity of last names. Political common sense says it would be foolish and counterproductive for forces aligned with Mr. Slay to concoct a false candidacy for her — not that history isn’t strewn with examples of smart politicians who have done foolish and counterproductive things.
But political realists are quick to point out that, even without a second Ms. Coleman, the expected primary field looked very favorable to the incumbent mayor: Former St. Louis Alderman Irene Smith, who also filed for the mayoral primary, and Maida Coleman are both black women with clear records of opposition to the mayor’s stewardship of the city. It was reasonable to believe that they would have competed for a similar block of anti-Slay votes, and it’s difficult to see how adding a second Coleman would have improved things materially for Mr. Slay.
Given the often bizarre twists and turns of St. Louis politics, here is a strange possibility worth considering: What if Ms. Watson-Wesley Coleman decided to run for mayor because she decided she wants to be mayor?
In a telephone interview yesterday, Ms. Watson-Wesley Coleman told the Post-Dispatch editorial page that she has considered running for political office in the past but never felt sufficiently inspired to do so.
Working for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign last fall provided that inspiration, she said, but her resolve started wavering around Thanksgiving.
What finally convinced her to file for office was a deeply moving prayer service on New Year’s Day at the Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church on the city’s North Side, she said. The service was in the tradition of the “Watch Night” or “Freedom’s Eve” ritual that has been observed in black churches since Dec. 31, 1862, when black people and white abolitionists prayed that President Abraham Lincoln would carry out his promise to sign the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. This year’s observance took on special resonance in the wake of the election of Barack Obama to the U.S. presidency.
Ms. Watson-Wesley Coleman said that claims that she entered the race in a secret attempt to help or hurt any other candidate are “100 percent, absolutely not true.”
Her explanation will not satisfy everyone, but there is no denying that anyone who meets the legal qualifications for mayor has a right to run for the office. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, Ms. Watson-Wesley Coleman deserves to be taken at her word.
Any person who is incapable of distinguishing “Maida Coleman” from “Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman” ought to skip voting, stay home and watch television. And if an experienced politician like Maida Coleman can’t figure out a way to prevent the confusion, let me help: Take a cue from Hillary, campaign using your first name. Problem solved.
Title should read “St. Louis mayor’s race is a dud-for-all”
This cowtown won’t change anytime soon until some new party blood gets in and makes some sweeping changes. Start with eliminating the Earnings Tax. I hope a viable Republican can make a run for it. Chances are slim however because the same dunderhead voters keep voting Dems into office and then wonder why things don’t improve. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different result is the definition of insanity. St. Louis, you are insane.
You are absolutely spot on AJ. You can’t continue to elect the same Democrats and expect a different result.
as I’ve said elsewhere, enthusiastically if not necessarily articulately:
With all respect to the wanna-be Mensa members in the editorial department (not judging, just saying), who seem very smart except where Slay matters are concerned when their blindspots dwarf all light like an eclipse (probably has nothing to do with their having pretty much endorsed Slay and everything he does), let me reply to some silly things they say in this editorial (not enough space to reply to all silly things):
1. “Political common sense says it would be foolish and counterproductive for forces aligned with Mr. Slay to concoct a false candidacy for her — not that history isn’t strewn with examples of smart politicians who have done foolish and counterproductive things.” well, they answered themselve on this one, didnt they? Slay probably wasnt worried, so whoever may have talked to the other candidate Coleman we can probably assume wasnt Slay or any smart near him; tho hardly foolish and why counterproductive if they just wanted to insure that Maida didnt get traction? Irene’s not going anywhere, that’s for sure, people know that, and anti-Slay voters by and large would have known to vote for Maida. So their “foolish and counter-productive” statement is unsupported and wrong if not plain dumb on it’s face.
2. Next: It was reasonable to believe that they would have competed for a similar block of anti-Slay votes, and it’s difficult to see how adding a second Coleman would have improved things materially for Mr. Slay.” Oh please! Permission to throw up, your honor. For reasons pretty much stated above by me, this statement just plain drivel and detritus on its face. In a nutshell, of course it might help if it’s just insurance that anti-Slay vote gets split three ways not two, and by two Colemans to boot! have they heard of insurance?!That having been said, I’d like to think Slay, Rainford and all too smart to risk their careers on something this dumb and probably not necessary; but can we say the same about others close to Slay or supporters of him? I cant, can you?
3. And finally, as for the new Ms. Coleman, deserving the benefit of the doubt, if she really thinks she has a contribution to make to politics as an alternative to Slay, entering a primary where there are already two qualified African Americans, one with the same last name, is so selfish and stupid as to disqualify her from public service of any kind. But since I’m sure she’s not stupid (dont know about the selfish, or other character aspects), I can only conclude that people talked to her about getting in for the obvious reasons. Any other explanation defies credulity. And as for her explanation of what caused her to get in, as Shakespeare said in Macbeth, I believe, “a tale told by an idiot [not judging, just saying] full of sound and fury signifying nothing.
There is another potential long-term beneficiary of the Coleman filing, and the candidate has ties to that beneficiary: License Collector Mike Millan.
Details in my blog (click my name).
First, the mere fact that this is such a big story proves that it is generally assumed that STL voters will stupidly vote for the wrong person. Otherwise it wouldn’t make a darned bit of difference if another Coleman signed up. Second, if anyone actually believes this is not a total setup, you are a fool, and I quote above
“Given the often bizarre twists and turns of St. Louis politics, here is a strange possibility worth considering: What if Ms. Watson-Wesley Coleman decided to run for mayor because she decided she wants to be mayor?”
HOW CAN YOU WRITE THAT AND BE SERIOUS?
Oh well it wouldn’t be the first or last foolish thing we read from this Board. By the way, I couldn’t find the article about Lee being delisted from the Exchange. Oh yeah, it was in the St. Louis Business Journal. If the Post is not shut down, you better hope the new owner keeps you all on.
Who wasn’t inspired by Obama? Really!