ST. LOUIS • U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay has endorsed Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed to be the city's next mayor.
“Lewis Reed is the only candidate for mayor that will bring real economic development to our city,” Clay said in a statement. “He will increase job growth and decrease our crime rate. We need Reed as our next mayor.”
Reed, the city's former 6th Ward alderman, ran for mayor in 2013 losing in the Democratic primary to incumbent Mayor Francis Slay.
Slay's surprise announcement last year that he would not seek a fifth term has led to a wide-open campaign season in which seven Democratic candidates filed to run in the March 7 primary. The winner of that race is largely expected to coast to victory in the April 4 general election.
Clay's endorsement is, so far, the most-high profile backing for Reed, a candidate who is banking on high name recognition from his 2013 mayoral run to play a role in the election.
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“I am honored to have the support of Congressman Lacy Clay,” Reed said. “To reduce crime and bring jobs to St. Louis, we need partners on the state and federal level. Congressman Clay and I are together committed to making St. Louis a place where people want to live, work and raise a family.”
