Mayor Cara Spencer Inaugural Address

Good afternoon, St Louis, and welcome to our city’s next chapter.

It is the honor of my professional life to serve as your Mayor.

I am incredibly humbled to take on this role and to fight for this city every day. 

 Yesterday - I enjoyed my last day as a City Alderman. And Earlier today the odd-numbered aldermen were sworn into office.

I am eager to continue to collaborate with the Board to address our city’s biggest challenges together. 

Congratulations to the Board of Aldermen.

I also want to congratulate Comptroller Donna Baringer with whom I served on the Board when I was first elected and with whom I look forward to serving again in this new capacity.

I also want to thank Mayor Jones for her service and dedication to this city. We share many priorities for the city we both love - and welcome her advice and counsel as we move forward.

I want to thank the many friends, family members, and volunteers

who helped me knock on doors, talk to citizens in a variety of ways, and, through thousands of conversations, create a shared understanding of how we move forward together.

I also want to thank my parents - for sharing the load - literally - helping with almost everything. And, of course, I want to thank my son, Cy.

Cy, when I think about your future. I ask- What can I do to make you proud – I’m going to work hard to build a future for St. Louis where every child who grows up here - from the south side to the north side - will want to stay here to raise their own families.

 I ran for mayor because I know that when we work together,

We work best!

All of us are here today because we love St. Louis. Whether we’re from here or if we’re one of a growing number of St. Louisans

Who are new arrivals putting down roots.

We’re generous and hardworking. Resilient and humble. And as tough as the carbon steel of the arch. With the determination and grit this city was built upon, we can and will do better.

A week before the election, I took the day off and rode my bike up to the Baden and Walnut Park neighborhoods to see the magnificent magnolia trees blooming in the Bellefontaine and Calvary cemeteries.

I thought about what I wanted for the future of our city. I thought about what it means to be in St. Louis. What are the core values that make us who we are, and what values should we ground our work in as we move forward.

I thought of my grandparents, who are buried in Calvary working class folks buried alongside some of the most incredible human beings. The human race has produced.

The people who shaped our city and who still rest here. Those like Dred Scott. Scott and his wife Harriet were enslaved African Americans who sued for their family’s freedom. While the Supreme Court denied them, their fight was a powerful inspiration.

It fueled the abolition movement. A movement that eventually overturned that decision with the 13th and 14th Amendments;

Ray and Charles Eames - groundbreaking designers who worked together as a creative powerhouse. While the Eames chair has quite literally become the ubiquitous symbol of style, the Eames’ made countless significant contributions to the fields of architecture, graphic design and furniture. Together, they helped shape the way the modern world looks, feels and functions.

And James Buchanan Eads - an immigrant who landed in St Louis penniless and whose indomitable determination to bring railroads to our city, despite and in the face of the entrenched tugboat lobby - resulted -finally -in the building of the iconic Eads Bridge.

The world’s first major steel construction was an effort that pulled St. Louis into what was then the modern era.

A brighter future will require leaning into these core values -

Bravery & Determination; Visionary thinking and Tenacity; and, of course, creativity and a great design aesthetic.

But we also have to be honest about when we’ve failed to live up to our potential and our expectations. Our city also has a long history of redlining racial covenants and a deep racial divide.

I promise you that I’m going to roll up my sleeves and work hard every day to change our trajectory. We must embark on our work with a new era of collaboration. We can no longer afford to operate in silos; we have to bring creativity, innovation and collaboration to our work. All of our work.

We have to collectively address the long-term impact of decisions like what do we do with the Rams funding - a once in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And how do we effectively reform our archaic city charter? These decisions can’t and shouldn’t be done piecemeal - they shouldn’t be done in a silo. They should be done collaboratively, visionarily and in conjunction with a broader vision for our collective success.

The Mayor’s office is open to a strong partnership to start this work right away - we have to do this together if we hope to be successful.

The Mayor’s Office is going to start our work with Four priorities -

1. Openness and accountability.

I am grateful for your vote of confidence at the ballot box. I know that trust is a fleeting commodity if I don’t work every day to continue to earn that trust.

So, starting right now, The Mayor’s Office has an “Open Door Policy.”

This means that residents, elected officials, community leaders, can visit, speak with our team and explore ways they can join us in serving this city better. Government functions best when it listens to the people it serves, engages them in the work, and keeps them front and center in every decision.

2. Service Delivery.

City government has to deliver the basic services residents expect and deserve. When the city fails to meet the needs of the people who live, work and play here, we fall short of our expectations and aspirations.

Our city employees want to be part of making St. Louis better they deserve the opportunity to share their knowledge and input.

No one knows the inner workings of this government better than the people who work here. I’m thinking of whistleblowers across City departments from Refuse to Building Division to the Justice Center

Thank you for your bravery in speaking out; we will ensure your voices are heard and your concerns are addressed.

We’re also going to harness the power of data to make decisions - and get better results. As a mathematician by training, I’m excited to dig into the numbers – the good, the bad, and the ugly to drive more effective solutions.

We will use data to better understand citizens’ satisfaction and to identify real and immediate opportunities to serve you better. 

3. Public Safety

Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community. And public safety is not only a human right, it’s an economic imperative. That’s why we’re going to work to ensure you feel safe no matter how or where you live. From Holly Hills or Hyde Park. No matter how you move around the city. In a bus, On a bicycle, in a car, or walking.

To the almost two dozen pedestrians who lost their lives to vehicular violence last year - we will make our streets safer.

We know this work will be more challenging as the police department shifts from city control to a state-appointed board - and we stand ready to face these challenges - to work with not only our police department but our other first responders, including our firefighters, social workers, and violence interrupters to improve safety in all aspects of city life. And to ensure that being held in our custody isn’t a life sentence.

4. Inclusive economy

We all know that it’s going to take more than picking up trash and plowing snow to build a St. Louis that works for everyone. To reverse population decline and disinvestment, we need bold strategies that align with our vision. We need to build trust by investing in communities with transparency and accountability.

We must grow business opportunities for North St Louis. We cannot settle for a city where the zip code of your home or your business is a predictor of your families’ economic reality. We also have to think differently about the tools small business owners need to realize their entrepreneurial dreams. We must support growth and prosperity in our minority business community. And reimagine workforce development in order for this city to meet the needs of the future.  

There’s one other thing that comes up when I think of my son’s future.

And that is we want St. Louis to be a place where we come together and look out for each other. You have my commitment that I will be a mayor for all St. Louisans. Boundaries that divide us are barriers to the future that we all want for a better St. Louis. I know the St. Louis we want is possible with our shared vision.

So, join me in feeling good about St. Louis. Believing in St. Louis.

Cheering for St. Louis. No matter the challenges. I know our best days are ahead.

I’m excited to be here with all of you today. I’m excited to be your mayor. And I'm excited to get to work.

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