Mother Nature Doesn’t Play Favorites
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While voter discontent with city services had been festering for some years, this past winter’s snow and ice unleashed a veritable primal scream of anger from city voters. The lingering ice and dangerous roads seemed to be a tactile example of the dysfunction then-candidate Cara Spencer had made the focus of her campaign. Soon, then-Ald. Spencer would win successive landslide victories over former mayor Tishaura Jones. Just a few months later, a devastating tornado ripped through the city, leaving a scar of destruction going north from Forest Park to the river. With these two events, Mayor Spencer’s early term has been defined by Mother Nature.
Across social media, city residents noted how few city workers appeared to be assisting in the weekend cleanup. While the official response may have been lacking, volunteers from across the region came to assist in clean up. Neighborhoods like Fountain Park saw volunteers from nonprofits, local political organizations, and more show up to lend a hand in clearing debris and opening roads that were blocked by downed trees. Displaced residents returned to their homes to survey the damage and salvage what could be saved. This is not to say that the city was absent, but the city’s understaffing problems have left many residents feeling abandoned. For her part, Mayor Spencer accompanied former north St. Louis resident Governor Mike Kehoe on a tour of the destruction.
Earlier today, I was joined by Gov. Kehoe as we continued to assess the terrible damage in our community.
— Mayor Cara Spencer (@saintlouismayor) May 17, 2025
Five lives have been lost. 5,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged. About 70,000 Ameren customers are without power. pic.twitter.com/z6byG3ro4N
North of Delmar, the destruction is stunning. Decades of deferred maintenance, driven by the racist capital blockade that is our nation’s real estate financing system and the city’s “urban triage” planning practices, left these buildings especially vulnerable to the reportedly 150 mph winds. The number of St. Louisans who lost their home in the tornado’s path is likely in the thousands. Some have gone to live with family. Some have gone to seek a bed in an already inadequate emergency housing system. Others are staying in their badly damaged homes, hoping to protect their property. This is truly a disaster that makes the winter’s snow and ice seem like a minor annoyance.
Many impacted neighborhoods had already been facing an increasingly rapid loss of population. Families with children leaving the city’s northside have given St. Louis the dubious distinction of being the nation’s fastest shrinking city. While new construction in the city’s central corridor and near southside has continued to attract upper-middle-class professionals, majority-Black neighborhoods have been emptying at a rate that has overwhelmed any new development-related population boost that city leaders may have projected. If Mayor Spencer is to keep her promises to northside voters, her administration should quickly outline how the city’s sizeable reserves will be used to begin repairing these neighborhoods. Will she break the cycle of neglect and make a sincere effort to help the city’s most devastated neighborhoods? Will she balk and hold monies back to support developers in the central corridor? If she does invest in north St. Louis, will the money go to support impacted northside residents, not real estate investors who will likely see this tragedy as an investment opportunity? Is she the person her opponent made her out to be, or is she the bridge-builder that was promised on the campaign trail? The answers to these questions will define her first year as mayor.
In the immediate aftermath, city operations remain under the auspices of interim Chief Operating Officer Robert Herleth. Mr. Herleth is a former executive with A.G. Edwards and then the Missouri Botanical Garden. His deputy is Julian Nicks, a former Launchcode executive. Neither of them appear to have much experience in disaster relief. They will only oversee the initial response, as just a day before the tornado ripped through our city, Mayor Spencer announced Colonel Ben Jonsson as the city’s new COO. The city’s press release notes that he has led major operations for the Air Force, both domestically and overseas. He will assume the position on July 7th and arrives with his work cut out for him. We will quickly discover if he can adapt his military experience to leading the city’s under-resourced and understaffed departments.
Having run on a platform of technocratic competency, promises to improve city response to weather events, and commitments to not forget the city’s northern neighborhoods, Mayor Spencer faces a massive test. The decisions made by the mayor and her team will likely set the tone for the rest of her first year. In turn, this first year will likely set the tone for her term.
Note from the editor: We are seeking stories from directly impacted St. Louisans. As the long recovery continues, we invite readers to share their insights from the process. Story submissions can be sent to editorial@moundcitymessenger.com.
