Cara Spencer Explained

Cara Spencer
Office1:Member of the
St. Louis Board of Aldermen
Term Start1:April 2015
Constituency1:20th ward (2015-23)
8th ward (since 2023)
Predecessor1:Craig Schmid
Party:Democratic
Education:Truman State University (BS)
Committees:Health and Human Services Committee, Chair

Cara Spencer is an American politician from the state of Missouri. She serves on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen as alderwoman of Ward 8, having previously represented Ward 20 from 2015-2023. Spencer ran in the 2021 St. Louis mayoral election, finishing as a top-two candidate in the primary election. She lost in the general election to Tishaura Jones.

Spencer is a candidate in the 2025 St. Louis mayoral election.

Early life and education

Spencer grew up in South St. Louis City and St. Louis County. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Truman State University.[1]

Prior to becoming an elected official, Spencer did mathematical modeling for the St. Louis-based company Tessellon.[2]

In 2011, she had a son named Cy Spencer.

Politics

Spencer has served on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and ran for mayor in 2021 St. Louis mayoral election. In her role as Alderwoman, Spencer represents Ward 8, which consists of Downtown St. Louis, Soulard, and Lafayette Square. Previously, between 2015 and 2023, she represented Ward 20, which is located in South St. Louis and includes the neighborhoods of Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Marine Villa, and Mount Pleasant.

Board of Aldermen

Spencer was first elected to the Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis in April 2015 after defeating incumbent Craig Schmid, who had held the seat for two decades, in the Democratic primary election. She then defeated independent candidate Stephen Jehle and Green Party candidate Vickie Ingram in the general election.[3] [4] [5] Spencer was re-elected in 2019.

During her first term in office she was the primary sponsor of legislation which: enacted stricter campaign finance laws,[6] [7] imposed stricter air pollution standards than state requirements on asbestos in demolitions,[8] [9] required absentee landlords to pay fines for building code violations,[10] imposed fines on payday lending operators,[11] and protected victims of drug overdose by enacting the 1st municipal good Samaritan law in the US, granting immunity to drug possession charges to anyone calling 911 for help during an overdose.[12] Spencer co-developed and helped implement the "mow-to-own" program allowing residents to obtain an adjacent city-owned lot by mowing it for one year.[13] Spencer helped stop the St. Louis Lambert International Airport from being privatized.[14] [15] [16]

In 2016, an ethics complaint was filed against Spencer by attorney Jane Dueker, alleging that Spencer failed to disclose a personal financial interest related to legislation she introduced regulating payday lending. The case was dismissed.[17] In August 2020, Spencer was the target of a petition to recall her from her position as Alderwoman. The petition was organized by Metropolitan Strategies and Solution, a consulting firm that supported privatization efforts.[18] [19]

Spencer serves as the chair of the aldermanic Health and Human Services Committee for the city of St. Louis.[20] [21]

2021 St. Louis mayoral election

See main article: 2021 St. Louis mayoral election. On January 13, 2020, Spencer announced her intention to run for mayor of St. Louis in 2021.[22] [23] The 2021 election was the city's first to use approval voting.[24] Spencer, along with Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed, were endorsed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board in a joint endorsement (since voters could now select more than one candidate in the primary election).[25] Spencer was also endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocates of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri and former St. Louis Mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl.[26] [27] [28]

Spencer, alongside St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones, advanced to the general election after the primary on March 2, 2021.[29] [30] [31] [32] Spencer was defeated by Jones in the general election held on April 6, 2021.[33]

2025 St. Louis mayoral election

On May 23, 2024, Spencer declared her second bid for mayor of St. Louis in 2025, challenging the incumbent Jones.[34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kevin S. Held . January 13, 2020 . Alderwoman Cara Spencer to challenge Mayor Lyda Krewson in 2021 primary . February 21, 2020 . Fox2Now.
  2. Web site: Cara Spencer Ward 20 Alderwoman . February 21, 2020 . January 13, 2020 . St. Louis Government Website .
  3. Web site: Danny Wicentowski. January 13, 2020. St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer First to Challenge Krewson for Mayor. February 21, 2020. River Front Times.
  4. Web site: Election Summary Report March 3, 2015 . February 21, 2020 . March 9, 2015 . St. Louis Government Website.
  5. Web site: Cara Spencer on Ballotpedia . Ballotpedia . February 21, 2020 .
  6. Web site: Kirn . Jacob . City aldermen eye campaign finance reforms amid Stenger probe . St. Louis Business Journal . February 18, 2021.
  7. Web site: Board Bill. December 10, 2020. stlouis-mo.gov. en.
  8. Web site: Ordinance Details. December 10, 2020. stlouis-mo.gov. en.
  9. Web site: Arrighi. Jeanine. August 27, 2019. Easy West Gateway Council of Governments Air Quality Advisory Committee.
  10. Web site: Fenske. Sarah. 'McKee Exemption' Scrapped by Board of Aldermen in Unanimous Vote. December 10, 2020. Riverfront Times. en.
  11. Web site: November 4, 2016. After months of delay, aldermen give initial approval to restrictions on payday lenders. December 10, 2020. St. Louis Public Radio. en.
  12. Web site: Murphy. Doyle. 'Good Samaritan' Law Bars St. Louis Cops from Arresting Drug Users Who Call 911 for Overdoses. December 10, 2020. Riverfront Times. en.
  13. Web site: Here's a New Plan for Overgrown St. Louis Lots: Mow to Own . River Front Times . February 21, 2020 . December 14, 2015 . Doyle Murphy .
  14. Web site: Mark Schlinkmann . December 21, 2019 . St. Louis airport privatization effort is dead, Krewson says . February 21, 2020 . St. Louis Today.
  15. Web site: Schlinkmann . Mark . St. Louis airport privatization saga continues at Board of Aldermen . August 10, 2020 . STLtoday.com . July 9, 2020 . en.
  16. Web site: Schlinkmann . Mark . Lambert privatization plan yanked from Nov. 3 St. Louis ballot . March 9, 2021 . STLtoday.com . September 3, 2020 . en.
  17. Web site: Ethics complaint against St. Louis alderman dismissed . St. Louis Today . February 21, 2020 . October 11, 2016 . Koran Addo .
  18. Web site: Schlinkmann. Mark. Petition drive launched to put recall of Alderman Cara Spencer on Nov. 3 ballot. August 10, 2020. STLtoday.com. August 7, 2020 . en.
  19. Web site: August 10, 2020. Supporters of Lambert Airport Privatization tries to recall their main critic on the Board of Aldermen. August 10, 2020. FOX 2. en-US.
  20. Web site: American. Rebecca Rivas Of The St Louis. City aldermen question whether city's contact tracing program can keep up now with stay-at-home orders lifted. March 9, 2021. St. Louis American. May 20, 2020 . en.
  21. Web site: Aldermanic Committee. March 9, 2021. stlouis-mo.gov. en.
  22. Web site: Nassim Benchaabane. January 13, 2020. Alderman Cara Spencer running for mayor of St. Louis. February 21, 2020. St. Louis Today.
  23. Web site: Jason Rosenbaum. Jo Mannies. January 13, 2020. Politically Speaking: Alderman Spencer on entering the fray at the Board of Aldermen. February 21, 2020. St. Louis Public Radio.
  24. Web site: In St. Louis, Voters Will Get To Vote For As Many Candidates As They Want . Nathaniel Rakich . March 8, 2021 . March 1, 2021 . Five Thirty Eight.
  25. Web site: The Editorial Board. Editorial: We recommend Lewis Reed and Cara Spencer in the St. Louis mayoral primary. February 18, 2021. STLtoday.com. February 17, 2021 . en.
  26. Web site: Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri. February 18, 2021. m.facebook.com.
  27. Web site: Bogan . Jesse . 'A whole bunch of history': Two progressives in St. Louis mayor's race get support from the past . . February 21, 2021.
  28. Web site: With primary around the corner, mayoral candidate endorsements pile up. March 8, 2021. February 28, 2021. Dana Rieck. St. Louis American.
  29. Web site: St. Louis City . . March 2, 2021.
  30. Web site: Tishaura Jones, Cara Spencer Moving Forward in St. Louis Mayor's Race. Doyle Murphy. March 8, 2021. March 2, 2021. River Front Times.
  31. Web site: Tishaura Jones, Cara Spencer advance to general election in St. Louis Mayor's race. March 8, 2021. March 3, 2021. KMOV4.
  32. Web site: St. Louis mayoral race poll shows Jones, Spencer in statistical tie. Colin Jeffery. March 8, 2021. March 8, 2021. KSDK.
  33. Web site: Millitzer . Joe . April 6, 2021 . Tishaura Jones to be next mayor of St. Louis . April 7, 2021 . KTVI.
  34. Web site: Lippmann . Rachel . Alderwoman Cara Spencer plans second run for St. Louis mayor . . May 24, 2024 . May 23, 2024.

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