Lewis Reed – Can He Be Mayor Of St. Louis?

After spending over two decades serving the people of St. Louis in elected office, civic and charitable involvement Lewis has decided to  run for Mayor — but can he win?

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photography by McArthur Photography

ABOUT LEWIS REED

Lewis Reed has spent over two decades serving the people of St. Louis in elected office, civic and charitable involvement.  He is currently the President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and serves as the head of the legislative branch of city government.  Reed is the first African-American ever to be elected to this position.

In his time in office, Lewis has championed many causes including founding Bike St. Louis and the rebirth of Washington Avenue.  He is responsible for passing legislation addressing crime prevention, creating opportunities for at-risk youth, environmental sustainability, as well as neighborhood and economic development.

Prior to becoming President, Reed served as Alderman for the 6th Ward for eight years. During his time as Alderman, he drafted and passed the first neighborhood-based TIF in city history, created over 100 miles of interconnected bike routes throughout the city and the region, added hundreds of new housing units throughout his ward and hundreds of millions of dollars in new development, sponsored legislation and worked to create development plans resulting in over $1.7 billion of development.

In 2007, President Reed was selected by the Aspen Institute in a national search for the very best, brightest, and most A members of America’s emerging political leaders and named as an Aspen-Rodel Fellow.

Before entering public service, Reed had a successful career in the private sector.  He was the Director of Networks and Telecommunications for the Edison Brothers Stores’ worldwide operations. He also was the Manager of Data Networks for SSM Health Businesses, where he managed multi-million dollar budgets and developed technology solutions to meet business goals.

As a young man, Lewis attended Southern Illinois University on a wrestling scholarship where he majored in Mathematics and Computer Science.

He has received many awards including: St. Louis Magazine, Cool 13; Gateway Classic, Citizen of the Year 2008; St. Louis Argus, 2007 Distinguished Citizen; St. Louis Port Council, Able Helmsman Award; 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Conference, Man of the Year; Cardinal Glennon Hospital, Champion for Children; and the St. Louis Business Journal, 2009 Inclusive Leadership.

 

President Reed lives in the Compton Heights neighborhood with his wife of 18 years and his two boys. He also has two adult daughters in college.

 

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WHY I AM RUNNING

 

After discussions with many friends and supporters, my family and my pastor, I have decided to run for Mayor. I want to take the experience and skills developed during my 13 years at the Board of Aldermen and continue to make a contribution to St. Louis.

In St. Louis, everyone in our city has something to offer and every neighborhood matters. Over the last few years, with the help of many people, we were able to bring after-school programs to help enhance recreation and learning opportunities for youth.  We fought together to make sure there were more police officers and firefighters on the street.  We passed legislative reforms to limit bureaucratic waste at city hall and close the funding gap during the recent economic crisis.

We were able to accomplish these things, not because we agreed on all the issues, but because we worked hard and brought out the best in St. Louis.

Today, St. Louis suffers from serious problems. Crime and safety are an increasing concern in our neighborhoods. Parents no longer believe our public school system can meet their children’s needs. The problems of unemployment and lack of viable jobs for our local economy is now more than ever at a critical level.

This race is not about me; it’s about the citizens of this great city and their future.  I want each and every person who lives here to have pride in St. Louis.  I want our citizens to travel to other parts of the country and the world and say with enthusiasm, “I’m from St. Louis!”

I can’t do this without you. My opponent has granted a lot of favors to folks with big pockets resulting in an obscene amount of campaign cash.  Our campaign will run on energy and determination of people — people like you who will not accept anything less than the best from our city.

 

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