Historic Changes to the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermen: Number of Wards Reduced in Half

On December 14, 2021, the City of St. Louis (the “City”) Board of Aldermen (the “Board”) passed Board Bill Number 101CSAA (the “Bill”), which establishes new ward boundaries for the City and reduces the Board in half from 28 wards to 14. The Bill was sponsored by 10th Ward Alderman Joseph Vollmer (“Alderman Vollmer”) and co-sponsored by Aldermanic President Lewis Reed (“President Reed”). The Bill received 28 votes for and 1 abstaining vote. The Bill was delivered to Mayor Tishaura Jones (the “Mayor”) after its passage. The Mayor intends on signing the Bill this week

For background, in 2012, City residents voted in favor of a charter amendment that would cut the Board to 14 seats from 28 and the wards redrawn accordingly. In addition, the city charter requires the Board, by the end of the year, to adopt new ward boundaries to reflect populations shifts reflected in the 2020 census. The Legislation committee of the Board led by Alderman Vollmer and President Reed began working on the redistribution of wards in late September. Also in late September, the Mayor stated that the committee should engage the general public in the process of drafting the new ward map by holding both virtual and in-person meetings to engage the public. The Board received numerous comments from the public throughout the drafting process according to Alderman Vollmer and President Reed.

In addition, the Board requested the City Counselor, Sheena Hamilton (“City Counselor”), to analyze the new map in order to determine whether the map would survive a challenge under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution related to the “one person, one vote” requirement or Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended. The City Counselor determined that the new map satisfies the “one person, one vote” requirement and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended. In the City Counselor’s opinion, the City Counselor said the 9.84% population variance in the committee’s plan from the smallest to largest ward is within the 10% threshold set by the US Supreme Court. The City Counselor also stated that the City has been able to produce strong evidence “that voters in a number of districts form effective voting blocks roughly proportional to the proportions of minority voters in the voting age population” and “provides equal opportunities for minority voters.” A copy of the City Counselor’s opinion can be found here.

The proposed map has 14 wards with roughly 21,500 residents in each. According to President Reed, the map has seven minority preference wards and seven white preference wards. Furthermore, President Reed stated that the map successfully keeps most neighborhoods intact (85% of the city’s neighborhoods are located in just one ward).

Of note, the first election for the newly drawn wards will be held in 2023 for all wards and the aldermanic president. The odd-numbered wards will start with two-year terms to stay in line with the election schedule (of odd and even numbered wards alternating elections). The even-numbered wards and the aldermanic president will run in the initial election for a full four-year term. In addition, residents in April are expected to consider a ballot initiative, known as Proposition R, which would take redistricting power away from the Board and place it into the hands of an independent commission. Reform St. Louis, the group petitioning for Proposition R, said if the proposition passes, it wants the proposed new city redistricting process to kick in after the 2030 U.S. census rather than immediately.

A copy of the new ward map is available here. Please see below for a summary of each new ward, which includes the ward number, number of residents, racial makeup, neighborhoods, significant landmarks and the current alderpersons representing the ward. 

Lewis Rice’s Government Solutions & Administrative Law attorneys work with a wide range of elected and appointed decision-makers as they navigate major policy issues. We regularly represent clients’ interests before executive departments, legislative committees, administrative agencies and local government bodies. If you have questions about the new ward redistricting or other concerns, please contact one of the authors -- David Sweeney or Michael Crawford.

Ward Summary

Ward 1

Number of Residents: 22,692

Racial Makeup:

  • 61.52% White
  • 19.81% African American
  • 0.57% American Indian
  • 5.2% Asian
  • 8.15% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Patch
  • Carondelet
  • Holly Hills
  • Boulevard Heights

Significant Landmarks:

  • River Des Peres
  • Carondelet Park

Current Alderpersons:

  • Sarah Wood Martin
  • Anne Schweitzer
  • Bill Stephens

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 2

Number of Residents: 22,653

Racial Makeup:

  • 76.33% White
  • 10.4% African American
  • 0.31% American Indian
  • 2.75% Asian
  • 6.3% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Boulevard Heights
  • Princeton Heights
  • Bevo Mill
  • St. Louis Hills

Significant Landmarks:

  • Francis Park
  • Christy Park
  • Wilmore Park

Current Alderpersons:

  • Tom Oldenburg
  • Carol Howard

Initial Term: 4 years

Ward 3

Number of Residents: 21,753

Racial Makeup:

  • 28.92% White
  • 50.12% African American
  • 0.46% American Indian
  • 4.75% Asian
  • 11.46% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Holly Hills
  • Carondelet
  • Dutchtown
  • Mount Pleasant

Significant Landmarks:

  • Mount Pleasant Park
  • Cleveland High School
  • Saint Mary’s School

Current Alderperson:

  • Shane Cohn

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 4

Number of Residents: 21,627

Racial Makeup:

  • 81.68% White
  • 6.16% African American
  • 0.16% American Indian
  • 3.6% Asian
  • 4.33% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Lindenwood Park
  • Ellendale
  • Cheltenham
  • Clayton-Tamm
  • Franz Park
  • Hi-Pointe
  • Clifton Heights

Significant Landmarks:

  • Lindenwood Park
  • Clifton Park
  • St. Louis Zoo Annex
  • Forest Park Community College

Current Alderpersons:

  • Bret Narayan
  • Joe Vaccaro

Initial Term: 4 years

Ward 5

Number of Residents: 22,521

Racial Makeup:

  • 77.68% White
  • 11.19% African American
  • 0.28% American Indian
  • 3.14% Asian
  • 4.4% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Southhampton
  • The Hill
  • Southwest Garden
  • North Hampton

Significant Landmarks:

  • Tilles Park
  • St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center
  • Sublette Park
  • Missouri Botanical Garden

Current Alderperson:

  • Joe Vollmer

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 6

Number of Residents: 22,692

Racial Makeup:

  • 58.91% White
  • 22.88% African American
  • 0.38% American Indian
  • 6.58% Asian
  • 7.15% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Tower Grove South
  • Compton Heights
  • Shaw

Significant Landmarks:

  • Tower Grove Park
  • Compton Hill Reservoir Park
  • Missouri School for the Blind
  • South Grand Business District

Current Alderpersons:

  • Megan Green
  • Annie Rice

Initial Term: 4 years

Ward 7

Number of Residents: 21,361

Racial Makeup:

  • 36.02% White
  • 50.03% African American
  • 0.3% American Indian
  • 2.79% Asian
  • 7.09% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Gravois Park
  • Tower Grove East
  • Tiffany
  • Benton Park West
  • Botanical Heights
  • The Gate District
  • Fox Park

Significant Landmarks:

  • Roosevelt High School
  • Gravois Park
  • Saint Alexius Hospital
  • Fox Park
  • Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
  • Saint Louis University South Campus
  • Saint Louis University Hospital

Current Alderperson:

  • Christine Ingrassia

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 8

Number of Residents: 21,751

Racial Makeup:

  • 52.7% White
  • 36.1% African American
  • 0.31% American Indian
  • 1.94% Asian
  • 5.04% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Kosciusko
  • Soulard
  • Benton Park
  • McKinley Heights
  • Lafayette Square
  • Downtown
  • Downtown West

Significant Landmarks:

  • Lafayette Square
  • Soulard
  • Busch Stadium
  • Enterprise Center
  • The Dome at America’s Center
  • Gateway Arch
  • Benton Park
  • Anheuser-Busch Brewery
  • Stifel Theatre
  • Union Station

Current Alderpersons:

  • Dan Guenther
  • Cara Spencer
  • Jack Coatar

Initial Term: 4 years

Ward 9

Number of Residents: 20,571

Racial Makeup:

  • 54.56% White
  • 24.22% African American
  • 0.2% American Indian
  • 12.26% Asian
  • 4.66% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Central West End Business District
  • Forest Park South East
  • Kings Oak

Significant Landmarks:

  • Central West End
  • Washington University School of Medicine Campus
  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital
  • University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
  • The Grove

Current Alderperson:

  • Tina Pihl

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 10

Number of Residents: 20,922

Racial Makeup:

  • 27.8% White
  • 55.74% African American
  • 0.4% American Indian
  • 7.76% Asian
  • 4.87% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Wydown Skinker
  • Skinker DeBaliviere
  • DeBaliviere Place
  • West End
  • Visitation Park
  • Academy
  • Fountain Park
  • Lewis Place

Significant Landmarks:

  • Forest Park
  • St. Louis Zoo
  • Missouri History Museum
  • Saint Louis Art Museum

Current Alderpersons:

  • Heather Navarro
  • Shameem Clark Hubbard

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 11

Number of Residents: 20,651

Racial Makeup:

  • 21.45% White
  • 68.35% African American
  • 0.27% American Indian
  • 4.55% Asian
  • 2.64% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Covenant Blu-Grand Center
  • Midtown
  • Jeff Vanderlou
  • Fairground Neighborhood
  • O’Fallon
  • Penrose

Significant Landmarks:

  • Saint Louis University
  • Fairground Park
  • O’Fallon Park
  • Harris-Stowe State University
  • Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School
  • Fox Theatre
  • Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club

Current Alderpersons:

  • John Collins-Muhammad
  • Marlene Davis

Initial Term: 4 years

Ward 12

Number of Residents: 21,153

Racial Makeup:

  • 3.13% White
  • 93.1% African American
  • 0.29% American Indian
  • 0.09% Asian
  • 0.99% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Kingsway East
  • Greater Ville
  • The Ville
  • Vandeventer
  • Kingsway West
  • Penrose
  • Mark Twain

Significant Landmarks:

  • Ranken School of Mechanical Trades
  • Bellefontaine Cemetery
  • Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club
  • Sumner High School

Current Alderpersons:

  • Sharon Tyus
  • Dwinderlin Evans
  • Jesse Todd

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 13

Number of Residents: 20,584

Racial Makeup:

  • 2.78% White
  • 93.33% African American
  • 0.14% American Indian
  • 0.16% Asian
  • 1.09% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • Hamilton Heights
  • Wells Goodfellow
  • Mark Twain I-70 Industrial
  • Walnut Park East
  • Walnut Park West
  • North Pointe
  • Riverview
  • Baden
  • North Riverfront

Significant Landmarks:

  • Ford Branch Elementary Community Education Center
  • Hamilton Heights Park
  • Bayer YMCA
  • Mark Twain Industrial Park

Current Alderpersons:

  • Jeffrey Boyd
  • Pam Boyd
  • Lisa Middlebrook

Initial Term: 2 years

Ward 14

Number of Residents: 20,647

Racial Makeup:

  • 21.14% White
  • 71.75% African American
  • 0.3% American Indian
  • 1.54% Asian
  • 2.5% Hispanic

Neighborhoods:

  • College Hill
  • Near North Riverfront
  • Hyde Park
  • Old North St. Louis
  • Columbus Square
  • Carr Square
  • St. Louis Place

Significant Landmarks:

  • The Griot Museum of Black History
  • City Museum
  • Saint Louis City SC Stadium
  • Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
  • Saint Louis Place Park
  • Saint Louis City Hall
  • Saint Louis City Civil Courts
  • St. Louis University Law School

Current Alderpersons:

  • James Page
  • Brandon Bosley

Initial Term: 4 years