ST. LOUIS — A new candidate has officially entered the St. Louis mayoral race.
Dana Kelly filed the necessary paperwork Tuesday afternoon. She had planned on filing a month ago when candidates could first enter, but she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia and was in quarantine at the time.
She shared the following statement with 5 On Your Side about why she’s excited about running for mayor of St. Louis.
“This will be an opportunity for our community to have a robust conversation about the future of St. Louis and our place in the region. I want people to be engaged in this election process and I look forward to hearing from St. Louisans from North to South and everywhere in between. It's our time to create real and lasting positive change in our City.”
Kelly is a business owner, most recently behind Reign Restaurant on Washington Avenue. The restaurant made headlines earlier this month when the city health department ordered it to close for violating COVID-19 health orders. A letter sent to the restaurant noted “continued violations” of the orders that require social distancing and face coverings.
Kelly joins several other candidates in the race for St. Louis mayor, including Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed, St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones, Cara Spencer who represents the city’s 20th Ward, and Andrew Jones Jr.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced in November that she would not seek reelection after serving one term. She cited age as a factor in the decision and she said she is looking forward to the next chapter of her life.