ST. LOUIS — On Tuesday night, Mayor Tishaura Jones sold St. Louis as a city undergoing a renaissance in her State of the City Address.
Mayor Tishaura Jones struck a noticeably different tone this year than in her last State of the City Address. Last year, she spent a lot of time preaching patience, telling voters change will come if you just wait for it. This year, she acknowledged the impatience of voters who want to see change now.
"Yes, crime rates are down in our city," Jones said. "But they're not where we want them to be."
Mayor Tishaura Jones repeated concerns from city voters worried about violent crime.
"They told us that although they heard that crime was down in St. Louis, they couldn't see it in their daily lives," she said.
And while she didn't specifically mention the city's dwindling population, she told people who may consider joining the exodus help is on the way.
"The question I'm asked the most is, 'What are you doing with that ARPA money and why haven't I seen any of it?' I understand. It's your right to know," she said.
A November report from the Mayor's office revealed the city has only spent 17% of federal COVID funds so far.
She unveiled a new software system to speed up city hiring, and a potential thaw on that hiring freeze.
"If Jefferson City doesn't pass any laws decreasing our earnings tax by the time session ends this Friday, I'm happy to say that we will lift the hiring freeze on Monday, May 20," she said.
Jones promoted a wave of new recruits at the emergency dispatch centers and continued making her case to divide those calls between Cops and Clinicians.
"The reality is that the police are not the answer to every call," she said.
In her last major address before launching her bid for a second term, Jones nudged the audience to reclaim the narrative from naysayers.
"The next time you hear someone talking trash about St. Louis, straighten your spine, look them in the eye, and tell them, 'You don't know what you're talking about!' St. Louis is my city and she is in the middle of a renaissance," she said.
She's making her case for a second term but will she face a test?
Mayor Jones has her fair share of critics, including from many of her former supporters.
But one longtime insider told 5 On Your Side Political Editor Mark Maxwell that with each passing day that goes by without a challenger jumping into the race to oppose her, the firmer her incumbent grip grows on the office.