ST. LOUIS — Mayor Tishaura Jones will sign an executive action to direct $3 million in local money to fund housing assistance, coronavirus outreach, and mobile vaccine efforts.
The move, she said on her 100th day in office, is necessary as she continues a standoff with Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed on how to spend multitudes more in federal stimulus money.
Jones' mayoral win made history, making her the first Black woman to clinch the spot, but it also came as coronavirus case counts improved during a historic pandemic.
As those positive trends now reverse, she acknowledges she "did not run for office to do things easily. I knew that it would have some difficulty some challenges."
And she said she is up for the fight as anger, frustration, and misinformation continue to swirl around local mask mandates.
"It's frustrating for those of us who have lived and worked in public health for so long," said Jones, who holds a Master's degree in health administration. "Usually, it is 'When public health talks, people listen.' But now it is the opposite."
The mayor has achieved a campaign promise to close the Workhouse, acknowledging another one of the city's persistent problems with crime rates, as well as ongoing issues at City Justice Center, which has seen four disturbances in the past year.
"We inherited this problem," she said. "The CJC has been a problem that has not been kept up for the last several years. The locks were probably when we got here. The building was in disrepair. And so it is my number one priority to keep the health and safety of our detainees and officers first, but also we have that facility so it works."
Jones said she release plans in the comings weeks to address crime rates and infrastructure.