‘It’s our duty to enact positive change in our community’: WU students engage with St. Louis mayoral campaigns ahead of March primary

| News Editor

As the city of St. Louis gears up for the first primary of its mayoral election, several Washington University students are actively engaging with the campaigns. Second year social work students at the Brown School of Social Work Helmi Henkin and Kelsey Wulfkuhle are both volunteering with candidate Tishaura Jones’ campaign.

Both Henkin and Wulfkuhle initially got involved because of their work with the political consulting group Meyers-Okohson Political Consulting. Jones was also a guest speaker in one of Wulfkuhle’s first classes at the Brown School.

“I’ve been a big fan of Tishaura since I moved here,” Wulfkuhle said. “She came and spoke…in my social justice and human diversity class my very first semester and she’s wonderful.”

Courtesy of Helmi Henkin

There are currently four candidates running for office: Tishuara Jones, Andrew Jones, Cara Spencer and Lewis Reed.

The passage of Proposition D in November 2020 made several important changes to the format of the election. One major change is that the primary will now be non-partisan, meaning residents can vote on all candidates instead of only supporting candidates of their political party. Approval voting, which allows voters the opportunity to approve or disapprove of every candidate, will also be implemented. A run-off election to determine the next mayor of St. Louis will take place on Apr. 6.

Recent polling shows Reed and Tishaura Jones neck and neck with St. Louis voters as the primary approaches.

Notably, this will be Reed’s third mayoral run as he completes his 14th year as President of the Board of Aldermen. Spencer currently represents the city’s 20th ward, having been elected in 2015. Utility executive Andrew Jones, who has never held elected office before, is making his second run for mayor of St. Louis. He holds an MBA from Washington University’s Olin School of Business. College Republicans President junior Matias Mayesh told Student Life that members of the club are planning to phone bank for Andrew Jones.

Tishaura Jones, who has served as treasurer for the city since 2012, touts a plan focused on COVID-19 recovery and public safety. Wulfkuhle and Henkin both mentioned that her slogan “putting the public back in public safety” reflects the importance of public safety on a number of different fronts.

“When I talk to people, and, especially considering the current political climate, people are most concerned about public safety and how these candidates are going to deal with this pandemic,” Henkin said.

The current mayoral race began when current mayor Lyda Krewson announced in November that she would not be seeking re-election. Krewson’s tenure was not without controversy and many local residents, including University students, joined in calls for her resignation last fall. Among some of constituents’ biggest concerns during Krewson’s tenure were the evictions of unhoused community members, her resistance to closing the contentious Workhouse and her doxxing of constituents in June.

For Wulfkuhle, many of the issues that caused controversy during Krewson’s tenure will continue to play an important role in the race to determine her successor. She specifically discussed the fate of the Workhouse, vaccine rollout and other areas of COVID-19 response, the Board of Aldermen elections and potential redistricting of wards.

Both Wulfkuhle and Henkin also noted the importance of racial equity in this election. Henkin spoke about the inequities being exposed by COVID-19 infections, deaths and access to care.

“Unfortunately, there’s these systemic inequities that exist,” Henkin said. “The majority of St. Louis people in super poor districts are people of color, and Tishaura is looking to recognize this issue and find solutions to these persistent problems.”

Curran Neenan | Student Life

Wulfkuhle also noted that being a social work student at the Brown School has pushed her to ensure she’s giving back to the St. Louis community in a way that programs at the University often fail to do.

“The Brown School gets a lot of flak for taking a lot from the community and learning from the community and then not giving back to the community, and so that’s not a cycle I really wanted to contribute to, and so I started getting involved in different causes when I moved here,” Wulfkuhle said.

Henkin echoed similar calls to acknowledge the history of the University in the region.

“Wash. U. has a history of exploiting the city and exploiting the poorer parts of the city…creating these programs where students can build up their resumes or get their skills, or whatever, but then they’re not sustainable partnerships,” Henkin said.

Courtesy of Helmi Henkin

WashU Votes, the voter engagement arm of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, is working to ensure University students are knowledgeable about the upcoming election.

“We are doing a big social media push to make sure that students who are City voters are able to make an informed vote in the upcoming general elections,” Otto Brown, Co-Chair of WashU Votes said in a statement to Student Life. “We are also busy co-planning an event, ‘What’s at Stake in the St. Louis Mayoral Race?’ where we will hear from experts about what St. Louis’ next mayor will need to focus on – including public health, education, economic growth, and public safety.”

Brown also stressed the opportunities for students who are ineligible to vote in the Mar. primary but still want to get involved.

“Even though student[s] in St. Louis County can’t vote in the primary in March, there is a General Election in April for the County,” Brown wrote. “Additionally, County voters can reach out to their friends in the City to make sure that they have a voter plan, have looked at a sample ballot and are ready to make an informed vote.”

Politics aside, Henkin and Wulfkuhle stressed the importance of Wash. U. students being informed voters and community members.

“You’re going to graduate…move away and whatever you voted for is going to have a lasting impact on St. Louis, and so you need to be making educated decisions about what you’re doing,” Wulfkuhle said.

“I think that it’s our duty to enact positive change and contribute to positive change in our community and give back to the community, which includes the city,” Henkin said.

Sign up for the email edition

Stay up to date with everything happening at Washington University and beyond.

Subscribe