Following the shocking federal indictments against members of the Board of Aldermen and with public trust in government at all time lows, it is more important than ever that we implement campaign finance and ethics reforms to restore trust and to democratize our City government. For too long, special interests have dictated business in City Hall. It’s time to involve the people in their government by making government more transparent, less corrupt, and driven by the needs and wants of our residents.
The President of the Board of Aldermen can be a key leader in our City’s government, both as the legislative leader of the Board of Aldermen and as an operational check and balance as part of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. St. Louis requires new, bold leadership that will put people first, and will not let personality and petty politics get in the way of good policy.
In 2018, voters in Missouri overwhelmingly supported CLEAN Missouri, which enacted fair redistricting and campaign finance laws for the state. While these reforms were repealed in 2020, residents in the City of St. Louis overwhelmingly voted to keep them in place. These reforms still can, and should be, implemented at the local level. As a member of the Board of Aldermen, Megan has fought to make this possible by co-sponsoring legislation to lower campaign finance limits and sponsoring legislation to limit the impact of lobbying in our local government. As President of the Board of Aldermen, Megan is committed to listening to residents to restore public trust, accountability, and openness with the government.
Campaign Finance Reform
By enacting campaign finance reform, Megan is committed to eliminating corruption from City government and fostering healthy competition among grassroots candidates. These reforms include:
- Eliminating dark money from local elections by prohibiting contributions to candidates for City offices by donors intending to conceal the identity of the donation’s true source
- Promoting strict enforcement of existing election laws
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, these interventions are critical to rooting out corruption and restoring the public’s trust in local government. Similar efforts have been successfully pursued in other municipalities like New York City.
Charter Commission
As President of the Board of Aldermen, Megan would advocate for and support a Charter Commission to bring the government of the City of St. Louis into the 21st Century and to build a government that is truly accountable to the public. A Charter Commission would allow the voters of the City of St. Louis to regularly consider and recommend amendments and revisions to the City’s Charter.
Participatory Budgeting
Megan pioneered the use of participatory budgeting as Alderwoman of the 15th Ward. As President of the Board of Aldermen, Megan is committed to reforming the ward capital process to require participatory budgeting by engaging residents in prioritizing how the City spends money at the ward-level and at the city-wide level, and giving residents a direct say in how City funds are spent.
Government Transparency
Megan believes residents should know how their Alderperson voted and that it should be easier to engage with your government. As President of the Board of Aldermen, Megan is committed to enhancing digital democracy and fostering greater transparency by requiring that all committee votes are posted online within 48 hours of the vote, that all committee hearings are live-streamed, and the exhibits to board bills and the financial analysis documents aldermen receive are posted online for public access and review.
