Tishaura Jones
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Tishaura Oneda Jones ( ; born March 10, 1972) is an American politician who served as the 47th
mayor of St. Louis, Missouri The mayor of St. Louis is the chief executive officer of St. Louis's city government. The mayor has a duty to enforce city bylaw, ordinances and the power to either approve or veto city ordinances passed by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, Bo ...
from 2021 to 2025. A member of the
Missouri Democratic Party The Missouri Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its chair is Russ Carnahan, the vice chair is Yvonne Reeves-Chong, the treasurer is Glenda Bainbridge, and the secretary is Joshua Dunne. ...
, Jones previously served from 2008 to 2013 in the
Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
, and as Treasurer of the City of St. Louis from 2013 to 2021. Born in St. Louis to a former city
comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...
, Jones studied at
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...
in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, returning to St. Louis upon graduating in 1994. Following a failed attempt to start a restaurant that left her bankrupt, she entered nursing, graduating from the Saint Louis University College for Public Health with a
Master of Health Administration The Master of Health Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), or Master of Health Management (MHM), is a master's-level professional degree granted to students who complete a course of study in the knowledge and competencies need ...
in 2001 and working for
Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital is a non-profit 195-bed inpatient and outpatient pediatric medical center in St. Louis, Missouri. Since its founding in 1956, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon has provided care for children regardless ...
for two years. A self-described progressive, Jones entered politics in 2002, when she was appointed to the Democratic Party Central Committee for St. Louis's eighth ward. In 2008, she was elected to represent Missouri's 63rd District in the state legislature, defeating
independent candidate An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have polit ...
Nels Williams with 85.4 percent of the vote. She ran unopposed for re-election to the House in 2010. In 2012, Jones ran for St. Louis Treasurer and won the general election with 77.9 percent of the vote. She was re-elected to the office in 2016 and 2020. Jones was elected as
Mayor of St. Louis The mayor of St. Louis is the chief executive officer of St. Louis's city government. The mayor has a duty to enforce city ordinances and the power to either approve or veto city ordinances passed by the Board of Aldermen. The current mayo ...
in the 2021 mayoral election, narrowly defeating St. Louis Alderwoman
Cara Spencer Cara Spencer (born September 11, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 48th and current mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. She served on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen as alderwoman of Ward 8 from 2023 to 2025; she represented Ward 20 fr ...
with 51.7 percent of the vote, becoming the first African-American female mayor in the city's history. In the 2025 mayoral election, a rematch of the 2021 election, Jones lost to Spencer in a landslide, garnering 35.83% of the vote.


Early life and education

Tishaura Oneda Jones was born on March 10, 1972, in
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
to Virvus and Laura Jones. Her father was a former
comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...
for the city. She is the couple's only child. Jones graduated from Affton High School in 1990 and enrolled in
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...
, an
historically black college Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
in
Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...
, Virginia. At Hampton, she was a member of the
Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emp ...
sorority. She graduated from the school with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
in finance in 1994. In 2001, Jones earned a
Master of Health Administration The Master of Health Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), or Master of Health Management (MHM), is a master's-level professional degree granted to students who complete a course of study in the knowledge and competencies need ...
degree from the Saint Louis University College for Public Health. In 2015, she completed the State and Local Government program at the
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
.


Early career

In 1995, after graduating from Hampton University, Jones applied for a
liquor license A liquor license (or liquor licence in most forms of Commonwealth English) is a governmentally issued permit for businesses to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages. Canada In Canada, liquor licences are issued by the l ...
for a restaurant she was starting in the
Central West End The Central West End is a Neighborhoods of St. Louis, Missouri, neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, stretching from Midtown St. Louis, Midtown's western edge to Union Boulevard and bordering on Forest Park (St. Louis), Forest Park with its array ...
called Sugar's Place. The restaurant was unsuccessful, folding after about a year, and caused her major financial problems for years to come. In 1999, she filed for
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
and faced a
tax lien A tax lien is a lien which is imposed upon a property by law in order to secure the payment of taxes. A tax lien may be imposed for the purpose of collecting delinquent taxes which are owed on real property or personal property, or it may be i ...
by the state of Missouri. Jones told '' The St. Louis Business Journal'' that her financial problems came during a "tumultuous time" in her life, as she had taken on debt from the restaurant, her father had been convicted on two counts of fraud in 1995, and her mother was dying of cancer, and said declaring bankruptcy "was the only way" to avoid financial ruin. Her lien was released in 2003, and Jones said her
credit score A credit score is a numerical expression based on a level analysis of a person's credit files, to represent the creditworthiness of an individual. A credit score is primarily based on a credit report, information typically sourced from credit bu ...
in 2017 was in the high 700s. She said her experience with bankruptcy inspired her to create an office as treasurer that gives
financial literacy Financial literacy is the possession of skills, knowledge, and behaviors that allow an individual to make informed decisions regarding money. Financial literacy, financial education and financial knowledge are used interchangeably. Financially un ...
instruction to St. Louis residents. From May 2001 to June 2003, Jones was an executive trainee at
Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital is a non-profit 195-bed inpatient and outpatient pediatric medical center in St. Louis, Missouri. Since its founding in 1956, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon has provided care for children regardless ...
. When she ran for mayor in 2017, Steven M. Barney, who had mentored her at Cardinal Glennon, wrote that Jones did an "outstanding" job at the hospital and had "appropriate assertiveness." Jones began her political career in 2002, when she was appointed to the Democratic Party Central Committee for St. Louis's eighth ward. Since 2004, Jones has served as the committee's
serjeant-at-arms A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin , which means "servant". Historically, serjeants-at-ar ...
.


Missouri House of Representatives (2009–2013)

On November 4, 2008, Jones was elected to the
Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
over
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
candidate Nels Williams to represent the state's 63rd district. There was no Republican challenger for the seat, and Jones received 85.4 percent of the vote. Her father, Virvus, managed her campaign. Jones ran unopposed in 2010 to win her second term, and became both the first African-American and the first woman appointed to serve as the Missouri House's assistant
minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...
floor leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are thei ...
. In the House, she served on several committees, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, the Health Insurance Committee, and the Special Standing Committee on Election Contests. From March 2010 to June 2011, Jones also worked as the
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
of Municipal Finance at the minority-owned,
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
-based
investment firm An investment company is a financial institution principally engaged in holding, managing and investing securities. These companies in the United States are regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and must be registered under th ...
Blaylock Robert Van. In February 2012, after the Missouri House passed a resolution condemning a
contraceptive mandate A contraceptive mandate is a government regulation or law that requires health insurers, or employers that provide their employees with health insurance, to cover some contraceptive costs in their health insurance plans. In 1978, the United Stat ...
by President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
's administration, Jones and six other female Democratic members of the House stated they were kept out of the debate. Jones said that the group "stood and waited to be recognized for two hours" but "never got a chance to speak on an issue that is unique to women." Democrat
Margo McNeil Margo McNeil (born June 22, 1948) is an American politician. She is a former member of the Missouri House of Representatives, and is currently serving on the Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board ...
argued that the incident was part of a Republican "war on women." Republican
John Diehl John Henry Diehl (born May 1, 1950) is an American character actor. Noted for his work in avant-garde theater, Diehl has performed in more than 140 films and television shows, including '' Land of Plenty'', '' Stripes'', ''City Limits'', '' Nix ...
, who was presiding over the debate, dismissed the allegation that the seven women were ignored, stating that more Democrats were given time to speak than Republicans, and saying "it would take days" to vote on a bill if every member of the House got the chance to speak. On December 21, 2012, '' St. Louis Magazine'' included Jones on its annual "Power List", noting that "Tishaura knows how to cross the aisle. But like her father, she's also known as a blunt critic—which could make for a refreshing change in the city treasurer's office, which has been plagued by scandal and controversy in recent years."


St. Louis Treasurer (2013–2021)

Jones served as St. Louis Treasurer between January 1, 2013, and her election as mayor in April 2021.


2012 Treasurer Election

In 2012, Jones ran for the position of Treasurer of St. Louis. Her father, Virvus, once again served as her campaign manager. Incumbent Larry Williams, who had been in the office since 1981 and was described by the ''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...
'' as "plagued by scandal nearly from his appointment", decided not to seek re-election. Jones was among four Democratic challengers in the primary election. During the campaign, she argued that Williams's administration had focused too much on parking, and said she would be more transparent about salaries and financial data and make banks more equitable. On July 26, following the ''Post-Dispatch''
editorial board The editorial board is a group of editors, writers, and other people who are charged with implementing a publication's approach to editorials and other opinion pieces. The editorials published normally represent the views or goals of the publicat ...
's endorsement of Fred Wessels Jr. for treasurer, in which they argued Jones was not qualified enough for the position, she responded to the paper through an interview with '' The St. Louis American''. She stated that in addition to having the same qualifications as Wessels, she additionally had more relevant experience through her work with the investment banking firm Blaylock Robert Van, a fact which the ''Post-Dispatch'' did not mention. On August 8, she won the Democratic primary, with Wessels coming in second place. On November 6, she won the general election. After winning the Democratic primary, Jones said her first step as treasurer would be to conduct an independent
audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...
to "see where all the bodies are buried, where the ghosts are" and said the office would undergo a "total house cleaning" of office staff. She also said she would look into
offshoring Offshoring is the relocation of a business process from one country to another—typically an operational process, such as manufacturing, or supporting processes, such as accounting. Usually this refers to a company business, although state gover ...
jobs in the treasurer's office to see if that was more cost-effective.


First term (2013-2017)

Jones was sworn in on January 1, 2013, becoming the first woman to serve as treasurer. One of the "ghost" workers under Williams, Fred W. Robinson, was convicted on charges of
wire fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...
and submitting false
timesheet A timesheet (or time sheet) is a method for recording the amount of a worker's time spent on each job. Traditionally a sheet of paper with the data arranged in tabular format, a timesheet is now often a digital document or spreadsheet. The time ...
s and was sentenced to two years in prison. Within one month of taking office, Jones fired Robinson and four other employees who were accused of not doing their jobs and costing the city money. During her time as treasurer, Jones was credited with transforming the office from a bureaucratic seat into a position of advocacy. Koran Addo of the ''Post-Dispatch'' noted how Jones had changed the public perception of the treasurer's office and expanded its role: As treasurer, Jones partnered with nonprofit financial literacy organization Operation HOPE, Inc. and five local banks to launch a HOPE chapter inside
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
, the first of its kind. Operation HOPE founder and chairman
John Hope Bryant John Hope Bryant (born February 6, 1966) is an American financial literacy entrepreneur and businessman. Bryant is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of nonprofit Operation HOPE, chief executive officer of Bryant Group Ventures an ...
, who described Jones as "my friend", said the program was "done at no direct cost to city residents, thanks to Tishaura's brilliant thinking." In 2016, Jones spoke at a
plenary session A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference or deliberative assembly in which all parties or members are present. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily r ...
alongside Robert Greenstein and
Starsky Wilson Starsky Wilson (born 1976, Dallas, Texas) is an American activist and minister who is the president of the Children's Defense Fund. He is known for advocating for children's rights and racial equity. Education Wilson, a native of Dallas, travele ...
where she talked about her "firsthand experiences with social movements" following the
shooting of Michael Brown On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown was accompanied by his 22-year-old male friend Dorian Johnson. Wilson, a white male Fergu ...
and the
Ferguson unrest The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal Killing of Michael Brown, ...
.


2016 Treasurer Election

On August 2, 2016, Jones lost an election to become the Democratic Party's committeewoman for the 26th ward but won the uncontested Democratic primary for treasurer. She was re-elected to a second four-year term as treasurer on November 8, 2016, with 76.6 percent of the vote.


Second term (2017-2021)

In 2017,
KMOV KMOV (channel 4) is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power station KDTL-LD (channel 4.6). The two stations share studios on Progress Park ...
reported that Jones had taken 50 trips during her first term as treasurer, including trips to attend conferences and meetings in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, and
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
All the trips had been at least partially reimbursed by the city for a total of over $27,000. The report prompted calls for an investigation by two members of the
St. Louis Board of Aldermen The St. Louis Board of Aldermen is the lawmaking body of St. Louis, an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. The Board consists of 14 alderpersons, one elected by each of the city's 14 wards. The President of the Board is a separate po ...
who alleged the majority of trips were taken for Jones's political benefit. Jones defended herself, stating that the trips were related to her office and denying that any of the trips were a form of kickback. Jones told KMOV "every one of my trips is well-documented and was because I am a leader on a national stage, I have been requested to come to meetings and conferences to speak, and because I have been requested to talk with other executives." At a
press conference A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...
, she attacked the report and other reports on scandals as politically motivated to hurt her mayoral campaign. "They are suspicious because of all the candidates running for mayor, I alone have been singled out and subjected to these kinds of attacks," Jones said. "As treasurer, I expect people to hold me accountable for my actions. I also expect the media to be fair and tell the entire story, which has not happened thus far." In April 2020, Jones signed a $7 million
parking meter A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to Parking, park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by Municipality, municipalities as a tool for enforcing their i ...
maintenance contract with a company whose
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
had donated $31,000 to her campaigns since 2013. The issue was brought to a circuit court, which ruled in favor of Jones, finding she did not violate city ordinance.


Third term (2021)

In her 2020 campaign for a third term as treasurer, Jones was endorsed by Democracy for America,
Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization
, ''The St. Louis American's''
editorial board The editorial board is a group of editors, writers, and other people who are charged with implementing a publication's approach to editorials and other opinion pieces. The editorials published normally represent the views or goals of the publicat ...
, and the
United Auto Workers The United Auto Workers (UAW), fully named International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and sou ...
, as well as by Representative
Ayanna Pressley Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. This district, which was once re ...
and Senator
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
. On November 3, 2020, Jones was re-elected with 77.6 percent of the vote. Her third term was cut short due to her election as mayor of the city.


Mayor of St. Louis

Jones was elected as
Mayor of St. Louis The mayor of St. Louis is the chief executive officer of St. Louis's city government. The mayor has a duty to enforce city ordinances and the power to either approve or veto city ordinances passed by the Board of Aldermen. The current mayo ...
in 2021. She previously ran in the 2017 St. Louis mayoral election, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by
moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...
Lyda Krewson Lyda Krewson (born November 14, 1953) is an American retired politician who was the 46th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. She is a member of the Democratic Party and St. Louis's first female mayor, serving from 2017 to 2021. On November 18, 2020, ...
. On November 4, 2020, after being elected treasurer for a third term, Jones announced she would once again campaign for the mayor's office. She won the 2021 mayoral election against St. Louis Alderwoman
Cara Spencer Cara Spencer (born September 11, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 48th and current mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. She served on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen as alderwoman of Ward 8 from 2023 to 2025; she represented Ward 20 fr ...
on April 7, 2021, and was sworn in on April 20. She is the third African-American, the second woman, and the first African-American woman to hold the position.


2017 St. Louis mayoral campaign

A
grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...
group of supportive
activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
s calling themselves "Draft Tishaura" helped convince Jones to run for
Mayor of St. Louis The mayor of St. Louis is the chief executive officer of St. Louis's city government. The mayor has a duty to enforce city ordinances and the power to either approve or veto city ordinances passed by the Board of Aldermen. The current mayo ...
in 2017. On November 17, 2016, Jones announced her candidacy in the 2017 mayoral election. During the campaign, she received endorsements from the
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) is a nonprofit organization of African American trade union members affiliated with the AFL–CIO. More than 50 different international and national trade unions are represented in CBTU and there are 5 ...
, Democracy for America, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment,
MoveOn MoveOn (formerly known as MoveOn.org) is a progressivism in the United States, progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Formed in 1998 around one of the first massively viral email petitions, MoveOn has since grown ...
,
NARAL Pro-Choice America Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America and commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, politics, political action, and advocacy efforts to op ...
, the
Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing 2 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of m ...
, the
Working Families Party The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois ...
, and the Young Democrats of St. Louis, as well as by St. Louis Alderman Chris Carter III, Missouri Secretary of State
Jason Kander Jason David Kander (born May 4, 1981) is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served as the 39th Missouri Secretary of State, secretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. H ...
, Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed, and St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman. In the Democratic primary on March 7, 2017, Jones finished in second place with 30.4 percent of the vote, losing to
Lyda Krewson Lyda Krewson (born November 14, 1953) is an American retired politician who was the 46th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. She is a member of the Democratic Party and St. Louis's first female mayor, serving from 2017 to 2021. On November 18, 2020, ...
, who won with 32 percent of the vote. The race was noted for its low turnout, and many commentators speculated that the outcome was racial in nature. On April 4, Krewson won the general election. During the campaign, Jones was notably a target of criticism by the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' editorial board, which ultimately endorsed
Antonio French Antonio French is a former St. Louis City Alderman, city alderman in St. Louis, Missouri's Ward 21, St. Louis City, 21st Ward. From 2009 until 2017 French served as the Alderman, representing part of the neighborhoods of Penrose, St. Louis, Pen ...
. She alleged that many of the ''Post-Dispatch'' attacks against her were
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
, such as a January 21
editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...
calling her "high-flying", which she took to mean as a
dog whistle A dog whistle (also known as silent whistle or Galton's whistle) is a type of whistle that emits sound in the ultrasonic range, which humans cannot hear but some other animals can, including dogs and domestic cats, and is used in their trainin ...
for "uppity", and a January 25
column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
by editorial editor Tod Robberson arguing that the top priority for a mayoral candidate would be to "address
blight Blight is a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral organs. A ...
and abate the
graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
that's killing our city." On February 9, less than one month before the city's Democratic primary, which was
tantamount to election A safe seat is an electoral district which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both. With such seats, there is very little chance of a seat changing h ...
, Jones penned an
open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
to Robberson, published in ''The St. Louis American'', where she declined an invitation to speak to the editorial board, accused the newspaper of "thinly veiled racism" in its attacks on her, and criticized the editorial board for not having any African-American members. Her letter garnered national media attention, and was received favorably by readers and national press. The letter was viewed by over 250,000 people within a few days, and following the letter's publication, Jones's campaign raised $36,000 in 48 hours.''
CityLab ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...
'' Brentin Mock commented that the letter had "become a viral sensation." ''
Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and
'' Prachi Gupta wrote that Jones was "breathing fire" and that one portion of the letter, where Jones referenced the
Ferguson unrest The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal Killing of Michael Brown, ...
, "if delivered as a speech, would take her ten minutes to get through because everyone would be cheering so hard." ''
The Root "The Root" is a song by American recording artist D'Angelo. It is the eighth track on his second studio album, '' Voodoo'', which was released on January 25, 2000, by Virgin Records. "The Root" was recorded and produced by D'Angelo at New York's ...
'' Jason Johnson called Jones's letter "savage" and said that "whether she wins the Democratic primary on March 7 or not, one thing is clear: the city of St. Louis, its local Democratic Party and press could use a wake-up call." Jones herself described the letter as her "
Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer (; Townsend; October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977) was an American voting and women's rights activist, community organizer, and leader of the civil rights movement. She was the vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party, ...
moment." After Jones lost the Democratic primary to Krewson, the ''Post-Dispatch'' attacks continued, with the newspaper's editorial board commenting that a "dose of humility" could have helped Jones's campaign; Jones stated this remark was
sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
.


2021 St. Louis mayoral campaign

On November 4, 2020, one day after being elected treasurer for a third term, Jones announced her candidacy in the 2021 St. Louis mayoral election, urging her supporters to "say no to business as usual." Jones, alongside Cara Spencer, advanced from the primary election and competed in the general election on April 6, 2021. Jones defeated Spencer in the runoff, becoming the second woman to serve as St. Louis mayor, after incumbent Lyda Krewson, who did not seek re-election.


Mayor of St. Louis (2021–2025)

On April 20, 2021, Jones was sworn in as St. Louis' first African-American female mayor during a ceremony held in the City Hall
rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...
. That same day, she put forward her administration's budget proposal, which included closing the city's medium-security penitentiary known as The Workhouse. On April 23, Jones announced the formation of an advisory panel to assess how to spend funds St. Louis will receive from the federal government through the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to sp ...
. On June 17, the Workhouse was closed, with detainees being moved to the City Justice Center. The demolition of the Workhouse began in March of 2025.


Political positions

Jones politically identifies as a progressive, and has generally been characterized as such by the media. She has described herself as a "
Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...
Democrat." She opposes
incrementalism :''In politics, the term "incrementalism" is also used as a synonym for Gradualism#Politics and society, Gradualism.'' Incrementalism is a method of working by adding to or subtracting from a project using many small wikt:incremental, incremental ...
, instead arguing that "St. Louis needs to change." However, in 2012, '' St. Louis Magazine'' wrote that while Jones is "known as a blunt critic," she also "knows how to cross the aisle."


Abortion

Jones says she supports abortion rights generally, although she has said she would not have an
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
herself. At various points in her political career, she has been endorsed by the
pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their ...
groups
NARAL Pro-Choice America Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America and commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, politics, political action, and advocacy efforts to op ...
,
Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization
, and #VOTEPROCHOICE. Jones criticized Missouri Governor
Jay Nixon Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...
for allowing two bills restricting abortion to become law, and called the bills part of an effort by anti-abortion groups to "slowly but surely chip away at reproductive rights" following ''
Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...
''. Jones also endorsed a statement condemning an
abortion law Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances ...
passed by the
Missouri General Assembly The Missouri General Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Missouri Senate, Senate and a 163-member Missouri House of Represen ...
.


Criminal and racial justice

Jimmy Tobias of ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'' described Jones as a "champion of
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
," writing in 2017 that "if Jones's 017 mayoralcampaign prevails... the Black Lives Matter movement will clearly, finally, have an unequivocal ally at
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
." The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
labeled her as "outspoken in her criticism of the criminal justice system's 'arrest and incarcerate' model". She has stated her support for no-judgment
drug disposal Drug disposal is the discarding of drugs. Individuals commonly dispose of unused drugs that remain after the end of medical treatment. Health care organizations dispose of drugs on a larger scale for a range of reasons, including having leftover ...
sites, the abolition of
cash bail In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In book-keeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...
,
focused deterrence Focused deterrence (also known as pulling levers policing) is a crime prevention strategy which aims to deter crime by increasing the swiftness, severity and certainty of punishment for crimes by implementing a mix of law enforcement, social servic ...
, and
sobering center A sobering center is a facility or setting providing short-term (4-12 hour) recovery and recuperation from the effects of acute alcohol or drug intoxication. Sobering centers are fully staffed facilities providing oversight and ongoing monitoring ...
s. Experts in criminology have lauded various aspects of the criminal justice agenda put forward in her 2021 campaign, noting that she "has a strong focus on decarceration and decriminalization of minor offenses". On February 2, 2009, while in the Missouri House of Representatives, Jones introduced a bill that would curtail state intervention into the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The bill was not put up for a vote. In her 2017 letter to the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' published in ''The St. Louis American'', Jones wrote that, if elected mayor, "I will look at every issue through a racial equity lens. I will ask if every decision we make helps those who have been
disenfranchised Disfranchisement, also disenfranchisement (which has become more common since 1982) or voter disqualification, is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing someo ...
, red-lined and flat-out ignored for way too long. I will look through each and every program in city government and make the changes necessary to ensure that government is working for those people." On May 17, 2017, Jones started a fundraiser on
GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the ...
to remove the Memorial to the Confederate Dead, a Confederate memorial in
Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China * Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fore ...
, after St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson said the only reason the memorial was still up was because it would cost the city too much to remove it. "What I'm trying to do is set the record straight," Jones told ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. "The Confederates, in my opinion, were traitors. And in this country, we honor patriots." The fundraiser reached $17,545 of its $25,000 goal. On June 26, Krewson's administration agreed to give the memorial to the Missouri Civil War Museum in exchange for the museum arranging to pay for the memorial's removal and store it until it was displayed; Jones subsequently announced that all funds raised by the campaign would go to the city's Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department. Jones has advocated for closing the controversial St. Louis Medium Security Institution (known as the "St. Louis Workhouse"), which she has called a "rat hole", citing "a damning list of abuses, including
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
, medical
neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness and ...
, extended or mistaken
incarceration Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...
, and
negligence Negligence ( Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate care expected to be exercised in similar circumstances. Within the scope of tort law, negligence pertains to harm caused by the violation of a duty of care through a neg ...
resulting in death" at the facility. As treasurer, she formally recommended that the institution be closed, arguing that "the city currently spends $254 million a year repeatedly arresting the same people, trying them, and incarcerating them." On June 26, 2020, Jones criticized Mayor Krewson and called on her to resign after Krewson listed the names, addresses, and proposed police budgets of several protesters calling to
defund the police In the United States, "defund the police" is a slogan advocating for reallocating funds from police departments to non-policing forms of public safety and community support initiatives, such as social services, youth programs, housing, education, ...
during a
Facebook Live Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of ...
stream, a move which critics said was
doxing Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information Personal data, also known as personal information or personally identifiable information (PII), is any information related to an identifiable person. The ...
. "It was irresponsible for the Mayor to publicize the names and addresses of her constituents, who were exercising their constitutional right to free speech and to petition their government," Jones tweeted. "I echo the calls for Mayor Krewson's resignation. Constituents should not fear retaliation for expressing their opinions on how our government aligns its spending priorities." Jones supports
decriminalizing sex work The decriminalization of sex work is the removal of criminal penalties for sex work (specifically, prostitution). Sex work, the consensual provision of sexual services for money or goods, is criminalized in most countries. Decriminalization is ...
, and instead providing prostitutes with housing, unemployment resources and drug addiction treatment. In June 2021, Jones was one of 11 U.S. mayors to form
Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE) is a coalition of U.S. mayors committed to paying reparations to African American citizens of their cities. The association was announced on June 18, 2021, in commemoration of the first federally r ...
(MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot
reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Reparation (theology), the theological concept of corrective response to God and the associated prayers for repairing the damages of sin * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for re ...
programs in their cities."11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations,"
''Associated Press'' (June 18, 2021)
Jones, along with
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
Mayor
Quinton Lucas Quinton Donald Lucas (born August 19, 1984) is an American politician elected in 2019 as the 55th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, and is the city's third African-American ...
, is a member of MORE's coalition board.Martin, Jacob
"Mayor Lucas discusses national coalition for achieving reparations and when KC might see results,"
'' The Pitch'' (June 25, 2021).
In April 2022, Jones signed a bill allowing voluntary donations to a reparations fund. The bill allows St. Louis residents to donate to the fund in their
property tax A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...
and water and refuse collection bills. The reparations bill, sponsored by a city
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
, was vague on details about eligibility and the potential disbursements of the funds.


Education

On January 10, 2012, while in the Missouri House of Representatives, Jones introduced a bill to set stricter requirements for
charter management organization A charter management organization (CMO) is an educational organization that operates charter schools in the United States. Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of the local government school district. A CMO contracts with ...
s. Though the bill was voted "do pass" in
committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
, the bill was never voted on. On April 19, after the
Missouri State Board of Education Missouri State Board of Education (MSBE) is Missouri's board of education, headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City.Imagine Schools Imagine Schools is a charter management organization in the United States, operating 55 schools in 9 states. They are K-8, for the most part. In 2015, Imagine schools had enrolled 29,812 students. Imagine Schools was founded by Dennis and Eileen ...
, Jones argued that her proposed bill could have stopped the schools from being closed. In November 2015, as treasurer, Jones created a program that opens a
savings account A savings account is a bank account at a retail banking, retail bank. Common features include a limited number of withdrawals, a lack of cheque and linked debit card facilities, limited transfer options and the inability to be overdrawn. Traditi ...
for every St. Louis
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
student in public school, funded entirely from revenue earned by
parking meter A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to Parking, park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by Municipality, municipalities as a tool for enforcing their i ...
s. The program, called "College Kids", is meant to work as a SEED fund that accrues interest until high school graduation. It includes several
incentive program An incentive program is a formal scheme used to promote or encourage specific actions or behavior by a specific group of people during a defined period of time. Incentive programs are particularly used in business management to motivate employees ...
s, such as matched savings up to $100, rewards for perfect attendance, and deposits when parents complete courses on financial education. Jones said the program was inspired by a similar initiative by
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
treasurer
José Cisneros José Cisneros is the elected Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco, California. He was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in September 2004, defended his position in 2005 and was sworn in for his first full term in 2006. The City Treasu ...
. On June 9, 2015, she was recognized by the
Clinton Global Initiative The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was e ...
for her work with the program.


Gun violence

Jones believes that
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
is necessary to reduce violent crime. She also believes that the government needs to do more to address poverty in regards to violence, saying that "if we can't get the guns off the streets, then what are we doing to get resources down to the
grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...
to help the people who are affected?" She has referenced
Aristotelianism Aristotelianism ( ) is a philosophical tradition inspired by the work of Aristotle, usually characterized by Prior Analytics, deductive logic and an Posterior Analytics, analytic inductive method in the study of natural philosophy and metaphysics ...
in her beliefs about the connection between poverty and violence. In 2019, Jones criticized St. Louis mayor
Lyda Krewson Lyda Krewson (born November 14, 1953) is an American retired politician who was the 46th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. She is a member of the Democratic Party and St. Louis's first female mayor, serving from 2017 to 2021. On November 18, 2020, ...
for offering a $25,000 reward, paid for by billionaire political donor
Rex Sinquefield Rex Andrew Sinquefield (; born September 7, 1944) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist who has been called an "index-fund pioneer" for creating the first passively managed index fund open to the general public. Sinquefield wa ...
, for information regarding the gun-related death of a child, which led ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' columnist Bill McClellan to favorably dub Jones "the Shadow Mayor of St. Louis." On September 15, 2019, Jones joined in a
protest march A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formati ...
against gun violence led by
Moms Demand Action Everytown for Gun Safety is an American non-profit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was formed in 2013 due to a merger between ''Mayors Against Illegal Guns'' and ''Moms Demand Action for Gun Sens ...
and other mothers' advocacy groups.


Immigration

Jones supports increasing
immigration to the United States Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and Culture of the United States, cultural change throughout much of history of the United States, its history. As of January 2025, the United States has the la ...
and believes that "immigrants should be seen as an asset, not a burden." Jones is in favor of making St. Louis a
sanctuary city A sanctuary city is a municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law. Proponents of sanctuary cities cite motives such as reducing the fear of persons which illegally immigrated fr ...
, and said during her 2017 mayoral campaign that if elected, she would create an "Office of New Americans" providing assistance to immigrants. She supports a
city identification card In the United States, a city (or municipal) identification card, also described in some jurisdictions as an enhanced library card, is a form of identification card issued by a municipality or municipal-level agency, rather than a state or federal g ...
program. Jones has praised Mayor of New York City
Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...
on immigration, and said she reached out to him during her 2017 campaign "to ask how we can follow his lead.


Public health

On January 13, 2011, Jones introduced a bill to the Missouri House of Representatives requiring the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to post resources on umbilical cord blood banking on its website. The bill passed 149–1 in the House on April 5, with only Linda Black voting against it, and its companion bill passed unanimously in the
Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...
on April 28. The bill was signed by Missouri Governor
Jay Nixon Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...
on July 8. On February 7, 2012, Jones introduced two bills to the Missouri House related to
lupus Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...
: the first to designate each May as "Lupus Awareness Month" in Missouri, and the second to create a
checkoff A checkoff or check-off is a bookkeeping mechanism that provides for regular payment of an obligation such as union dues. The same term is used to refer to a tax on sales of agricultural goods that finance a generic commodity marketing program; ...
on
income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
forms for a "Lupus Revolving Research Trust Fund." The first bill was passed by the House unanimously on March 28, but was not voted on by the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. The second was referred to the House Ways and Means committee, which did not make a decision on it. As treasurer, Jones suspended
parking tickets A parking violation is the act of parking a motor vehicle in a restricted place or in an unauthorized manner. It is against the law virtually everywhere to park a vehicle in the middle of a highway or road; parking on one or both sides of a roa ...
in St. Louis during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and made
parking meter A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to Parking, park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by Municipality, municipalities as a tool for enforcing their i ...
s free.


Personal life

On December 29, 1995, Jones's father, Virvus, was convicted on two counts of fraud and sentenced to one year and one day in prison. The conviction resurfaced during Jones's first bid for mayor, after the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' reported on links between the treasurer's office and Craig Walker, a banker who was convicted in the same case. Virvus Jones had defeated James Shrewsbury in the 1993 St. Louis comptroller Democratic primary, a race where Walker had funded the campaign of "stalking horse candidate" Penny Alcott. Both were sentenced to prison, and Virvus Jones was barred from running for office again. In 2016, the ''Post-Dispatch'' reported that IFS Securities, an
investment banking Investment banking is an advisory-based financial service for institutional investors, corporations, governments, and similar clients. Traditionally associated with corporate finance, such a bank might assist in raising financial capital by und ...
and
brokerage A broker is a person or entity that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller. This may be done for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neith ...
firm based in Atlanta, where Walker was the vice president for public finance, was doing business with the treasurer's office. When asked by the ''Post-Dispatch'', Jones responded that "no company is squeaky clean, and Mr. Walker has paid his debt to society." Jones later called the report a "smear", and the ''St. Louis American'' editorial board called them racist, in an editorial headlined "Post is 'black' up to its old tricks". Jones's mother, Laura, died of cancer in November 2000. Jones has one son, who was born in 2007. In 2020, Jones endorsed Senator
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
and then Senator
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
in the Democratic Party presidential primaries. On June 10, 2020, Jones revealed in a Facebook post that she was undergoing surgery for
uterine fibroids Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas, fibromyoma or fibroids, are leiomyoma, benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus, part of the female reproductive system. Most people with fibroids have no symptoms while others may have dysm ...
.


Electoral history


See also

*
Black women in American politics Black women have been involved in American Political sociology, socio-political issues and advocating for the community since the American Civil War era through Nonprofit organization, organizations, clubs, community-based social services, and adv ...
* List of Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign endorsements * List of Elizabeth Warren 2020 presidential campaign endorsements


Notes


References


Works cited

* * * * *


Further reading

* * * *


External links


St. Louis Mayor's Office website

Campaign website
* * * *
Inaugural Address by Mayor Tishaura O. Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Tishaura 1972 births Living people 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century mayors of places in Missouri 21st-century members of the Missouri General Assembly African-American mayors in Missouri African-American people in Missouri politics African-American state legislators in Missouri African-American women mayors American prison reformers American restaurateurs American women restaurateurs Articles containing video clips Black Lives Matter people Businesspeople from St. Louis Candidates in the 2017 United States elections City and town treasurers in the United States Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Hampton University alumni Mayors of St. Louis Saint Louis University alumni Women in St. Louis Women mayors of places in Missouri Women state legislators in Missouri