Lyda Krewson is an American Democratic politician who is the 46th and current mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. She is St. Louis's first female mayor, elected in 2017. From 1997 to 2017, Krewson served as the alderman of St. Louis's 28th ward.
Early life
Born on November 14, 1953, near Davenport, Iowa, Krewson moved with her family to St. Joseph, Missouri, then Fairfield, Illinois, before settling in Moberly, Missouri, where she graduated from high school. In 1974 she earned a degree in psychology and a special education minor from Northeast Missouri State University. Krewson then moved to St. Louis, where she earned an accounting degree at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. In 1988 she married Jeff Krewson, an architect. He was murdered by a criminal on parole in an attempted carjacking in front of their Central West End house in 1995; she and their two young children were also in the car. The killer was later sentenced to life without parole. In 1998, Krewson married local news anchor Mike Owens. Krewson is a Certified Public Accountant. She worked for Deloitte for 7 years, then served as the Chief Financial Officer of PGAV, an international design and planning firm.
Political career
While alderman of St. Louis's 28th ward, Krewson took out a home equity loan in 2003 to help fund an unsuccessful campaign against Missouri's concealed carry law, which passed. In 2011, she led the city's successful effort to pass a smoking ban. Krewson served as the Chairman of the Board of Aldermen's Transportation & Commerce Committee. Previously she served as the chairman of the Ways & Means, Convention & Tourism, and Parks & Environment committees. With the retirement of four-term mayor Francis Slay, Krewson entered a crowded seven-way 2017 Democratic primary, the real contest in this heavily Democratic city. She won the March 7 primary against Tishaura Jones, Lewis E. Reed, Antonio French, and others with 32% of the vote, just 879 votes ahead of Jones. In the general election on April 4, she defeated Republican candidate Andrew Jones with 67% of the vote, becoming the first female chief executive in the city's history. She took office on April 18.
Panhandling and homelessness
Krewson worked to reduce panhandling in the Central West End neighborhood by introducing the REAL Change Program, which encourages social services for those in need. The program was attached to an ordinance to criminalize panhandling. During the 2017 mayoral campaign, The St. Louis American criticized the program, arguing that Krewson did not understand the factors behind poverty and homelessness. A legal battle initiated by Francis Slay's administration against Larry Rice's New Life Evangelistic Center homeless shelter came to a close in April 2017, early in Krewson's mayoralty, allowing the city to close the shelter, which provided temporary housing for up to 150 people. The city-owned Biddle House shelter expanded to provide beds for 50 more people. At least two people died in the streets without housing the following winter.
Crime prevention
In August 2019, Krewson agreed to sponsor a one-year contract with Cure Violence in response to community pressure and an increased city murder rate. Previous measures from Krewson's administration had focused on increasing policing, while Cure Violence trains civilians in crisis intervention and community based solutions. Aldermanic President Lewis E. Reed told reporters that he supported additional funding for the program. In April, Comptroller Darlene Green raised the issue of the local medium-security prison known as the St Louis Workhouse causing violence, advocating that Krewson move to close it. Advocates and activists have campaigned for the Workhouse's closure, citing inhumane conditions and criminalization of poverty. The city was sued in 2017 after people incarcerated in the Workhouse were heard screaming for help during a heat wave and large protests were staged outside the fence. The city responded by installing temporary air conditioning units.
In a public briefing broadcast live on Facebook on June 26, 2020, Krewson read aloud the names and addresses of multiple constituents, including a minor, who had signed a petition in favor of budgetary changes that involved redirecting all the money spent on the police department to social services, affordable housing and Cure Violence. She apologized later that day and removed the post after protesters showed up at her house. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri released a statement condemning her actions, saying "t serves no apparent purpose beyond intimidation." After the Facebook Live incident, local activist and drag performerMaxi Glamour created a petition calling for Krewson's resignation that collected more than 30,000 signatures in two days. A demonstration demanding Krewson's resignation, the closure of St. Louis Workhouse, and defunding the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department traveled through the Central West End neighborhood to Krewson's residence. During the march, many demonstrators passed through a broken or open gate into a private neighborhood, where residents of Portland Place pointed a pistol and rifle at them.
