51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� When city voters resoundingly rejected Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Tuesday, their thirst for change spilled into another race, toppling Comptroller Darlene Green, who had long been considered politically bulletproof in an office she has held since 1995.

Donna Baringer, who had never run for citywide office before, managed what had been unthinkable a few years ago, beating Green by a close but comfortable margin of three points and riding a wave that, along with Mayor-elect Cara Spencer, represents the most significant change atop City Hall鈥檚 power structure in decades.

Not since 1996 had someone even come close to defeating Green, who faced few serious challengers or ran unopposed in an unprecedented seven terms as comptroller.

鈥淭he first thing people said to me when I said I was going to run was, 鈥楢re you serious? You鈥檙e going to take on a 30-year incumbent?鈥欌�� Baringer told cheering supporters Tuesday night just after the race was called in her favor. 鈥淢y reply back was, 鈥業f I don鈥檛, who will?鈥欌��

Baringer homed in on a new vulnerability in Green鈥檚 armor. A bumpy rollout of new accounting and payroll software in recent years had City Hall workers and police officers grumbling about delays paying invoices and paychecks that were off. Contractors and others with business at the city complained about delays getting needed documentation and payments from the comptroller鈥檚 office. The circuit court even sued the comptroller鈥檚 office over delayed expense payments.

And people began talking about what Baringer said was 鈥渨ell known鈥� even when she was an alderman 10 years ago: Green was frequently not at the office. Baringer filled voter mailboxes with ads hammering the point, asking, 鈥淗ave you seen Darlene Green?鈥�

鈥淪he had been getting a lot of bad publicity lately,鈥� said Ken Warren, a longtime local politics observer, pollster and political science professor at 51黑料 University. 鈥淕reen was just a victim of her own doing. She鈥檚 been in the office for a long time, and she has the image now of being pretty nonchalant and not showing up for work regularly.鈥�

Dan Henroid, a Lindenwood Park resident who volunteered for Baringer鈥檚 campaign, said he got to know Baringer when she was his state representative. Like most regular 51黑料 voters, he鈥檚 cast a ballot for Green before.

鈥淚 think we just learned a little bit more this time around,鈥� he said.

The results underscored the mood of the electorate, which even Green appeared to acknowledge was sour as she began campaigning on shoring up basic city services and distanced herself from Mayor Jones. But to a majority of voters, Green was still seen as part of a city leadership that wasn鈥檛 delivering, Warren said.

鈥淧eople have generally been down on the city under Jones, so I think Green was also the victim of that as well, but she鈥檇 survived the ups and downs of mayors for a long, long time,鈥� he said. 鈥淕enerally it was a rejection of the present administration, including Green, by the voters.鈥�

But unlike the mayor鈥檚 race, it wasn鈥檛 a blowout.

High turnout and margins in the neighborhoods around her home turf in 51黑料 Hills was enough for Baringer to pull out a win in a race that was expected to be among the closest on the ballot. In March, Baringer had come in first by just more than 500 votes, or 1.5 points.

She managed to grow that margin a month later to 1,500 votes, besting Green 51.5% to 48.5%. Given her tight margin in March, Baringer said she was a little surprised at the spread in the vote Tuesday, saying she expected 鈥渁nother squeaker.鈥�

Green conceded late Tuesday night, sending a statement thanking her supporters and saying she 鈥渨as grateful for the opportunity to have served the people in the city that I love with integrity and dignity.鈥�

鈥淓ven though we didn鈥檛 get victory this time,鈥� Green said, 鈥渨e move forward with hope.鈥�

Baringer鈥檚 base of support was centered around the southwest 51黑料 neighborhoods she has represented for over 20 years, first as an alderwoman and then as a state representative. They鈥檙e some of 51黑料鈥� most affluent, white and, crucially for Baringer, vote rich.

Low turnout and years of depopulation have weakened the political heft of north 51黑料, Green鈥檚 main base of support. Her overwhelming margins there weren鈥檛 enough to overcome the leads Baringer racked up in her home turf around 51黑料 Hills, where turnout was nearly double the 18% of registered voters who cast ballots in most northside wards.

Race seemed to weigh heavily in the election, with Green dominating north 51黑料 and winning majority Black areas in southeast 51黑料. Baringer carried majority white areas on the south side and the most affluent portions of the Central West End.

Race is indeed on the minds of some officials. Baringer鈥檚 election means for the first time since 1988, there will be an all-white Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the powerful city body made up of comptroller, mayor and the aldermanic president that must approve all city spending and contracts. Board of Aldermen President Megan Green, who serves on the E&A board, warned of that potential outcome in a Facebook post last month.

鈥淎n all-white E&A would not be representative of our city,鈥� Megan Green wrote.

But the fact that E&A will get two new members is also a remarkable change. Not since 1981 have city voters elected both a new comptroller and mayor, a majority of E&A. Usually, the board 鈥� whose agenda is largely controlled by the comptroller鈥檚 office, sometimes causing friction with the mayor 鈥� only loses one member at a time.

51黑料ans have voted for change before. But they haven鈥檛 voted for this level of change at once in over 40 years.

鈥淚 heard you and I will be working for what you want,鈥� Baringer said after her win Tuesday, 鈥渨hich is change.鈥�