ST. LOUIS — Mayor Tishaura Jones has appointed members for the office's Stimulus Advisory Board, which will conduct research, manage and give recommendations to ensure that American Rescue Plan funds are invested equitably.
The 24-member board will advise and assist Jones, the former city treasurer, in the distribution of $517 million in federal funds to be in line with the community's priorities and "for maximum transformational impact," according to a news release.
St. Louis is expected to receive about half of the $517 million next month and the remainder next year. The city will get a significantly larger amount than surrounding jurisdictions, because the allocation of funds is based on poverty, population trends and housing availability.
St. Louis County is expected to receive $193 million.
Jones also wants the public to have a voice and "share their priorities" via the mayor's office website.
The advisory board includes Jones' mayoral chief of staff Jared Boyd and seven other members of her transition team; Comptroller Darlene Green; Alderman Megan Green of the 15th Ward; and representatives of various organizations.
Jones' news release listed Lewis Reed, President of the Board of Aldermen, as one of the appointed members. Later Friday afternoon, Reed's office responded with an email that said, "He never stated he would be on the Board" and asked that his name be removed.
Reed and Jones engaged in a contentious primary election for the mayorship earlier this year. Reed did not advance to the runoff, which matched Jones and Cara Spencer.
The board, which will meet for the first time on May 1, will consider:
Management & Oversight, by: i) reviewing treasury guidance; ii) researching best practices associated with responsible fiscal stewardship; iii) mapping ARPA funding streams; and iv) designing an executive structure designed to promote equity, transparency, accountability to the community and compliance with the relevant law.
Direct Relief, by: i) conducting outreach to marginalized communities & institutional stakeholders in order to; ii) assess the immediate needs of city residents; iii) identify opportunities for impactful interventions; and iv) recommend an actionable direct relief framework.
Process & Planning, by: i) researching best practices for processing and incorporating public input; ii) designing an accessible participatory budgeting process; iii) identifying structural gaps and long term investment priorities and iv) recommending processes designed to empower and engage city residents.
Data & Evaluation, by: i) compiling data and analysis relevant to assessing the urgent needs of the St. Louis region; ii) conducting a thematic analysis of community input received thus far; iii) identifying opportunities to expand data infrastructure in city government; iv) recommending a system for the independent evaluation of stimulus funded programs, including regular reports to city residents.
The Stimulus Advisory Board includes:
- Darlene Green, Comptroller
- Dr. Megan-Ellyia Green, 15th Ward Alderwoman, City of St. Louis
- Jared Boyd, Chief of Staff to Mayor Jones
- Rodney Boyd, partner with Nexus Group
- Patrick R. Brown, former Chief of Staff in St. Louis Mayor’s Office and community development executive with Ameren Missouri
- Lisa L. Cagle, Director of Innovative Services at Bi-State Development/Metro Transit
- Brandon L. Comer, Managing Partner, Comer Capital Group
- Nancy E. Cross, former vice president of SEIU Local 1
- David Dwight IV, Executive Director at Forward Through Ferguson
- Dara Eskridge, Executive Director of Invest STL
- Nahuel Fefer, Director of Policy & Development to Mayor Jones
- Cristina Garmendia, Principal at URBNRX
- Erica Henderson, Independent Consultant and Strategist, former executive director of St. Louis Promise Zone
- Grace Kyung, campaign director at COVID-19 Regional Response Team
- Molly Metzger, senior lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis
- Sandra M. Moore, Managing Director and Chief Impact Officer with Advantage Capital
- Arrey Obenson, President and CEO of the International Institute of St. Louis.
- Jason Q. Purnell, Vice President of Community Health Improvement for BJC HealthCare and Associate Professor in the Brown School at Washington University
- Wally Siewert, former Professor of Public Ethics and Director of Civic Engagement at FOCUS St. Louis
- Blake Strode, Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders
- Mike Talboy, former Missouri State Representative and Director of Governmental Affairs of Burns & McDonnell
- Richard von Glahn, Policy Director of Missouri Jobs with Justice
- Rebecca Weaver, Cities Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy in Missouri
- Aimee Wehmeier, President of Paraquad
From Friday's news release:
Process is policy, and community involvement will be at the center of Mayor Jones’ administration. Empowering and engaging citizens in the democratic process improves the quality of public investments and serves as an antidote to the public's lack of trust in government. Mayor Jones also calls on city residents to share their priorities for the $517 million in federal funds St. Louis is set to receive from the American Recovery Act via the People’s Agenda page on the Mayor’s website.