Lyda Krewson

Lyda Krewson
Krewson in 2017
Lyda Krewson
Born	14 11, 1953
Birthplace	Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Title	46th Mayor of St. Louis
Known for	First female mayor of St. Louis, Missouri
Education	Truman State University (BA) University of Missouri–St. Louis (BS)
Children	2

Lyda Krewson (born November 14, 1953) is an American retired politician who served as the 46th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from April 18, 2017, to April 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Krewson made history as the first woman to hold the office of mayor of St. Louis, one of Missouri's largest cities and an independent city with a long political history. Before ascending to the mayoralty, Krewson served two decades as the alderman representing the city's 28th ward from 1997 to 2017, establishing herself as a fixture in St. Louis municipal politics. Her tenure as mayor was marked by efforts to address homelessness, gun violence, and climate policy, but also by significant controversy, particularly a 2020 incident in which she read aloud the names and addresses of constituents who had called for police reform during a live broadcast. On November 18, 2020, Krewson announced she would not seek a second term, retiring from public office when her term concluded in April 2021.

Early Life

Lyda Krewson was born on November 14, 1953, in Davenport, Iowa. She later relocated to the St. Louis metropolitan area, where she would build her career and spend the majority of her adult life. Details about her parents and upbringing in Davenport remain limited in publicly available records.

Krewson's personal life was profoundly shaped by tragedy. Her first husband, Jeff Krewson, was shot and killed in 1995 in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, an event that would significantly influence her later political career and her advocacy around gun violence issues. The murder of her husband left Krewson a single mother raising two children, and the experience became a defining element of both her personal identity and her public service. The tragedy propelled her entry into politics, and she subsequently became an advocate for measures to reduce gun violence in St. Louis, a city that has consistently ranked among those with the highest rates of violent crime in the United States.

Krewson settled in the Central West End, a neighborhood in the city's 28th ward, where she became active in civic and community affairs. Her involvement in neighborhood organizations and local issues eventually led her to seek elected office.

Education

Krewson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Truman State University, a public liberal arts university in Kirksville, Missouri. She also obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Her dual undergraduate education provided her with a broad academic foundation that she brought to her career in accounting and later to public service. Before entering politics, Krewson worked as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a background that would inform her approach to municipal budgeting and fiscal policy during her years on the Board of Aldermen and later as mayor.

Career

Board of Aldermen (1997–2017)

Krewson began her career in elected office in 1997 when she was chosen to represent the 28th ward on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, the city's legislative body. The 28th ward encompasses the Central West End and surrounding neighborhoods on the city's central corridor, an area that includes a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial districts, and institutional anchors such as Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University Medical Center.

During her two decades on the Board of Aldermen, Krewson built a reputation as a pragmatic legislator focused on neighborhood development, public safety, and fiscal responsibility. Her background as a CPA was frequently cited as an asset in her work on budget-related matters and municipal finance. She was re-elected multiple times, serving continuously until she departed the board upon assuming the mayoralty in 2017. Her successor as 28th ward alderman was Heather Navarro.

Throughout her tenure as alderman, Krewson was involved in efforts related to neighborhood revitalization in the Central West End and adjacent areas. She worked on issues including zoning, commercial development, infrastructure improvements, and public safety initiatives within her ward. Her long service on the board provided her with deep institutional knowledge of St. Louis city government, which she leveraged in her subsequent campaign for mayor.

2017 Mayoral Election

In 2017, Krewson entered the race to succeed Francis Slay, who had served as mayor of St. Louis since 2001 and was not seeking re-election. The Democratic primary, which in heavily Democratic St. Louis effectively determines the outcome of the general election, featured a competitive field of candidates.

Krewson won the Democratic primary and then secured victory in the general election on April 4, 2017, becoming the first woman elected mayor of St. Louis in the city's history. Her election was characterized by local media as a "historic victory," and she took office on April 18, 2017, succeeding Slay, who had served four terms.

Mayor of St. Louis (2017–2021)

Homelessness

One of the early priorities of Krewson's administration was addressing homelessness in St. Louis. The city expanded services for homeless residents, with taxpayers contributing nearly $500,000 to expand homeless services during her tenure. The city also increased the number of beds available at its emergency homeless shelter during winter months, a response to dangerous cold weather conditions that posed health risks to unsheltered individuals.

Krewson's approach to homelessness received mixed reactions. Some community advocates praised the expansion of shelter capacity and services, while others, including critics writing in the St. Louis American, argued that the administration's efforts were insufficient and called for more comprehensive solutions to the root causes of homelessness in the city.

Public Safety and Gun Violence

Public safety and violent crime remained persistent challenges throughout Krewson's time as mayor. St. Louis consistently ranked among the cities with the highest homicide rates in the United States during her tenure. Krewson, whose personal experience with gun violence informed her perspective on the issue, called for an emergency launch of violence prevention programs in the city.

In February 2020, Krewson issued a proclamation recognizing National Gun Violence Survivors Week in St. Louis, designating February 1 through February 8, 2020, for the observance. The proclamation reflected her continued focus on gun violence as both a policy priority and a personal cause.

The administration's approach to criminal justice also involved debate over the St. Louis Medium Security Institution, commonly known as "the Workhouse," a city-operated jail that had been the subject of long-standing criticism from activists and advocacy groups regarding conditions of confinement. Activists launched campaigns to close the facility and reduce the city's jail population during Krewson's tenure. The issue of the Workhouse became a focal point for broader discussions about criminal justice reform, policing, and racial equity in St. Louis.

Climate and Environmental Policy

Krewson's administration pursued several environmental and climate-related initiatives. In December 2019, she signed solar readiness legislation that made St. Louis the first city in the Midwest, and the second in the country, to require new construction to include provisions for solar energy installations. The legislation, designated as Board Bill 146, was characterized as a forward-looking step in local climate action.

In February 2021, near the end of her term, Krewson signed an executive order to begin the electrification of the city's municipal vehicle fleet and unveiled the city's newest fully electric vehicles. The executive order represented an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of city operations and was part of the administration's broader climate action agenda.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

The final year of Krewson's term was significantly shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, the city moved to close businesses that were not complying with public health requirements related to the pandemic. The enforcement action targeted non-compliant businesses that had previously received cease and desist letters from the City's Department of Health but had continued to operate in violation of public health orders. The pandemic response required the administration to balance public health concerns with economic pressures on the city's businesses and residents.

2020 Controversy: Reading Names of Police Reform Advocates

In June 2020, amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd, Krewson became the subject of intense controversy. During a Facebook Live broadcast on June 26, 2020, she read aloud the names and addresses of constituents who had written to her calling for the defunding of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The incident drew immediate and widespread condemnation from civil liberties advocates, community organizations, and elected officials at multiple levels of government.

Krewson issued an apology on social media following the broadcast. However, the apology did not quell the backlash. The Associated Press and NBC News reported on the incident nationally, characterizing the mayor as having been "slammed" for broadcasting the personal information of citizens who had expressed political views on policing.

Hundreds of protesters marched to Krewson's home on June 28, 2020, chanting "resign Lyda, take the cops with you." A petition calling for her resignation circulated in the community and received significant attention from local media. Additional marches took place through the Central West End neighborhood, with participants demanding Krewson's resignation.

The controversy intensified scrutiny of Krewson's handling of racial justice and policing issues and contributed to the political environment in which she announced, on November 18, 2020, that she would not seek a second term as mayor.

Decision Not to Seek Re-election

On November 18, 2020, Krewson announced that she would not seek re-election and would retire from public office at the conclusion of her term in April 2021. In her announcement, she indicated her intention to step away from politics after more than two decades of continuous public service as both an alderman and mayor. Her decision came approximately five months after the controversy over the Facebook Live broadcast and amid ongoing challenges related to the pandemic and public safety.

Krewson was succeeded as mayor by Tishaura Jones, who was inaugurated on April 20, 2021, and became the first Black woman to serve as mayor of St. Louis.

Personal Life

Krewson has two children. Her first husband, Jeff Krewson, was shot and killed in 1995 in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, a tragedy that profoundly influenced her entry into public life and her sustained focus on gun violence prevention throughout her political career.

Krewson has been a long-time resident of the Central West End, the neighborhood she represented for twenty years as alderman of the 28th ward. She has been active in the civic life of the neighborhood beyond her official duties, participating in community organizations and neighborhood improvement efforts.

In an interview with St. Louis Magazine near the end of her term, Krewson discussed her plans for retirement, mentioning that she anticipated spending time taking long walks through Forest Park and visiting coffee shops.

Post-Mayoral Career

Following her retirement from the mayoralty, Krewson continued to be involved in public affairs. In June 2024, Missouri Governor Mike Parson appointed Krewson to the University of Missouri Board of Curators, the governing body overseeing the University of Missouri system. The appointment recognized her long career in public service spanning her time as both alderman and mayor.

Legacy

Lyda Krewson's place in St. Louis history is defined foremost by her distinction as the first woman to serve as mayor of the city, a milestone achieved in 2017 after more than two centuries of municipal governance. Her twenty years on the Board of Aldermen, followed by a single term as mayor, made her one of the longer-serving figures in St. Louis city government during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Her administration's environmental initiatives, including the solar readiness legislation and the executive order on municipal fleet electrification, positioned St. Louis as an early adopter of certain climate policies among midwestern cities. The solar readiness ordinance in particular was noted for making St. Louis the first city in the Midwest to adopt such a requirement.

At the same time, Krewson's tenure was shadowed by the controversy surrounding the June 2020 Facebook Live incident, which became one of the more prominent moments of political conflict between a U.S. mayor and constituents during the nationwide protests that followed the killing of George Floyd. The incident raised questions about privacy, the relationship between elected officials and constituents, and the handling of political dissent.

Krewson was succeeded by Tishaura Jones, whose election as the first Black woman to serve as mayor of St. Louis represented another milestone in the city's political history. The historical record of St. Louis documents Krewson among the city's mayors.