Megan Green

American politician and educator

Megan Green

Green in June 2024.

President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen

Incumbent

Assumed office
November 18, 2022
Preceded by| Joe Vollmer (interim)
Lewis Reed
Member of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen from the 15th ward
In office
October 17, 2014 – November 18, 2022
Preceded by| Jennifer Florida
Succeeded by| Ward abolished
Personal details
Born|

Megan Ellyia Green

(1983-07-25) July 25, 1983 (age 41)[1]
Oneonta, New York, U.S.
Political party| Democratic
Other political
affiliations| Democratic Socialists of America[2]
Education| Pennsylvania State University (BA)
Saint Louis University (MA, PhD)

Megan Ellyia Green[3] (born July 25, 1983) is an American politician and educator from St. Louis, Missouri. She has served as the President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen since 2022 and previously represented the 15th ward on the Board from 2014 to 2022. Green is a progressive Democrat and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Originally from Upstate New York, Green moved to St. Louis in 2005 to participate in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. She has a political science degree from Penn State and a PhD in education policy from Saint Louis University. Green was adjunct professor at the Washington University in St. Louis, teaching public policy.[3] She was suspended from this position in 2024.

In November 2022, Green won the special election to replace President of the Board of Aldermen Lewis Reed, who resigned after being indicted on federal bribery charges. The first woman to serve as Board President, Green was re-elected to a full four-year term in April 2023.[4][5]

## Early life and career

[edit]

Green was born in Oneonta, New York in 1983.[1][6] Her father is a philosophy professor at SUNY Oneonta and her mother is a public school English teacher. She became politically active as a student at Penn State, participating in John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and fundraising for the Democratic National Committee in Chicago. In 2005, she became a Coro Fellow and re-located to Tower Grove South in St. Louis.[6]

As part of the fellowship program, Green worked for U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill. She later participated in Teach for America and was involved in an unsuccessful effort to create a new charter school in St. Louis. She was also a local organizer for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.[6]

## St. Louis Board of Aldermen

[edit]

Green was first elected to the Board of Aldermen on October 7, 2014, winning a special election in the 15th ward, which covered Tower Grove South and parts of Tower Grove East. Running as an independent, she received 46% of the vote and defeated three other candidates. Green had been endorsed by Board President Lewis E. Reed.[7] She was sworn in on October 17, 2014.[8] The special election had been called after the previous alderwoman, Jennifer Florida, resigned to become the city's Recorder of Deeds.[7]

Green was re-elected to the Board of Aldermen in April 2015 with nearly 89% of the vote.[9][10] Her primary opponent criticized her involvement in the Ferguson protests.[6] In March 2017, Green was challenged by her predecessor, Jennifer Florida, in the primary. Florida was charged with third-degree assault against a man in St. Louis County during the campaign.[11] Green defeated Florida by over 30%[12] and won the general unopposed.[13]

In 2021, Green won a re-match against Jennifer Florida in a nonpartisan election using approval voting.[14][15] In June 2022, she was the chair of the Education and Youth Matters Committee and also sat on the Health and Human Services and Convention, Tourism, Arts, and Humanities committees.[16] In November 2022, Green vacated her 15th ward seat upon being elected President of the Board of Aldermen.

### Bribery allegations

[edit]

Green alleged in 2015 that a "loved one" had been offered a political bribe in return for Green "dialing down" her opposition to a proposed football stadium. She went on to criticize the Board of Aldermen's "quid pro quo mentality" and said that "the deal cutting, bribery... at City Hall will never cease to amaze me."[17] Green later apologized to Alderman Sam Moore after implying that he had accepted bribes in exchange for his vote on the planned stadium. St. Louis Public Radio reported that Green's allegations "seemed to irritate" her fellow board members and an investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI determined that her claims had "no substance."[18]

### Reed radio show appearance

[edit]

On January 11, 2016, Board President Lewis Reed was a guest on a radio show hosted by Bob Romanik. During the episode, Romanik called Green a "skanky bitch", "alderbitch", and "skanky-ass bitch". Reed laughed at these remarks and went on to criticize Green himself. His appearance on Romanik's show received considerable backlash and was condemned by then-Mayor Francis Slay. Reed later called Romanik's comments "out of line" and claimed that his laughter was due to shock.[19] On February 11, Green released a statement asking Reed to apologize.[20]

### Flip the Board campaign

[edit]

In the 2021 Board of Aldermen elections, Green led the Flip the Board campaign, endorsing a slate of progressive candidates running against incumbent alderpersons.[21] Three of the four candidates were successful,[15] reportedly resulting in a 15-seat progressive majority on the Board of Aldermen. Green later told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the "city electorate is a lot more progressive than people have thought recently."[22]

## Missouri Senate campaign

[edit]

In October 2019, Green announced her campaign for the Missouri Senate. She ran in the Senate's fifth district, which is entirely within the City of St. Louis. The 2020 Democratic primary in this district was expected to be competitive as incumbent state senator Jamilah Nasheed could not run due to term limits.[23]

Green received endorsements from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders[24] and the Democratic Socialists of America.[25] On August 4, 2020, she lost the Democratic nomination to state representative Steve Roberts by 3%.[26]

## President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen

[edit]

### Campaigns

[edit]

#### 2019

[edit]

Green announced in December 2017 that she would challenge Lewis Reed in the 2019 Board President election, further straining a political relationship that the Riverfront Times characterized as approaching "dumpster fire territory."[27] During the campaign, Green faced online attacks from the St. Louis Police Association, including one Facebook post featuring an image of Green's head digitally imposed onto the body of Mao Zedong. Green accused the posts of threatening violence, which the police union denied.[28] The attacks were covered by The New York Times in a 2020 article about police unions' opposition to reform.[29]

She ultimately placed third in the March 2019 Democratic primary, behind Reed and state senator Jamilah Nasheed.[30] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch later reported that she had primarily lost due to a lack of support from Black voters on the city's north side.[6] In January 2020, Green was fined by the Missouri Ethics Commission for failing to report campaign contributions.[31]

#### 2022

[edit]

In May 2022, Reed was indicted on federal bribery charges.[32] On June 5, Green called for Reed to "resign immediately," saying that he had "forfeited the trust" of the city.[16] Reed ultimately resigned on June 7 and Green announced her candidacy to replace him the following week.[33]

The only other candidate to file was Jack Coatar, an alderman whose ward was unsuccessfully targeted by Green's Flip the Board campaign in 2021.[34] The race was characterized as pitting the city's two ideological wings against each other, with Green associated with Mayor Tishaura Jones' progressive voting bloc and Coatar aligned with more moderate Democrats.[35] Green was endorsed by Jones, U.S. Representative Cori Bush, the St. Louis American, and the Democratic Socialists of America.[36][37] She received more votes than Coatar in the September primary[38] but both candidates advanced to the general election in November.[39]

On November 8, 2022, Green defeated Coatar with nearly 55% of the vote to his 44%.[40] She won 10 of the 14 wards due to a strong coalition of Black voters on the north side and progressive white voters in the Tower Grove area.[41] She is the first woman to be elected President of the Board of Alderman.[4]

#### 2023

[edit]

In December 2022, Green filed to run for re-election to a full four-year term.[42] Despite speculation that 1st ward alderwoman Sharon Tyus would mount a challenge, Tyus opted to run in the 12th ward and Green ran unopposed.[43][44] She with re-elected in April 2023 with 89% of the vote.[45]

### Tenure

[edit]

Green was sworn in as President of the Board of Aldermen on November 18, 2022; her inauguration ceremony was held on November 28.[5] Then considered a close political ally of Mayor Tishaura Jones, Green stated that her initial priorities as President were allocating pandemic aid funds, expanding social services, and overseeing the reduction of the Board of Aldermen from 28 to 14 members.[46]

In February 2023, the Board of Aldermen rejected a plan from President Green that would have re-allocated city funds among the wards based on perceived need rather than the current practice of equal distribution.[47] After progressives won a majority of the new 14-member Board in the April 2023 elections, Green oversaw the passage of a rules package that de-emphasized the power of seniority in the chamber.[48]

As President, Green has supported the professionalization of the Board of Aldermen by increasing aldermanic salaries and hiring legislative assistants.[49] Her office created and circulated a citywide survey to gauge public opinion on ways to spend funds from the Rams settlement.[50]

## Activism

[edit]

Green participated in the 2014 Ferguson protests.[6] In a September 2017 incident, Green and several others were tear-gassed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in the Central West End while protesting police brutality. She sued the city and its police department in 2018, alleging retaliation and excessive use of force.[51]

Green was a major supporter of a bill raising the city's minimum wage to $11 and opposed efforts to privatize St. Louis Lambert International Airport. She was also involved in the Close the Workhouse movement, advocating for the closure of the Medium Security Institution in St. Louis.[6]

During the 2024 pro-Palestine student protests, Green participated in several demonstrations at Washington University and has voiced criticisms of Israel. She was suspended from her position as an adjunct lecturer after attending a protest on April 27.[52] Green has criticized the police response to the protests as "heavy handed" and "indiscriminate".[53]

## Electoral history

[edit]

### 2014

[edit]

October 7, 2014 St. Louis Board of Alderman special election, 15th ward[54] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Independent | Megan Green  | 521  | 45.8%
| Independent | Rhonda Smythe  | 427  | 37.6%
| Democratic | Missy Pinkerton-McDaniel  | 123  | 10.8%
| Republican | Joshua Simpson  | 63  | 5.5%
| Write-in | 3  | 0.3%
Total votes  | 1,137  | 100.00%

### 2015

[edit]

March 3, 2015, St. Louis Board of Alderman Democratic primary, 15th ward[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 932  | 71.47%
| Democratic | Beth Braznell  | 372  | 28.53%
Total votes  | 1,304  | 100.00%
April 7, 2015, St. Louis Board of Alderman general election, 15th ward[10] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 681  | 88.56%
| Republican | Joshua Simpson  | 76  | 9.88%
| Write-in | 12  | 1.56%
Total votes  | 769  | 100.00%

### 2017

[edit]

March 7, 2017, St. Louis Board of Alderman Democratic primary, 15th ward[12] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 1,757  | 66.10%
| Democratic | Jennifer Florida  | 901  | 33.90%
Total votes  | 2,658  | 100.00%
April 4, 2017, St. Louis Board of Alderman general election, 15th ward[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 2,259  | 92.47%
| Write-in | 184  | 7.53%
Total votes  | 2,443  | 100.00%

### 2019

[edit]

March 5, 2019, President of the St. Louis Board of Alderman Democratic primary[12] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Lewis E. Reed | 12,468  | 35.66%
| Democratic | Jamilah Nasheed | 11,057  | 31.62%
| Democratic | Megan Green  | 10,890  | 31.14%
| Democratic | Jimmie Matthews  | 551  | 1.58%
Total votes  | 34,966  | 100.00%

### 2020

[edit]

August 4, 2020 Missouri Senate Democratic primary, 5th district[26] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Steve Roberts | 12,293  | 35.4%
| Democratic | Megan Green  | 11,241  | 32.4%
| Democratic | Michelle Sherod  | 7,817  | 22.5%
| Democratic | William C. Haas  | 2,068  | 6.0%
| Democratic | Jeremiah Church  | 893  | 2.6%
| Democratic | McFarlane E. Duncan  | 387  | 1.1%
Total votes  | 34,699  | 100.00%

### 2021

[edit]

March 2, 2021, St. Louis Board of Alderman blanket primary, 15th ward[14] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 1,745  | 74.26%
| Nonpartisan | Jennifer Florida  | 722  | 30.72%
| Nonpartisan | Alexander Gremp  | 169  | 7.19%
Total votes  | 2,636  | 112.20%
April 6, 2021, St. Louis Board of Alderman general election, 15th ward[15] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 1,917  | 67.26%
| Nonpartisan | Jennifer Florida  | 927  | 32.53%
| Write-in | 6  | 0.21%
Total votes  | 2,850  | 100.00%

### 2022

[edit]

September 13, 2022, President of the St. Louis Board of Alderman special primary election[38] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan | Megan Green  | 6,497  | 53.68%
| Nonpartisan | Jack Coatar  | 5,607  | 46.32%
Total votes  | 12,104  | 110.00%
November 8, 2022, President of the St. Louis Board of Alderman special election[40] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan | Megan Green  | 43,672  | 54.99%
| Nonpartisan | Jack Coatar  | 35,255  | 44.39%
| Write-in | 497  | 0.63%
Total votes  | 79,424  | 100.00%

### 2023

[edit]

March 7, 2023 President of the Board of Aldermen primary election[55] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 17,177  | 69.2%
Total votes  | 17,177  | 69.2%
April 4, 2023 President of the Board of Aldermen general election[45] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan | Megan Green (incumbent)  | 24,939  | 89.0%
| Write-in | 3,070  | 11.0%
Total votes  | 28,009  | 100%

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Dr. Megan Ellyia Green [@MeganEllyia] (July 25, 2022). "Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 3, 2022 - via Twitter.
2. ^ "DSA is proud to endorse Megan Ellyia Green ... an active member of St. Louis DSA for the last three years". Facebook. June 30, 2020.
3. ^ a b "Bio". Megan Green Campaign Website. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022.
4. ^ a b Huguelet, Austin (November 9, 2022). "Alderman Megan Green beats Jack Coatar for president of St. Louis Board of Aldermen". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
5. ^ a b Huguelet, Austin (November 18, 2022). "Inauguration of Megan Green as St. Louis board president set for after Thanksgiving". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
6. ^ a b c d e f g Huguelet, Austin (November 1, 2022). "Descartes, disparities and St. Louis: The education of Megan Green". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
7. ^ a b McDaniel, Chris (October 7, 2014). "Independent Candidate Wins St. Louis Aldermanic Race In Special Election". St. Louis Public Radio.
8. ^ "Agenda for Week of October 13, 2014". St. Louis Board of Aldermen.
9. ^ a b "March 2015 St. Louis primary election results" (PDF).
10. ^ a b "April 2015 St. Louis general election results" (PDF).
11. ^ Murphy, Doyle (February 24, 2017). "Jennifer Florida, St. Louis Alderman Candidate, Facing Assault Charge". Riverfront Times.
12. ^ a b c "March 2017 St. Louis primary election" (PDF).
13. ^ a b "April 2017 St. Louis general election" (PDF).
14. ^ a b "March 2021 St. Louis primary election results" (PDF).
15. ^ a b c "April 2021 St. Louis general election results" (PDF).
16. ^ a b Dr. Megan Ellyia Green [@MeganEllyia] (June 6, 2022). "See below for my official statement calling on the resignation of President Reed" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
17. ^ Rosenbaum, Jason (December 11, 2015). "St. Louis alderman alleges stadium debate took a corrupt turn". St. Louis Public Radio.
18. ^ Lippmann, Rachel (February 19, 2016). "Green apologizes over claims of bribery; committee may again hold hearings". St. Louis Public Radio.
19. ^ Fenske, Sarah (February 8, 2016). "Alderwoman Megan Green Derided as "Skanky-Ass Bitch" — and Now Lewis Reed Is Under Fire". Riverfront Times.
20. ^ Gibson, Justin [@JGibsonDem] (February 11, 2016). "@MeganEllyia's statement to the St. Louis BOA on @PresReed's behavior on Bob Romanik's show" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
21. ^ Green, Megan (February 14, 2021). "#FlipTheBoard (of Aldermen)". Medium. Retrieved July 8, 2023. "This election cycle in particular we have some stellar candidates running for the Board of Aldermen who I am proud to support..."
22. ^ Barker, Jacob (April 11, 2021). "Progressives see power grow after St. Louis election results, but can they stay united?". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
23. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (October 15, 2019). "St. Louis Alderwoman Megan Green joins crowded SD 5 race". The Missouri Times.
24. ^ "Megan Green". Bernie Sanders. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022.
25. ^ "Past Endorsements". DSA National Electoral Committee.
26. ^ a b "August 2020 Missouri primary election results" (PDF).
27. ^ Wicentowski, Danny (December 12, 2017). "Alderwoman Megan Green to Take on Lewis Reed for Board Presidency". Riverfront Times.
28. ^ Weill, Kelly (March 5, 2019). "Democrat Megan Green Wants to Curb Police Brutality. St. Louis Cops Call Her 'Communist.'". The Daily Beast.
29. ^ Noam Scheiber, Farah Stockman and J. David Goodman (June 6, 2020). "How Police Unions Became Such Powerful Opponents to Reform Efforts". The New York Times.
30. ^ "2019 St. Louis primary election results" (PDF).
31. ^ Erickson, Kurt (January 10, 2020). "Another 'clerical error' costs St. Louis Alderman Megan Green $390 in fines". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
32. ^ "St. Louis Board President Lewis Reed and two aldermen indicted on federal bribery charges". St. Louis Public Radio. June 3, 2022.
33. ^ Schlinkmann, Mark (June 13, 2022). "Megan Green is first to enter race for St. Louis aldermanic president". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
34. ^ Huguelet, Austin (August 17, 2022). "Two opposites are vying to be St. Louis' top lawmaker. The mayor is caught in the middle". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
35. ^ Lippmann, Rachel (November 8, 2022). "Megan Green becomes first woman elected president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen". St. Louis Public Radio.
36. ^ "Endorsements". Megan Green Campaign Website. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022.
37. ^ DSA [@DemSocialists] (October 27, 2022). "DSA is proud to endorse @MeganEllyiaof @stlouisdsa" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
38. ^ a b "September 13 Primary Results" (PDF).
39. ^ Huguelet, Austin (September 14, 2022). "Megan Green wins first-round St. Louis aldermanic president poll". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
40. ^ a b "November 8 General Election Results" (PDF).
41. ^ Huguelet, Austin (November 9, 2022). "Ward by ward: How Megan Green won St. Louis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
42. ^ Green, Megan [@MeganEllyia] (December 14, 2022). "Today I filed to run to serve you as President of the Board of Aldermen for a full four-year term" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
43. ^ "List of Candidates" (PDF). City of St. Louis. January 6, 2023.
44. ^ "Here's how St. Louis aldermen spent ward capital funds". KSDK. January 3, 2023.
45. ^ a b "General election results" (PDF). City of St. Louis. April 4, 2023.
46. ^ Huguelet, Austin (November 28, 2022). "Megan Green inaugurated as St. Louis' first female aldermanic president". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
47. ^ Huguelet, Austin (February 8, 2023). "St. Louis aldermen back mayor's priorities, but reject 'equity' for ward money". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
48. ^ Lippmann, Rachel (April 18, 2023). "Historic day at St. Louis City Hall eclipsed by bitter debate and personal attacks". St. Louis Public Radio.
49. ^ Lippmann, Rachel (November 29, 2023). "Megan Green takes stock of her year as president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen". St. Louis Public Radio.
50. ^ BOA President Megan E. Green [@saintlouispres] (November 17, 2023). "Informed by survey results and resident input, the BOA has identified seven priority challenges to address using the Rams Settlement Funds" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
51. ^ Rivas, Rebecca (September 26, 2018). "Alderwoman Megan Green sues city for police retaliation during Stockley verdict protests, says better First Amendment policy is needed". St. Louis American.
52. ^ Suntrup, Jack (May 7, 2024). "Missouri lawmakers sound off on Megan Green during debate on Israel support". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
53. ^ Abbitt, Vanessa (April 30, 2024). "Megan Green on police officers' "excessive use of force" in breaking up a pro-Palestinian demonstration at WashU". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
54. ^ "October 2014 Board of Alderman special election" (PDF).
55. ^ "Primary election results" (PDF). City of St. Louis. March 7, 2023.