Elston K. McCowan is a former organizer - now the Public Service Director of SEIU Local 2000 - and board member of the Walbridge Community Education Center, and is a Baptist minister, has been a community organizer for more than 23 years, and now, he is running for Mayor of the City of St. Louis under the banner of the Green Party of St. Louis.

McCowan proposes real alternative political change for St. Louis - to end the discontent and lack of hope in the City. An example of that hopelessness in the City's political machine was exhibited when the Campaign to Recall Francis G. Slay (the current Mayor of St. Louis) collected 26,000 signatures in less than a year, which means that more people were willing to sign a petition to kick out the ruling City authority, than those who actually voted for the Democratic Mayor Slay.

“The 26,000 people who signed those petitions, and many others I’ve spoken to, are ready to end the ‘Slay-ride’ that has been racial division and further deterioration of the St. Louis Public Schools,” says McCowan.”The firing of Fire Chief Sherman George and Slay’s refusal to make lead-based paint abatement in our schools a priority sends a clear message that this mayor is not interested in the will of the people. It’s time for the dawning of ‘A New Day for St. Louis.'"


- All workers must have a right to organize, including police.

- Fire Chief Sherman George was fired by Slay for refusing to administer a culturally biased test that would fail African-American firefighters. The passing fire fighters explain exactly the problems Chief George predicted - only allowing the City of St. Louis a few African-American firefighters, and almost exclusively white firefighters. McCowan, on the other hand, thinks Chief Sherman George should be re-hired, and culturally biased tests should not be administered.

- St. Louis City Public Schools are being closed and privatized. McCowan says, "No more school closings!" If students are failing, reduce the class size and solve the economic problems in the community.

- If the school has lead paint, allow the public to fix the problem of lead poison, as Mayor Francis G. Slay has been avoiding actually doing for years. McCowan proposes that no classroom have any more than 17 students.

- Police often seek to unionize, but are told they cannot. McCowan supports their basic labor right to free association and assembly by supporting their right to unionize.

- Health care should be a right, and McCowan has said he will do anything he can to make it a right for the people of St. Louis.

- While unemployment is on the rise, crime may rise. We cannot allow St. Louis to become further divided and conquered with destruction by the impending economic crisis and racial discrimination. Instead, McCowan proposes that City workers should be employed based on those neigborhoods with the highest unemployment rates.

In 2005, the Green Party of St. Louis ran Willie Marshall for Mayor of the City of St. Louis in the General Election, and he got 21% of the vote (See Links at the Bottom: "Tribute to Willie Marshall").


http://www.mccowan4mayor.com/ (read less)

Elston K. McCowan is a former organizer - now the Public Service Director of SEIU Local 2000 - and board member of the Walbridge Community Education Center, and is a Baptist minister, has been a community organizer for more than 23 years, and now, he is running for Mayor of the City of St. Louis under the banner of the Green Party of St. Louis.

McCowan proposes real alternative political change for St. Louis - to end the discontent and lack of hope in the City. An example of that... (read more)