Dr. Megan Elliya Green was sworn in this week as President of the Board of Aldermen — and she tells KMOX she's ready to get to work.
Green said her first three priorities are reducing the Board of Aldermen from 20 boards to 14, tax incentive reform, and using the city's remaining ARPA funds.
"We need to get the remainder of those funds appropriated to make sure that they are helping working families in our city and also creating safer streets," Green said.
She also talked about using the Rams settlement money, and said that she plans to do listening sessions around the city to hear what people want the money to go towards.
"I'm going to propose to the Mayor and the Comptroller, that after the first of the year, we set up a variety of town halls, — north side, south side, central corridor — to make sure that we're hearing directly from residents of the city before we commit ourselves to any allocation of those funds," she said.
Green is currently in a historic position, as the first woman to be St. Louis' Aldermanic President. She said she's glad to be part of a women-led team.
"We know that women lead in a different way. We are collaborative. The Comptroller, the Mayor and I all have a great relationship with each other," she said. "We know how to disagree in ways that are still productive and move us forward. Because I think at the end of the day, we all ultimately share the same goal of wanting to make sure that we have a city that works for everyone."
She also said there are some culture issues within the Board that need to be addressed, and she's been sitting down with all the Aldermen individually to talk with them about what their needs are.
"I've made a vow to not lead in the same way as my predecessor to make sure that decisions are made collaboratively rather than in a top down approach," she said. "And every day I'm working to fulfill that goal, as is my team."
Green said that after the gridlock the city has seen over the past few years, she's ready to hit the ground running.
Hear more from Board of Aldermen President Megan Green on her plans for trash pickup, revamping the 9-1-1 system, violent crime, police, and more:
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