Meet the candidates: Two challengers look to unseat St. Louis' top financial watchdog

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - With St. Louis’ primary municipal election set for Tuesday, March 4, voters will decide which two candidates for city comptroller will advance to the general election on April 8.

Incumbent Darlene Green, who has held the position for nearly 30 years, faces challenges from Celeste Metcalf, a certified public ant (A) and ing firm owner, as well as Donna Baringer, a former Missouri representative and longtime St. Louis alderwoman.

Green says St. Louis still needs her experience. Her challengers argue that the city needs new leadership in financial oversight.

Incumbent Darlene Green

Green, first appointed in 1995 following the resignation and tax fraud of former comptroller Virvus Jones, has since won every election with little opposition. She touts her tenure as a period of financial stability and growth, pointing to a significant improvement in the city’s credit rating - from BBB to AA.

“I run on a platform of my honesty, integrity and experience,” Green said. “We only had $1.5 million in the bank when I started. Now, we have $151 million in the rainy-day fund.”

She argues that her leadership has helped St. Louis secure financing and attract investment, emphasizing the city’s ability to weather financial shortfalls, such as the unexpected rise in earnings tax refunds to remote workers last year. The city originally budgeted $26 million but ended up paying out $41 million.

“We had a pretty good estimate… but the good news is this: we were able to pay out that $41 million because we’ve got balances in our rainy-day fund,” Green explained.

Green says she has always been a voice for development and for the people in St. Louis, as the comptroller’s office is separate from the mayor’s office.

In January, Green called on Mayor Tishaura Jones to bring in more help following the winter storm that left the city’s streets ice-covered for weeks.

Green also called for a ‘do-over’ of the St. Louis Development Corporation’s (SLDC) $37 million grant program aiming to help businesses and nonprofits in North St. Louis.

“Fortunately, I was able to freeze those ineligible businesses that SLDC had on board to give over $3 million to,” Green said.

Green’s challengers say she should have had her eyes on those federal dollars all along, but Green says she was not asked to be part of the conversation.

Celeste Metcalf

Metcalf, a certified public ant (A) with experience overseeing federal stimulus dollars after the 2008 recession, says the city’s financial management needs an overhaul. She previously worked on city contracts in several offices, including treasurer, license collector and recorder of deeds.

“I kind of wanted to be the comptroller then,” Metcalf said, recalling her time working within city departments. “Then I saw an article in the paper that said the city wasn’t paying their bills on time, and I’m like, ‘this is insane.’”

In 2023, First Alert 4 reported that judges sued the comptroller’s office over unpaid bills. Later that year, some city employees and contractors experienced paycheck delays. Green attributed the latter issues to the implementation of a new digital ing system.

“Of course, there were some hiccups,” Green said. “But with training and continued understanding by employees, that has subsided.”

Green also says the city wouldn’t have such a strong credit rating if it had chronic issues with late bill payments.

Metcalf argues that Green focuses too much on maintaining a strong credit rating rather than using financial tools to drive economic growth.

“What good is a great credit rating if you’re not using it to develop and grow the city?” Metcalf said.

“When you have a declining population and a declining tax base, sometimes the only thing you can think about is, ‘Okay, how do I pick up the trash and fix the streets?’ No. Let’s grow.”

Some of her ideas for growth are detailed on her campaign website: introducing and promoting a high-speed light rail in Missouri, drawing in film and television studios to create in St. Louis and cutting down on vacant buildings in the city.

“I can no longer sit idly by and watch the decline of my city,” Metcalf said.

First Alert 4 has also reported on transparency issues within the comptroller’s office. Metcalf said she knows exactly how she would solve that issue.

“If you have good procedures, it’s easy to audit those procedures. If you know that ‘A leads to B, and B leads to C, and C leads to D, all you have to do is look at any one of those junctures and figure out which piece of this puzzle is not working and fix it,” Metcalf said.

Donna Baringer

Baringer, a former state representative and city alderwoman, highlights her experience on the state’s fiscal review committee and the city’s budget committee as key qualifications.

“I’m known as the fiscal hawk, and what I like to do is go through numbers,” Baringer said.

She has expressed concern over transparency and engagement from the comptroller’s office.

With major financial decisions like the use of the nearly $500 million in Rams settlement funds and remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, Baringer says the comptroller can’t be asleep at the wheel.

“I started getting more concerned because I was reading the paper and I started seeing that the position of the comptroller, they were questioning a lot of attendance, showing up for meetings,” Baringer said.

Green refuted claims that she has been absent from key meetings.

“I’m making an effort to go into the office every single day and to be at work when it’s required,” Green said. “The criticism has no fire underneath.”

As it relates to ARPA dollars, Baringer wants to get that money spent, fearing Washington may come after it.

“I have a feeling that Washington D.C. is going to be coming to cities like St. Louis, and they’re going to take it back,” Baringer said. “If we put that money into concrete, then they can’t take it. But if it’s just sitting in an , they will come get it. I have no doubt that could happen to us.”

Baringer believes that engaging directly with staff will be key to improving the office and staffing.

“I would go into that office and I would immediately want to talk to each one of the employees and say, ‘What can I do to make it better for you to do your job?’” Baringer said.

Baringer claims former employees have shared frustrations after leaving the office and want to come back.

“They were either fired, or they quit and went to a different department. They just couldn’t work under the stressful circumstances,” Baringer said.

Though not an ant, Baringer says she’s committed to boosting staffing and surround herself with the right people.

“I’ve always been about bringing people around me who are good at what I’m trying to solve,” Baringer said.

More of the same or time for change?

Both challengers argue it’s time for new leadership after Green’s 30-year tenure.

“In the last 30 years, we’ve had a couple of different presidents of the Board of Aldermen. We’ve had maybe five different mayors. But we’ve had one comptroller,” Metcalf said.

Baringer echoed the sentiment.

“I know people have said to me, ‘I can’t believe you would take on a 30-year incumbent.’ And I said, ‘I can’t believe no one has done it yet.’”

Election Details

St. Louis voters can select multiple candidates for the office on March 4. The top two candidates will advance to the general election on April 8.

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