A race for the city's top legislative post is drawing attention to how fast — and for whom — the city builds housing.
Browning represents Ward 9, while Green is the Board of Aldermen president. Green was first elected to represent the 15th Ward in 2014 and became board president in November 2022, according to STLtoday.com. Green won the 2017 general election unopposed, according to STLtoday.com.
Development policy is part of the broader debate. Green's development policy has included scorecards and tax incentives.
Browning's Case for Loosening the Rules on Housing
Browning has argued that St. Louis is making housing unaffordable by constricting supply, and he has said the city should make it easier to build. In comments carried by stlpr.org, Browning said the city needs to find a way to make projects pencil out for private builders, telling the station, “we've got to figure out a way to build housing underneath that system.”
He has also said that demand for development can kill projects outright, and he has argued that increasing overall housing availability could attract new residents, slow the city's population decline and bolster its tax base, per STLtoday.com. Browning's broader platform includes safer streets and better street maintenance; he has made street safety a major focus in office, supported changes benefiting bicyclists and pedestrians, and led efforts to create a city department that centralizes road maintenance, design and construction, the outlet notes. During his 2025 aldermanic campaign, Browning's platform also called for protections against illegal evictions and stronger protections for workers seeking to unionize, according to stlpr.org.
Green Points to Crime Spending and Development Guardrails
Green has defended her record by pointing to money she says she has directed toward social-service programs aimed at fighting crime, and she has said she has made sure development work benefits the city broadly rather than only large developers.
Homicides fell about 43% from 2020 to 2024, from 262 to 149, according to Fox 2. The 149 homicides in 2024 were the city's lowest annual total since 2013 and 11 fewer than in 2023, per fox2now.com.
Why the Board President's Seat Carries Weight
The stakes in the race go beyond gaveling meetings. St. Louis's Board of Aldermen president holds one of three votes on the city's Board of Estimate and Apportionment, which approves nearly all city spending, according to STLtoday.com. The City of St. Louis confirms that the Estimate and Apportionment board consists of the mayor, comptroller and president of the Board of Aldermen, per stlouis-mo.gov.
The Board President's race will play out amid competing views on how St. Louis should grow — and who should be allowed to build it.
