Bicycling

St. Louis Mayoral Contender Lewis Reed Hopes to Bike to City Hall

Via the Kansas Cyclist, here's a campaign ad from St. Louis mayoral hopeful Lewis Reed that would seem strangely inconceivable in NYC's current political climate.

By Ben Fried

4:59 PM EST on February 20, 2013

Via the Kansas Cyclist, here’s a campaign ad from St. Louis mayoral hopeful Lewis Reed that would seem strangely inconceivable in NYC’s current political climate.

Reed, currently president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen (the equivalent of being City Council speaker in NYC), is challenging three-term incumbent Francis Slay in a primary election coming up on March 5.

Reed’s online campaign bio prominently features his role in launching Bike St. Louis, an effort to create safer streets for bike commuting and to connect the city’s parks with bike routes. This 30-second spot, though, has nothing to do with policy specifics. It’s all about imagery, and the predominant images are Lewis Reed biking the streets of St. Louis and hauling his bike up the stairs in the halls of municipal power (and high-fiving people). Do you think his team focus-grouped the spot?

Ben Fried

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.