March 10th , 2025, A Brighter Future for St Louis PAC received $50,000 from The Lamar Johnson Collaborative, the architectural firm now working with Bob Clark’s Clayco and Gateway Arch Park Foundation on redevelopment of former Millennium Hotel. It’s Mayor Cara Spencer’s PAC, a way around campaign finance contribution limits.
Clayco contributed a total of $130,674.60 to the PAC in January-February. Those monies helped fund mailings produced by Mike Kelley‘s Show Me Victories and negative media against then Mayor Tishuara Jones.
Clark donated the maximum $2,600 to both Spencer and now Comptroller Donna Baringer this year. But he also donated $10,000 February 25th to 71 Percent PAC run by Kelley Group/Show Me Victories, political consultants.
The 71 Percent PAC paid $77,897.24 to Show Me Victories for digital ads and mailings supporting and opposing candidates. It supported the election of Spencer and Baringer as well as re-election of 11th Ward Alder Laura Keyes and losing 7th Ward Alder candidate Cedric Redmond. It opposed the re-election of Mayor Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green as well as 7th Alder Alisha Sonnier.
In 2019, then Alder Spencer co-sponsored Charter amendments against concealment of campaign donor true identity ( Board Bill 41) and against candidates accepting funds from donors seeking City contracts (Board Bill 40). Neither made it to the ballot.
In September, the Board of Alders passed and Spencer signed a redevelopment plan for Millennium Hotel. Board Bill 39 provides for 20 years of tax abatement (making St. Louis public school children pay for redevelopment), per Bill Summary on City website as of 12/29/2025, on the project as well as eminent domain use.
Updated 12/29/2025 to reflect tax abatement information from official bill Summary, not me comparing the 105 page Introduced bill to the 104 Committee Substitute bill. If Summary is wrong, that’s not on me.
The Great State of St. Louis 