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Mayor Spencer appoints economic development officer to focus on St. Louis growth 16%
By Kavahn Mansouri59%
6/1/2026, 11:51:29 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 10 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Halo Effect, and Circular Reasoning, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 35.5% saturation with 142 hits. Analysis detected 427 faulty-reasoning hits from 400 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 31.9% and a BS Rank of 16% (18,468 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 84.40% of the article peer group.
A new position in Mayor Cara Spencer’s office aims to oversee accelerating St.
Louis’ economic agenda and competitiveness.
Spencer named Stephen Davis chief economic development officer on Monday after a nearly yearlong search.
Davis previously was vice president of strategic partnerships and initiatives for the St.
Louis Development Corporation, the city’s development arm.
"Stephen brings a proven track record of facilitating catalytic investments and building the collaborative partnerships necessary to drive St.
Louis’s economic future," Spencer said in a statement.
"His deep roots in our innovation ecosystem and his success in business retention and expansion make him the ideal leader to advance our vision for an inclusive and resilient economy."
In the newly created role, Davis will advise Spencer on business conditions and serve as a primary liaison to major private and institutional stakeholders, including employers, developers and regional leaders.
According to a press release, he will oversee defining and accelerating St.
Louis’ economic agenda, expanding the tax base and addressing equity and racial disparities through economic initiatives.
In a statement, Davis said he will work to strengthen the city’s competitiveness and ensure economic development benefits all of the city's neighborhoods.
"St.
Louis succeeds when public, private and community partners work together toward a shared vision," Davis said.
Before becoming a vice president, he headed up major projects at SLDC.
He worked as a project manager at the Missouri Department of Economic Development from April 2019 to February 2021.
Davis’ appointment comes during a shift in economic development leadership within the city and a push to encourage development, particularly downtown.
In March, SLDC’s board named Stephen Westbrooks to lead the corporation, succeeding interim head Otis Williams.
The position was created during a reorganization of Spencer’s office announced in August, aiming to ”create a clearer and more effective structure” to help the mayor achieve her goals, which included economic transformation, high-quality city services and recovery from last year’s tornado.
“This internal restructuring will help us deliver the kind of services, growth and opportunity that is needed for St.
Louis to thrive, attracting new residents and, most importantly, giving those who have already made St.
Louis home lots of reasons to stay,” Spencer said at the time.
Davis also will be the development corporation's board chair.
He holds an MBA from Webster University and a bachelor's degree from DePauw University.
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