Antonio French

Antonio French is a former city alderman in St. Louis, Missouri's 21st Ward.

Antonio French
Born (1977-10-16) October 16, 1977
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
EducationMBA, Washington University
Alma materAuburn University
Occupationformer St. Louis City Alderman
SpouseJasenka Benac French
Children1

From 2009 until 2017 French served as the Alderman, representing part of the neighborhoods of Penrose, College Hill, and O'Fallon, where he was born and raised. Prior to becoming Alderman, he served the 21st Ward as the Democratic Committeeman and managed numerous winning political campaigns as the president of his own consulting firm. French also ran a newspaper titled The Public Defender.[1]

Political career

Aldermanic first term

French's first election, in 2009, gave him the aldermanic seat that he held until the 2017 election, in the Ward in which he grew up.[2] In 2010, he was named "Best Local Politician" by the Riverfront Times.[3] During his first term, He worked to start at $600,000 project to install security cameras all around his ward, which helped cut homicides and general crime in the ward.[4] French also introduced legislation requesting speed bumps in the newly improved O'Fallon Park that was vetoed by Mayor Francis G. Slay.[5]

Other community improvement actions he took during his first term include a "Block by Block" campaign to rehab houses with corporate and non-profit partners each month[6] and a jazz concert series in O'Fallon Park.[7]

Aldermanic second term

After being re-elected in 2013, Alderman French went on to sponsor a civilian review board bill, in response to the unrest in Ferguson.[8] The bill would create a seven-person board that has the power to review police evidence, interrogation tapes, and investigations, but would not have the power of subpoena.[9] The board would have the power to send investigations back to Internal Affairs with recommendations for further questions or additional evidence. If the board is still unsatisfied, it can conduct its own independent investigation and make recommendations to the police chief regarding discipline.[10] During his second term, French also received his Executive MBA degree from Washington University.

French at a debate during the 2017 St. Louis mayoral election

Mayoral election

French ran for Mayor of St. Louis in the 2017 election.[11] He was endorsed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.[12] He came in fourth out of the seven declared candidates.

Education initiative

In 2012, French founded The North Campus, an education initiative modeled after The Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City. The North Campus provides after-school tutoring, mentoring and enrichment services for more than 150 children.[13] The organization's mission is to coordinate an expansive network of partnerships working together for a common goal: providing the children of the North Campus with a world-class education and an enriching childhood experience so that they will ultimately lift themselves and their families out of poverty.[14] French is both the founder and President of the organization, coordinating multiple sites of student services. In 2015, the IRS stripped North Campus Partnership, an organization created by French, of its nonprofit status for failing to file annual tax returns.[15] The status was subsequently fully reinstated retroactively.[16]

Ferguson involvement
French at the 2014 Ferguson protests

In 2014, French gained national visibility for his role in documenting protests over the shooting of Michael Brown, for which he was arrested.[17][18] French was among the first of elected officials involved in the Ferguson protests, acting as social media-/photo-journalist and mediator.[19]

Personal life

French's wife, Jasenka, is a Bosnian immigrant who came to the United States with her family as a refugee of the Bosnian War.[20]

References
  1. C.D. Stelzer. "Young Journalists Launch Leftist Alternative Weekly". stlmediahistory.com. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  2. Jason Rosembaum. "French wins alderman position". jasonrosembaum.typepad.com. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
  3. "Profile Alderman Antonio D. French". Stlouis-mo.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  4. David Hunn. "St. Louis leaders tour the 21st Ward's crime camera system". stltoday.com. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  5. Albert Samaha. "Alderman French Calls Mayor's Speed Bump Veto "Petty Politics"". blogs.riverfronttimes.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  6. Tim Townsend. "City rehab goes one block at a time". www.stltoday.com. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  7. Tim Townsend. "O'Fallon Park concert series to begin Wednesday, July 7". www.stljazznotes.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  8. Kevin Killeen. "Civiliam Review Board Emerges--with Fewer Teeth". st.louis.cbslocal.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  9. Nicholas J.C. Pistor. "St. Louis aldermen move forward civilian oversight board of police". stltoday.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  10. Rebecca Rivas. "Civilian oversight bill nears passage in St. Louis City". stlamerican.com. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  11. "Antonio French enters race for mayor". KSDK. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  12. "Editorial: We recommend Antonio French in the St. Louis Democratic mayoral primary". Stltoday.com. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  13. Elisa Crouch. "French shifts attention back to home and North Campus". stltoday.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  14. "Mission of North Campus". Thenorthcampus.org. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  15. "Mayoral Candidates Nonprofit Had Charitable Status". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  16. "Mayoral Candidates Nonprofit Has Its Tax Exempt". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  17. Bosman, Julie; Shear, Michael D.; Williams, Timothy (August 14, 2014). "Obama Calls for Open Inquiry Into Police Shooting of Teenager in Ferguson, Mo". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  18. "St. Louis Alderman Antonio French Arrested In Ferguson". Newsone.com. August 14, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  19. Beth O'Malley. "Antonio French's tweets chronicled Ferguson protests". Stltoday.com. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  20. Wilson, D.J. (February 2, 2017). "St. Louis should be a sanctuary city, says mayoral candidates". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
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