Screenshot via City of St. Louis YouTube
Former Ward 6 Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia speaks at a Board of Aldermen meeting on February 10
A St. Louis alderwoman has resigned for a new gig and a pay raise.
Sunday will be Christine Ingrassia's last day as Ward 6 alderwoman. She will join Board of Aldermen President Megan Green's office as director of operations the following day.
Ingrassia joins a handful of employees in the board president's office earning nearly six-figure salaries.
Jay Nelson, chief of staff for Green, tells the RFT Ingrassia will start with a salary of $85,000. As a part-time member of the Board of Aldermen, Ingrassia made $37,400, but after the wards are redistricted in April, aldermen will earn $72,000 per year.
Former Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed's director of operations, Maurice Falls, earned $68,874 per year, according to the Post-Dispatch's public pay database. Falls worked in the office for at least a decade. He's no longer employed by the city, according to Nelson.
Nelson, a former aid to St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, joined Green's staff in November with a starting salary of $100,000 — slightly less than Reed's chief of staff's salary of $109,410.
Cristina Garmendia joined Green's office shortly before Nelson as special assistant of policy and legislation with a starting salary of $92,500 per year (Mary Goodman, Reed's legislative assistant, earned about $64,000 per year) .
As director of operations, Ingrassia will be responsible for "building operational efficiency," according to a release from Green's office. She'll also track legislation and assist the city clerk's office in preparing the Board of Aldermen's weekly agenda.
Ingrassia's resignation from office marks the end of her 10-year career on the board. As alderwoman, Ingrassia championed LGBTQ+ rights and accommodations for St. Louis' unhoused population. She often sided with Green on progressive ideals.
Most recently, Ingrassia sponsored a bill to establish a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction. Aldermen almost unanimously voted to perfect the bill this month.
"I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving the city of St. Louis and the Board of Aldermen in a new capacity," Ingrassia said in a statement. "Transitioning the board to a 14-person body is an exciting challenge, and I'm confident we can bring the new board online and improve legislative operations in the process."
Ingrassia did not file for reelection this year.
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