St. Louis functions with a mayor-council form of government; the mayor and 29 aldermen are elected to four-year terms. Voters choose a mayor in April of odd-numbered years; half the number of aldermen, each from a single ward, are selected every two years. Established as both a city and a county, the city of St. Louis operates under home rule, but St. Louis County, without home rule, conforms to Missouri's state requirements for county government.
Head Official: Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) (since 2001; current term expires April 2009)
Total Number of City Employees: 7,076 (2005)
City Information: City of St. Louis, Office of the Mayor, 200 City Hall, 1200 Market Streets, St. Louis, MO 63103; telephone (314)622-3201