Tishaura Oneda Jones (/tɪˈʃɑːrə/ tish-AR-ə; born March 10, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri since April 2021.

A self-described progressive, Jones entered politics in 2002, when she was appointed to the Democratic Party Central Committee for St. Louis's eighth ward.

In 2008, she was elected to represent Missouri's 63rd District in the state legislature, defeating independent candidate Nels Williams with 85.4 percent of the vote.

[9] In 1995, after graduating from Hampton University, Jones applied for a liquor license for a restaurant she was starting in the Central West End called Sugar's Place.

[12] When she ran for mayor in 2017, Steven M. Barney, who had mentored her at Cardinal Glennon, wrote that Jones did an "outstanding" job at the hospital and had "appropriate assertiveness.

[5] Jones ran unopposed in 2010 to win her second term, and became both the first African-American and the first woman appointed to serve as the Missouri House's assistant minority floor leader.

[19] From March 2010 to June 2011, Jones also worked as the Vice President of Municipal Finance at the minority-owned, Oakland-based investment firm Blaylock Robert Van.

[17][23] On July 26, following the Post-Dispatch editorial board's endorsement of Fred Wessels Jr. for treasurer, in which they argued Jones was not qualified enough for the position, she responded to the paper through an interview with The St. Louis American.

[28][29] One of the "ghost" workers under Williams, Fred W. Robinson, was convicted on charges of wire fraud and submitting false timesheets and was sentenced to two years in prison.

"[34] In 2016, Jones spoke at a plenary session alongside Robert Greenstein and Starsky Wilson where she talked about her "firsthand experiences with social movements" following the shooting of Michael Brown and the Ferguson unrest.

[38][39] The report prompted calls for an investigation by two members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen who alleged the majority of trips were taken for Jones's political benefit.

[41] In her 2020 campaign for a third term as treasurer, Jones was endorsed by Democracy for America,[42] Planned Parenthood,[43] The St. Louis American's editorial board,[44] and the United Auto Workers,[45] as well as by Representative Ayanna Pressley[46] and Senator Elizabeth Warren.

[b] A grassroots group of supportive activists calling themselves "Draft Tishaura" helped convince Jones to run for Mayor of St. Louis in 2017.

[61] During the campaign, Jones was notably a target of criticism by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's editorial board, which ultimately endorsed Antonio French.

[73] Jones defeated Spencer in the runoff, and is the second woman to serve as St. Louis mayor, after incumbent Lyda Krewson, who did not seek re-election.

[94] On April 23, Jones announced the formation of an advisory panel to assess how to spend funds St. Louis will receive from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

[111] Experts in criminology have lauded various aspects of the criminal justice agenda put forward in her 2021 campaign, noting that she "has a strong focus on decarceration and decriminalization of minor offenses".

[111] On February 2, 2009, while in the Missouri House of Representatives, Jones introduced a bill that would curtail state intervention into the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

[63][121] As treasurer, she formally recommended that the institution be closed, arguing that "the city currently spends $254 million a year repeatedly arresting the same people, trying them, and incarcerating them.

[122] "It was irresponsible for the Mayor to publicize the names and addresses of her constituents, who were exercising their constitutional right to free speech and to petition their government," Jones tweeted.

"[123] Jones supports decriminalizing sex work, and instead providing prostitutes with housing, unemployment resources and drug addiction treatment.

[128] On January 10, 2012, while in the Missouri House of Representatives, Jones introduced a bill to set stricter requirements for charter management organizations.

[130] In November 2015, as treasurer, Jones created a program that opens a savings account for every St. Louis kindergarten student in public school, funded entirely from revenue earned by parking meters.

[134] It includes several incentive programs, such as matched savings up to $100, rewards for perfect attendance, and deposits when parents complete courses on financial education.

[136] She also believes that the government needs to do more to address poverty in regards to violence, saying that "if we can't get the guns off the streets, then what are we doing to get resources down to the grassroots to help the people who are affected?

"[57] On September 15, 2019, Jones joined in a protest march against gun violence led by Moms Demand Action and other mothers' advocacy groups.

"[138] Jones is in favor of making St. Louis a sanctuary city, and said during her 2017 mayoral campaign that if elected, she would create an "Office of New Americans" providing assistance to immigrants.

[138] Jones has praised Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio on immigration, and said she reached out to him during her 2017 campaign "to ask how we can follow his lead.

[145] Virvus Jones had defeated James Shrewsbury in the 1993 St. Louis comptroller Democratic primary, a race where Walker had funded the campaign of "stalking horse candidate" Penny Alcott.

[146] In 2016, the Post-Dispatch reported that IFS Securities, an investment banking and brokerage firm based in Atlanta, where Walker was the vice president for public finance, was doing business with the treasurer's office.