It finally happened. Again. If you've been following the revolving door at 1200 Market Street, the news that a St. Louis mayor comms official resigns probably doesn't shock you anymore. But the departure of Beverly Isom—and the subsequent scramble to fill her shoes—says a lot more about the state of our city's leadership than a simple "seeking other opportunities" press release suggests.
Honestly, it’s getting hard to keep track of the names on the office doors. When Mayor Cara Spencer took over from Tishaura Jones in April 2025, there was this hope for a "fresh start." Fast forward a few months, and we’re watching the second high-profile exit in the communications department.
Isom, a veteran who previously worked for the Atlanta mayor and FleishmanHillard, didn't even make it to the half-year mark. She’s out. And if you ask the folks who cover City Hall every day, they'll tell you the vibes have been... let's say, "strained."
The Beverly Isom Exit: What Really Happened?
People love to speculate. Was it a blow-up? A policy disagreement?
Basically, the official word was that Isom decided to "pursue other opportunities." We've all heard that one. But the reality on the ground was that the City Hall press corps was already frustrated. Reporters were griping—loudly—about emails going into a black hole. When you're a journalist on a deadline and the person in charge of "communications" isn't communicating, things get spicy.
During the summer, while Deputy Director Rasmus Jorgensen was on paternity leave, the silence from the mayor's office became a deafening roar. You can't run a city like St. Louis—especially one dealing with the aftermath of a massive May tornado—without a rapid-response team. When the response isn't rapid (or existent), the mayor loses control of the narrative.
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A Pattern of Early Departures
Isom wasn't the first to pack her bags. Just weeks before, the Chief of Staff, Nancy Hawes, made her exit. That one was way more dramatic. Word on the street—and by "street," I mean the internal City Hall leaks—was that Hawes made some major policy calls, like trying to ax the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises program, without actually telling Mayor Spencer.
"You can't have a Chief of Staff who fails to communicate up and down the chain. Communication is the job."
When your top advisor and your top comms person both bail within five months of a new administration, it’s not just bad luck. It’s a systemic issue.
Why St. Louis Mayor Comms Official Resigns (The Hard Truths)
Let's be real for a second. Being the voice of St. Louis City Hall is a brutal gig. You’re constantly playing defense against:
- Public Safety Hurdles: Every weekend brings new headlines about crime that the comms team has to "frame" without looking out of touch.
- Infrastructure Woes: From the infamous trash pickup delays to the "rolling outages" of city services, the PR team is always the one catching the heat.
- The Tishaura Jones Shadow: Even though she’s out of office, the comparisons between Spencer’s team and Jones’ former Director of Communications, Conner Kerrigan, are constant.
It’s a high-pressure, low-thank-you kind of job. You're expected to be a strategist, a firefighter, and a secretary all at once. For someone like Isom, who was 68 and had a stellar career behind her, the "juice" of working at City Hall just might not have been worth the "squeeze."
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Entering the Holly Roberts Era
After months of "interim" vibes, Mayor Spencer finally announced a permanent fix in late December 2025. Holly Roberts is the new Director of Communications, set to start in February 2026.
She’s coming in from Washington, D.C., with 15 years of federal consulting and public relations experience. On paper, she’s exactly what the city needs: someone who understands "transparency" as a practice, not just a buzzword. But D.C. politics and St. Louis politics are different beasts. In D.C., things are bureaucratic. In St. Louis, things are personal.
Spencer also brought in Brian Light as the Director of Personnel. This is a strategic move. You can't fix the communications office if the entire City Hall workforce is struggling with "competitive pay" and "vacancy rates." The city is currently sitting on high vacancy numbers for everything from utility workers to heavy equipment operators. If the departments aren't working, the comms team has nothing but bad news to report.
The "Transparency" Problem
When a St. Louis mayor comms official resigns, it usually triggers a conversation about transparency. St. Louisans are tired of being kept in the dark. Whether it’s the status of the Workhouse (the Medium Security Institution) or how the latest round of ARPA funds is being spent, the city deserves a direct line to the truth.
Spencer’s administration has promised to be different. They’ve launched compensation studies and proposed pay raises for about 600 civil service employees to help "attract and retain" talent. The goal is to have the new pay scales in place by February 2026.
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But pay raises won't fix a broken communications culture. That takes a specific kind of leadership that hasn't quite materialized yet.
What to Watch in 2026
If you’re a resident, you should be looking at a few key markers to see if this new team is actually working:
- Response Times: Are local news stations getting answers in hours or days?
- Social Media Tone: Is the city’s Twitter (X) feed informative, or is it just fluff and ribbon-cutting photos?
- Crisis Management: How does the office handle the next "inevitable" St. Louis crisis?
Honestly, the bar is pretty low right now. After the Isom and Hawes departures, simply staying in the job for a full year would be a win for Holly Roberts.
Actionable Steps for St. Louis Residents
It’s easy to feel like City Hall is a world away, but these staffing changes affect how you get information about your neighborhood. Here’s how you can stay informed and hold the new team accountable:
- Follow the "Daily Mirror": Don't just rely on the big TV stations. Follow local independent journalists and the St. Louis American. They often get the "inside baseball" details that the mayor's office tries to keep quiet.
- Attend Board of Aldermen Meetings: Comms officials resign, but the Board stays. If you aren't getting answers from the Mayor's office, your local Alderperson is your best bet for a direct line.
- Sign up for the City News Archive: The city website has a "News Archive" that hosts every official statement. If a story feels "spun," go check the original source text to see what was actually said (or omitted).
- Watch the February 2026 Implementation: Keep an eye on the proposed pay raises. If the city can't stabilize its personnel, the communications office will continue to be a rotating door of stressed-out officials.
The departure of a top official is always a signal. In this case, it’s a signal that the Spencer administration is still finding its footing. Whether Holly Roberts can finally close the revolving door remains to be seen, but for the sake of the city, we’d better hope she’s brought her best running shoes.