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Darlene Green, who has held the office of St. Louis comptroller for three decades, now has only a few days left on the job.

ST. LOUIS — Darlene Green, who has served as St. Louis' chief financial officer for three decades, was unseated by challenger Donna Baringer during Tuesday night's general municipal election.

Baringer won 51.53% of the unofficial vote to Green's 48.47%.

Green was appointed as St. Louis comptroller in 1995 after her predecessor, Virvus Jones, was sentenced to a year in prison for federal income tax fraud.

Green ran to keep the seat in 1997, becoming the first woman and the third African American to be elected to the office. St. Louisans elected her as comptroller a total of six times.

Baringer has a long history in St. Louis politics, serving as St. Louis' 16th ward alderwoman from 2003 to 2017 and Missouri House representative for the 82nd district from 2017 to 2025.

She said that one of her highest priorities would be the pursuit of a new airport.

"Our biggest asset is the airport and in order for St. Louis to get a state-of-the-art airport, we have to not only work with Jefferson City for the funding, but we have to make sure that we don't put any hurdles into place," she said Tuesday night after her victory. "I will be a hands-on airport commissioner at every meeting, doing whatever I need to do to make sure we get the airport we need in the city, because that helps our city grow."

Credit: KSDK

Donna Baringer

Green shared the following statement Tuesday night following her loss:

"Thank you St. Louis! I’m proud of the campaign we were able to put together. So many supporters from across every part of the city came out for me. I’m grateful for the strong support of those who voted for me. Thank you so very much. Even though we didn’t get the victory this time, we move forward with hope. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have served the people in the city that I love with integrity and dignity for the past 29 years. St. Louis, all the best to all of you."

Lisa always knew she was going to get plastic surgery. And when she hit her 60s, she decided to take the plunge.

"I've always said from my 30s even, when the bloom's off the rose, I'm going under the knife," she tells PEOPLE with a bit of a laugh. "I just knew I would. I just always knew that. I've always kind of looked young for my age, so I could really push it off for a long time. But finally, when I got to be 60, it was time to really figure out and make a decision."

Lisa says the turning point in her decision came after one evening of looking in the mirror and not recognizing who was looking back at her.

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Lisa recruited one of her daughters to help her find a surgeon. The mom of three admits she thought she'd have to travel from her home state of Iowa to Los Angeles to find the best of the best.

Her daughter pointed her in the direction of Dr. Laxmeesh Mike Nayak of Nayak Plastic Surgery in St. Louis, Mo., whom she'd been following on social media.

"I loved that he was in the Midwest like me," Lisa says of her initial reaction to Dr. Nayak. And once she looked at his before-and-afters, she was pretty much sold. She sent over her information and did a Zoom call but says she had a moment of hesitation, questioning if she'd follow through. But she says she had a "gut feeling" about Dr. Nayak and knew the timing was right, the doctor was right and everything else would fall into place.

But then she had to wait a year on Dr. Nayak's famous waiting list. She was also considering the price, which many people inquire about on Dr. Nayak's social media channels. His pricing is displayed transparently on his website, with deep plane facelifts starting at $150K. This is the most expensive procedure he offers, and all of the other procedures fall in line after that. However, pricing is tailored to each patient and can be discussed through a consultation.

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Lisa, who is 66 now but was 65 when she got her surgery done in June 2024, traveled to St. Louis for the procedure, which is where she met Dr. Nayak for the first time in person.

Her procedures included a deep plane facelift, deep necklift, browlift, upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat transfer, lip lift, earlobe reduction and CO2 laser resurfacing. All of the procedures are done in one go, and Dr. Nayak says Lisa's surgery took around six hours. He did the lasering during the surgery as well, because that way the patients can “capitalize” on recovery time.

"What Lisa looked like before had nothing to do with who Lisa was because she just looked contracted like everything had come, not just down, but forward into her face," Dr. Nayak tells PEOPLE. "All her features looked smaller and she looked a little bottom-heavy and closed in the face. Part two was her skin had things you think of as aging changes, so wrinkles and brown spots and coarseness."

One thing Dr. Nayak notes about facelifts is that people often assume that the skin is being pulled upward, but that's not always the case. The skin is being pulled whichever direction is best for each patient. For Lisa, it was up but also outward so that her face could be more open. This also allowed Dr. Nayak to reveal her cheekbones and jawline.

"She has fantastic cheekbone and jawbone structure," he says. "All I had to do was just reveal, not even augment or improve her cheekbone and jawbone structure, just reveal it so the lower face neck lift was just to show what's there."

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Patients are the most fragile (and most vulnerable) right after the surgery, and Dr. Nayak tells them they’re not “presentable” for two to three weeks. They spend most of that time in St. Louis at his facility so he and his team can keep an eye on the healing process.

Lisa says that actually her recovery while in St. Louis was a breeze, despite how much her body had been through.

"Your face is swollen, you're bruised, you're [experiencing] highs and lows emotionally, but never any pain whatsoever, and people can't believe that," she says. "I had nine procedures done on my face. I was in surgery for over six hours, so you would think there's got to be pain. None. Some discomfort, but no pain."

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Patients are then sent home to finish healing with instructions to continue maintenance, including with skin care and sun care.

Lisa says she's a big fan of skin care (and has grown even more fond in recent months) and loves to take care of the work that Dr. Nayak did. She and her husband spend half of the year in the Florida Keys, and she is extra careful in the sun now — so much more than before.

"We're big on offshore fishing, so I'm like, 'What am I going to do? I love to fish. I don't want to give that up.' So I ended up getting this apparatus where I look absolutely ridiculous, but I am covered completely, and I go out fishing, and it hasn't affected that at all," she says with a laugh. "But it's quite a scene to see me get on the boat!"

She says she's going to do "everything she can" to protect the "work" that Dr. Nayak did!

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As she has healed from her surgery, Lisa says the reaction to her procedures has been overwhelmingly positive from her husband and daughters. They've been in her corner cheering her on the whole time, knowing how much it meant to her to do this for her own confidence.

She adds, though, that it's been funny to see how friends — and non-friends — have reacted to seeing her new face.

Lisa says she's run into a few people recently who have been brazen enough to ask her how old she is and if she's had work done. She says the topic always comes up at cocktail parties (always from people she doesn't know) and after they've had a few drinks and are brave enough to ask. But because she doesn't think plastic surgery should be a taboo topic, she's always happy to answer.

"I don't mind. I am not offended at all," she says. "I'm more than happy to answer. I'm not ashamed of what I did. I just think it's funny the way they ask."

Lisa recently made a visit to Dr. Nayak's facility for a 10-month check-in, where the doctor did add "a tiny drop of filler in the right cheek because it's real life, and building materials are imperfect," he says. But beyond that, Lisa is thrilled with the results of Dr. Nayak's work.

"My self-esteem and confidence have come back," she shares. "I tell you what happens. I think women kind of become invisible after 50, really. We do. I got my mojo back. I guess that's the best way to put it."

Thousands in St. Louis voted early ahead of Election Day, taking advantage of the option to vote via mail or in person.

ST. LOUIS — Early voting locations closed at 5 p.m. Monday, and thousands of people in the city of St. louis took advantage of the option.

The St. Louis Board of Elections reported that 13,903 people voted early, with 11,601 casting their ballots in person and 2,302 submitting them by mail.

“Even though it's a small turnout for early voting, compared to like three years ago when early voting didn't exist, it's a lot more. So, hoping that for people it kind of sets in, that people use it more and it's better for everyone,” said Ben Borgmeyer with the St. Louis Board of Elections.

For the primary in March, only 9,440 people voted early.

So what does it look like for Election Day?

“Usually you get around 20% in a primary. This year was 17.5. Whereas typically, it's around 30% in a mayoral election. Obviously, it'd be great to get as many votes as possible. You probably are going to see a reflection of that dip as well in the numbers for the general,” Borgmeyer said.

Dan Henroid has been helping campaign at the polls and has seen the lighter turnout firsthand, but he added early voting is a great tool.

“I think the more the more flexibility you give people to vote, I think the better the turnout could be. It isn't always that way, but at least to give people the option,” Henroid said.

While fewer voters show up for non-presidential elections, it doesn't mean it's any less important to make your voice heard.

“The people that we're electing they'll have a long-term impact on the life in the city of St. Louis. And I think if we get the right people in, that people have voted for and the majority of the people have voted for, I think they can say, yeah, I participated in the process. If you didn't participate in the process, you really don't have much room to complain,” Henroid said.

All 52 polling places in St. Louis will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8.

You can vote anywhere; all you have to do is bring a valid ID, but if you don't have one, you can still cast a provisional ballot as long as you are registered to vote.

The following information is accurate as of an early-April press date.

When more than 20 restaurants open, reopen, or relocate in a single month, it’s a strong sign of momentum. March was one of those months, with standout openings such as James Beard Award nominee Ben Welch’s Lucy Quinn and Little Lucy, a full-service restaurant and its diner-themed counterpart, respectively, located in the former BEAST Butcher & Block space in The Grove.Another highlight was Robin, a 36-seat, four-course prix fixe restaurant from Alec Schingel, which took over the former Benevolent King space in Maplewood.

On the downside, Rouge Bistro—the city’s first meatball-themed restaurant—closed after just a year, unable to secure a liquor license. Ultima Cucina also shut its doors following the closure of The Last Hotel in Downtown West. Its predecessor, The Last Kitchen & Bar, had made a splash in 2019 with its innovative culinary approach and floor plan. We’ll miss The Last Rooftop Bar, too.

CLOSINGS

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