Accounting took Celeste Metcalf to Hollywood. She did not expect it would also lead her to run for political office.
Born and raised in St. Louis, she moved away to work in the entertainment industry after getting a Master in Business Administration from Washington University.
鈥淢y God, that's the most fun I've had being an accountant,鈥� she said recently on the Politically Speaking podcast. 鈥淚 worked for Fox Studios, I worked for Warner Brothers, I worked for Sony, I worked for Disney, I worked for Black Entertainment Television.鈥�
When her father died, Metcalf came home and set up a small accounting business and took on a variety of projects. Some of her contracts were with the City of St. Louis, including the recorder of deeds and license collector offices, and the Board of Public Service.
鈥淚've already seen the accounting infrastructure issues that are inherent in this in the city's accounting system. So I've been wanting to fix those,鈥� said Metcalf, a certified public accountant. 鈥淚t just never made sense to quit my job to go after an elected position that I may not win.鈥�
But in late 2023, a series of articles in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch caught her attention. The reporting documented delays , something Comptroller Darlene Green blamed on a lack of training on a new accounting system.
鈥淭hat is insane to me,鈥� Metcalf said. 鈥淚t doesn't take an accountant to write a check and pay their bills. It takes a normal breathing person who's interested in taking care of business to pay their bills. And so when I saw that, I said, 鈥業鈥檝e got to do something.鈥欌��
Working for the city on various projects laid bare some of the problems with its accounting infrastructure, Metcalf said. Sometimes, she would get information too late for it to be useful, she said. Other times, the city had no mechanism to get her the information at all.
鈥淭hose were the things that incentivized me to even consider this,鈥� she said of running for office. 鈥淏ut like I said when the article came out in the newspaper and said, not only are we not paying our bills, the comptroller is not even coming to work 鈥� that said to me, you're not even committed to this city.鈥�
to the Post-Dispatch that she often worked remotely but said she was always in the office when required. She did not explain the absences the paper noted.
Although Metcalf is a certified public accountant, she has never managed a large accounting firm 鈥� the comptroller鈥檚 office has about 80 employees when fully staffed. But she does have experience overseeing large pots of money. In 2009, the State of Missouri tapped her to oversee its $525 million allocation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus package designed to help the economy find its footing after the 2008 financial crash.
Rail, the river and the film industry
In addition to touting her experience and credentials, Metcalf鈥檚 website lists a number of she believes the city should consider, including developing focal points along the Mississippi River and boosting investment in high-speed rail.
鈥淭he comptroller's role is not not just being financial, but being the business-minded person that helps the city progress forward,鈥� Metcalf said.
Another motivation for her focus on economic development: new sources of revenue.
鈥淚've been thinking about ways we can increase revenue so we can get rid of the earnings tax,鈥� Metcalf said. 鈥淚f other cities are not charging that, it makes St Louis a difficult place to want to come to and work.鈥�
The tax, a 1% levy on the salaries of people who live or work in the city, makes up a third of the city's general revenue.
A first-time politician
Metcalf said her transition from "bean counter" to candidate has opened her eyes to how political factors influence decision-making in City Hall. She said St. Louis' decline has happened in part because some leaders have allowed it.
鈥淚t's troubling that people can be OK with a decline simply because of familiarity,鈥� she said.
But Metcalf said she has been heartened by how positively people respond to the fact that she is a certified public accountant.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a few people say, 鈥榃ow, what a novel idea, a CPA running an accounting office,'鈥� she said.
Editor鈥檚 note: Darlene Green and Donna Baringer appeared on Politically Speaking last week.
