Committee endorses two mayoral nominees for St. Louis Board of Adjustment

The St. Louis City Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee voted to recommend two mayoral appointees — Janine Vaughn and Jim Dallas — to the Board of Adjustment and approved committee minutes from Sept. 9, 2025. The committee acted after brief presentations and questions during its Oct. 7, 2025 meeting in the Kennedy Room at City Hall.

The nominations matter because the Board of Adjustment decides appeals, variances and conditional-use requests tied to zoning decisions; committee members described the board as an important venue for neighborhood input. Alderman Aldridge moved a "do pass" recommendation for Janine Vaughn and the committee approved it; the committee later approved a similar recommendation for Jim Dallas.

Alderman Aldridge introduced Vaughn, saying her "resume speaks for herself" and that she has worked across Hyde Park and neighboring associations. Vaughn, who identified herself as a Hyde Park resident and founder of the Hyde Park Community Collaborative, told the committee she values neighborhood engagement and said, "I think it's very important to engage community in the decisions that affect community." Mary Hart Burton, the city's zoning administrator, told the committee the office sought candidates to improve North Side representation on the board and that Vaughn had served on the land-use plan steering committee.

Jim Dallas described his neighborhood work in Soulard and his role leading the expansion of a local community improvement district. He said his professional background is in actuarial work and that he ran for alderman in the Eighth Ward this year. Mary Hart Burton said both nominees applied through the standard portal and that the mayoral office had reached out to them.

Committee members asked nominees about balancing neighborhood input with zoning code requirements. Dallas said his starting point would be to ask, "what does the code say?" and then seek staff guidance and broader context. Vaughn emphasized collaborative engagement with residents and said that neighborhood residents often know their communities best.

The committee recorded a procedural vote recommending both nominees for confirmation on the full board of aldermen. The chair said the nominations will be brought to the full board on Friday for final confirmation.

Votes at the committee meeting also included approval of the committee minutes from Sept. 9, 2025.

The committee did not take additional formal action on roles or alternates for the Board of Adjustment during the meeting; Mary Hart Burton said the mayor's office had not specified whether nominees would fill permanent or alternate seats.