ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

ST. LOUIS — Donna Baringer, a state representative and former South Side alderwoman, is running for comptroller, challenging longtime incumbent Darlene Green.

Baringer, who is term-limited in the Missouri House, said Wednesday she wants to continue serving the city. And she thinks her experience as a legislator digging into tight budgets to find money for projects would serve her well as ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™ chief financial officer.

“I analyze the financials quite well,� she said. “I take time, I assess the situation and I come up with a viable solution.

She said she wants to work to prevent Republicans in Jefferson City from repealing the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ earnings tax, the city’s largest single source of general revenue. And she said the city needs fresh eyes on things like the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal pandemic aid flowing through the treasury right now.

The announcement means voters will have a choice next spring for one most powerful elected positions in the city.

The comptroller is the city’s chief financial officer: All the city’s invoices run through the office, and the comptroller’s signature is required on all contracts. The office also audits city departments and contractors. And along with the mayor and the aldermanic president, the comptroller sits on the Estimate Board, which approves the city budget and awards contracts.

Green, the incumbent, was appointed comptroller by Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. in 1995, and has won eight consecutive elections, often running unopposed.

She has come under fire in the past year for failing to pay the city’s bills on time and coming into work only once or twice a week, leaving the office’s day-to-day operations to her deputies. But she has pushed back, blaming delays on city departments not properly submitting invoices. She says that while she often works remotely, she is always in the office when necessary.

And she made clear this summer that she maintains plenty of political heft, when she rapidly mobilized opposition to an effort to eliminate her office for efficiency’s sake.

She brushed off the Baringer news in a text message Wednesday.

“I am running for re-election,� Green wrote. “I look forward to fighting for our future and protecting taxpayers’ dollars and our good credit, which supports delivery of city services.�

Baringer, whose southwest city House district covers the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Hills, Lindenwood Park and the Hill neighborhoods, has not yet set a date for an official kickoff.

But she has begun raising money, sending texts to a few supporters this week seeking for donations of $2,600 — the maximum individual contribution allowed under state law — to build up her campaign account.

She had $40,760 in cash on hand as of June 30.

Green’s campaign committee had $127,677.