McCracken starts a "war" with St. Louis

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A new ad by Austin mayoral candidate Brewster McCracken is upsetting people who live in St. Louis.

He suggested Austin could suffer a "similar fate" as St. Louis if city leaders don't put more effort into Downtown Austin's "urban core."

That is the sentiment shared by many St. Louisians after McCracken newest advertisement made it to the Gateway City. But, McCracken's spokesperson said the ad is not a dig at current St. Louis residents, it just shows how we can use cities like St. Louis as a historical example.

"I think he's a goof, clearly he doesn't know the first thing about St. Louis," said Francis Slay, the mayor of St. Louis.

"This is an issue that happened 100 years ago, and it you ask most leaders in St. Louis, they'd say they've been working very hard to bring St. Louis back to what it was," said Colin Rowan, spokesperson for Brewster McCracken.