When Michael Butler was elected recorder of deeds in 2018, he defeated a 38-year incumbent.
This time, St. Louis won't have to wait nearly as long for a new person to take that job.
Butler initially filed for reelection, then announced in March he would not seek a third term in the office, which keeps vital records like birth certificates and real estate transactions. Seven candidates jumped in, though one later withdrew.
The Democrats who remain are Anthony Brandon, Patty Ellison-Brown, Shane Cohn and Yolonda Yancie. The winner of the Democratic primary on Aug. 4 will be heavily favored to win the general election in November against the victor of the Green Party primary between Don De Vivo and Jerome Bauer.
Anthony Brandon
Of the four Democrats in the race, Brandon is the only one without elected experience. But, he argued, that makes him the most qualified to run the office.
"Someone that does not have a political standpoint can actually bring in a private-sector standpoint," he said. "I have over 17 years of management experience. I am able to lead the office in an efficient and transparent way."
Brandon owns security and construction companies and says he was one of the youngest general managers of a McDonald's.
For the most part, Brandon said, the recorder's office is transparent and modern. But he would work to improve communication with the assessor's office, which actually legally changes the ownership of the property.
A development project, Brandon said, was delayed for two years because the name was wrong on tax records.
Brandon also wants to make sure that transgender Missourians know their legal rights when it comes to changing vital records like birth certificates. He'll also help people remove racial covenants, or legal limits on who can purchase a piece of property. Even though their use was outlawed in 1948, the language in many cases remains on the deed.
"If they want to build north St. Louis, we all have to come together," he said. "Basically, when we come together we will become a better nation and a better region."
He said there is no one document he's most excited to officially be in charge of.
Patty Ellison-Brown
Brown is the 4th Ward Democratic committeewoman and a 15-year employee of the recorder of deeds office. When Butler decided not to run again, he endorsed Ellison-Brown as his successor.
The office "needs a recorder that will be hands-on," Ellison-Brown said. "If I'm walking through the office and someone needs my help, I would be able to help them on Day 1. I wouldn't have to learn anything."
Ellison-Brown is happy with the way her workplace is run. She's proud of the way the office stepped up to serve people who needed to replace vital records after the May 2025 tornado.
The documents had to be printed at the office at City Hall, Ellison-Brown said. "I would ask the vendor, 'Can I be the first person they see?' I would type in the information. It would go to the office. Runners would bring people's birth certificates and death certificates back."
She estimates the city helped replace between 1,500 and 2,000 documents for free.
When Ellison-Brown first began working in the office, every document had to be submitted in person. Now, she said, title companies are able to submit their paperwork electronically. She wants to get to a point where everything, including marriage licenses, can be handled electronically.
"Our mail system is horrible, and I really want to step away from that to where it is all electronic," she said.
As a longtime employee, Ellison-Brown is more familiar than most with the documents the office has in its possession. The trademark books, she said, are among her favorites.
Shane Cohn
For 3rd Ward Alderman Shane Cohn, the recorder of deeds office has the power to be a force to make change – such as in 2014, when then-Recorder Sharon Carpenter issued marriage licenses to four same-sex couples. That was in direct violation of state law at the time.
"As we continue to see some of these assaults on liberties at the federal level, I think that it's important and incumbent on people who are in these leadership positions to be familiar with those issues and try to work with neighbors and advocacy groups to address them the best way that they can," Cohn said.
Cohn has been an alderman for 17 years and says his legislative and community outreach skills make him the most qualified person for the job.
The recorder of deeds is a county office, meaning its duties are set in state statute, he said. Any changes would require working with the Board of Aldermen or the General Assembly.
"I'm familiar with those shortfalls and obstacles in city government, and I think it's important that we get creative with those limited resources, and so having people that aren't just managing people and processes, but leading the office into the future," he said.
Cohn would automatically enroll any person in a fraud prevention system that sends alerts when a document is recorded in their name. He would also help connect individuals with estate planning resources – a need he said became most apparent after the May 2025 tornado.
As a history and architecture buff, Cohn said he's most excited to share the city's archives with its residents.
Yolonda Yancie
As a social worker with Head Start, Yolonda Yancie found herself frequently interacting with the recorder of deeds office as she helped families get birth certificates so their children could be enrolled in Head Start programs. She's also personally interacted with the office, before and after the May 2025 tornado.
"I'm not going to say that it needs to be fixed, but it definitely can do some additions," she said, like adding a notary to the recorder's staff.
"Those families that are working, that are trying to come to the office during lunch, may not have time to go do this, and then go get something notarized, and then run back, pay parking, all of that," she said.
Yancie is the Democratic committeewoman of the 10th Ward, which was hit hard by the tornado. While the city had programs to help victims, she said, many homeowners could not access them because they lacked proper documentation and may not have known how to get it. The office, she said, could have done more outreach to those residents.
Yancie has become the matriarch of her family following the death of older relatives, and she said she's most excited if elected to become the keeper of the records that show her family's history.
"My parents lived in the same community for almost 80 years," she said. "I know the stories. I know that they came from down south and they moved into the area and they were the first African Americans in that particular block."
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