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ST. LOUIS — June Fowler was angry, maybe even a little depressed.

Last April, she read a that portrayed downtown St. Louis as being in a “doom loop� of destruction, with people and businesses fleeing. The story was a Rorschach test for what folks in St. Louis think of downtown. People see what they want to see.

Fowler thought the story accentuated the negatives more than it needed to. She wanted to do something about it.

Fowler grew up in St. Louis, graduating from Soldan High School. She still lives in the city with her husband, Flint, the former president of the . They met in high school and started dating when they were both graduate students at Washington University. They’ve been married for 43 years. They’re both retired now. Fowler was the former senior vice president of communications for BJC HealthCare. She has a master’s degree in urban planning.

Rather than sulk over the negative portrayal of the city she loves, Fowler put on her two hats — urban planner and communications specialist — and decided to do something about it. She and her husband went downtown to for dinner. She posted a picture of the two of them on Facebook holding the restaurant’s menu. “#DineDowntownSTL� was born.

That’s the hashtag Fowler has affixed to her social media posts over the past year when she and Flint, or friends, go to lunch or dinner downtown. They choose different restaurants to celebrate the heart of the city.

“When I read that article, I thought, ‘What can I do?’� Fowler says. “People who love this place, what can we do to change this?�

Over the past year, she’s posted a photo with the #DineDowntownSTL hashtag a couple of dozen times. Fowler encouraged others to join the effort. “Let’s do our part to help the city we love become the place we know it can be!� she wrote in a post online.

These days, her husband or kids often post the photos, as Fowler has taken a break from Facebook.

We met for lunch recently at the new restaurant on Washington Avenue, near the America’s Center. It’s in the former Pi Pizzeria location. The menu has nods to other downtown restaurants, with a pizza based on across the street and another based on , just a couple of doors down in the same building.

We split a pizza. I paired mine with a Coffee Stout from .

Fowler knows that parts of downtown have seen better days. But during her visits, she sees pockets of growth, new restaurants replacing old ones and plans to revive big vacant buildings, like the ones highlighted in the Wall Street Journal story.

“When you think about what we have here compared to other places,� Fowler says, “you can’t get the value and amenities we have in any other places.�

She’s talking, of course, about the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, Energizer Park, the zoo, the art and history museums, the Missouri Botanical Garden and world-class theaters like the Fox and Stifel.

“It is not all doom-and-gloom in this wonderful city,� Fowler says.

We met just a few days before the first round of the mayoral election, in which city voters overwhelmingly indicated they’d like a change in leadership. Alderwoman Cara Spencer earned 68% of the vote in a primary election where voters can pick multiple candidates. Mayor Tishaura Jones came in second place, with less than half of that tally. They’ll face off in a one-on-one matchup in April, with Spencer the overwhelming favorite.

Improving the city of St. Louis, though, is bigger than any mayoral election, Fowler believes. Her bright outlook and sense of personal responsibility reminded me of my conversation last fall with Denis Beganovic, who regularly walks downtown and posts pictures on social media about new businesses and other positive developments. Fowler and Beganovic have never met, but they have a similar approach to improving their city.

“The next time you want to complain about downtown, ask yourself, ‘What can I do?’� Fowler says.

In her case, when she’s hungry, she opts to #DineDowntownSTL.

“You can choose to be positive,� she says. “It’s a choice you make.�