Mayor Dielmann To Have Open Heart Surgery

Updated 2:40 p.m.

Creve Coeur Mayor Harold Dielmann confirmed Monday that he will be having open heart surgery later this week to repair a leaking valve. Dielmann, 81, said doctors had been running tests ever since a November physical and only recently decided that the surgery was necessary.

In a phone interview with Creve Coeur Patch, Dielmann said he had no history of heart-related problems, but acknowledged that the stress surrounding his , reportedly related to a heart arrhythmia, may have contributed to increased symptoms like shortness of breath.

The procedure is scheduled for Thursday at in Creve Coeur. In a statement released Monday, Dielmann said he "will not be available for a period of time." When asked how long he expects that to be, Dielmann said doctors haven't told him. According to the city charter, Dielmann said the President of the City Council would be responsible for the mayor's duties, and that Councilman A.J. Wang had been notified about the situation. Wang, reached Monday afternoon said he was still trying to digest the news but that he'd been told to anticipate a six week recovery period as far as managing city council meetings. Wang and other city council members all spoke words of encouragement for Dielmann. "No matter what kind of disagreements we have on public policy issues, those of us on the city council always pull together in times like these," said Councilwoman Laura Bryant. "Our hearts and prayers are with Harold and his family and we wish him the most absolute speedy recovery possible," she said.

Dielmann was mayor from 1966-1985, was re-elected in 2003, and sounded upbeat Monday morning. "I feel good. Everything's ok," he said. "They're (doctors) not concerned about it and I'm not either," he said.