Muench Faces Challenge from Three for Ward 2 Council Seat

Two business owners and one former city councilman are challenging incumbent Larry Muench for the Ward 2 City Council seat in St. Charles. The election is Tuesday. 

Larry Muench, 55, has represented Ward 2 for the past 10 years. As a business owner on Main Street he said he understands the important role Main Street plays in the city. “South Main is a jewel in the city that makes us shine,” he told the South Main Preservation Society Thursday.

Muench said he thinks the city, business owners on south and north main streets and nearby property owners should create an addendum to the strategic plan that focuses on Main Street.

“Maybe we sit down and see where we want to be 20 years from today,” he said.

Venetia McEntire, 43, owns Boone's Colonial Inn and is part owner of Boone's Lick Trail Inn. McEntire said she thinks communication between the business owners on Main Street and the city would improve if city staff attended meetings of local business groups. She also favors better teamwork between North and South Main Street. 

"A lot of it is really working as a team together," she said. "We all have different reasons we have business here and different reasons we live here, but they’re all viable reasons."

She said she thinks bar owners need to be held accountable for the public drunkenness of their patrons who walk through the neighborhoods after the bars close.

 Bill Conrey, 58, represented Ward 2 on the city council between 1992 and 2001. He said he’s seeking the seat again because he’d like to see changes in the city. Conrey said he has concerns about the amount of land owned by Lindenwood University.

“The university is a great place, but at some time, we need to take control over how much land can be acquired,” he said. Conrey said he would be interested in seeing the fines double for public intoxication after midnight in the Main Street area.

Tom Besselman, 54, said he’s been planning to run for city council for several years. He said has attended city meetings on a range of topics to try to find out what’s going on. Besselman said he owns his own company, which gives him the time to do that.

“I always participate,” he said. “People know me. I’m not quiet. I do ask questions. Sitting on the sidelines, I’m not getting things done that need to be done.”

Besselman said he thinks that the rest of Ward 2, beyond South Main Street, needs some work.

“Ward 2 has been neglected,” he said. “We need to look at Ward 2 totally.” 

Ward 2 is bordered in the south by Interstate 70, in the west and north by First Capitol Drive, which curves around to run parallel to Interstate 70, and in the east by the Missouri River. See a pdf of the ward map near the photos.