St. Charles City Council Members Face Opposition on Election Day

Three incumbent St. Charles council members face opposition in their bids for reelection on April 2. 

The races for wards, 6, 8 and 10 all include at least two candidates. 

Both councilmen Dave Beckering, Ward 7, and Ron Stivison, Ward 9, face no opposition in this election and will be reelected to another three-year term. 

Ward 6

Councilman Jerry Reese, a consultant, faces Richard Wenger, a first-time candidate. Reese, who was first elected to the council in 2004, said he's running for reelection because he feels he is doing a good job. 

Wenger said he was motivated to run because he believes he would bring a sense of fiscal responsibility to the position. Wenger added that he believes the city has done a better job of publicizing Proposition R, which would authorize the city to borrow $3.8 million in bonds to pay for repairs to the city parking garage. 

Both he and Reese support Prop R. 

Ward 8

Current Ward 8 Councilman 49, was appointed to the post by Mayor Sally Faith in December after former Councilman Mike Klinghammer won election to St. Charles County Council. 

Herrmann's opponents include Rose Kasper, 60, a former city council member, Justin Collier, 30, a controls technician, and Steve Schad, 54, a project manager for Olneya Restoration group. 

Schad said he'd like to reconnect the city with the citizens so they feel more informed about the growth and direction of the city. 

Collier said he's interested in bringing a younger voice to the city council and fresh ideas. Collier opposes Tax Increment Financing and said the city has abused the original intent of TIFs. 

Kasper, who served on the council from 1990 to 2000, said she's running again because she has concerns about some of the decisions the council has made since she left, for example to offer health insurance to members of the city council. 

"I don't want to pay taxes to pay someone's health insurance," she said. 

Herrmann said job with Laclede Gas allows him to see what's working in other municipalities in St. Charles County and he feels he can contribute to the city. 

Ward 10

Councilwoman Bridget Ohmes was elected to her first term in 2010. She said she's seeking reelection because of the relationships she's built with the community.

Ohmes, who works in accounting and finance, said the city needs to work to reduce its environmental impact and to improve the infrastructure of the community. 

Running against Ohmes are Bryce Steinhoff, 26, owner of a branding company, and Kenneth Wright, 45, a mechanic for St. Charles County Highway Department. 

Wright also said the city should improve both streets and infrastructure and ensure the police, fire, street and water departments have the most up-to-date equipment available. 

He also pledged to provide more printed information to elderly residents in his ward that do not have internet access.

Steinhoff said he's running to defend the residents' pocketbooks. He said the city council should always consider whether a particular question is the proper role of the government and if the answer is to "socially or economically engineer our city" he would vote no.