Sidebottom Unseats Potter as Lake Saint Louis Mayor by Twelve Votes

Ralph Sidebottom became Mayor of Lake Saint Louis by a mere 12 votes in Tuesday's election.

Sidebottom's 1,012 votes, or 50.25 percent, allowed him to slide past Potter's 1,000 votes, or 49.65 percent.

Earlier counts had shown Potter in the lead.

Sidebottom has been a Ward 1 Alderman since 2006. He is a 19-year Lake Saint Louis resident. Potter had held the position of mayor since 2001.

Patch talked over the phone to Ralph Sidebottom, who was at his victory party. Sidebottom said that his feeling was that the residents of Lake Saint Louis had spoken.

"I intend to follow the same principals I've always followed," he said. "When I started the Ward 1 town hall meetings seven years ago, it was a relaxed atmosphere where people could come and talk about what was on their minds."

Sidebottom said his vision was that the city needed a longer-term plan, keeping in mind things like the Page Avenue extension bringing heavier traffic, and the new malls opening in Chesterfield Valley possibly cutting into Lake Saint Louis' sales tax income.

"We need to be proactive about these things rather than reactive," he said. "A big drop in sales taxes could be catastrophic to the city."

Sidebottom will be sworn in at the April 15 Lake Saint Louis Board of Aldermen meeting at the end of old business.