Candidates Line Up On First Day To File

Tuesday marked the first day candidates in Missouri municipal elections scheduled for April could file to get on the ballot. While the opening day did not yield a large number of candidates, it is already clear Creve Coeur voters will have a mix of familiar and fresh faces to choose from.

In , Five City Council seats will be up for election—one in each ward, and both seats in Ward Three due to David Kassander's resignaton earlier this year. Kassander's replacement, Robert Hoffman, filed late Tuesday afternoon serve out the remaining year on the seat's term. Hoffman says he wants to keep issues out in front of the public. "I'm a firm believer that everything has to be out in the open from the beginning, nothing behind closed doors, that's one of my goals as a city councilman," he said.

Ward Three Council Member Robert Robert Haddenhorst was the first incumbent to officially file for re-election. Due to term limits this would be his fifth and final term. He says says fiscal issues will continue to be an important issue for the city. "How do we manage to balance our revenue versus expenditures, and make tough decisions in tough times," Haddenhorst said.

Scott Saunders was the first candidate to appear at the Creve Coeur Government Center on filing day. Saunders is currently on the city Planning and Zoning Commission, and says the decision to run for the Ward Four seat is part of a progression from his work on other city boards. "You reach a point where rather than being advisory, you sort of want to reach the position where you're actually decision-making," he said of seeking the seat currently held by Laura Bryant. Bryant cannot run for re-election due to term limits.

Ward Two Council Member Tara Nealey did not file on the first day but tells Creve Coeur Patch she is likely to run again. Efforts to confirm Ward One Council Member Beth Kistner's plans were unsuccessful on Tuesday.

Creve Coeur voters in the Ladue School district will have to select three candidates. Stacy Washington, a resident of Olivette and parent of three elementary school children filed to be one of them. An incumbent Ken Smith refiled for his fourth term, while current board members Donna Smith and Bob Glik have decided not to run for re-election.

City voters in the Parkway School District saw all three incumbent board members file Tuesday, including Bruce W. Major, Chris Jacob and Dee Mogerman. In Pattonville one incumbent on the Board of Education, which includes parts of Creve Coeur, filed for re-election. Tammy Hohenstein is finishing a one-year term, which voters elected her to last year after a board member resigned.

Candidates have until 5pm January 18 to file.