The Six Million Dollar Mayor

For the past thirty three weeks I have been sending a "Question of the Week" to all of the trustees of subdivisions in the City of Creve Coeur. Presenting these questions has been both a pleasure and a challenge and I thank the many trustees who have provided encouraging responses to me.

Following is the last question in the series and this time it is addressed to you the voters.

We are now going to elect a new Mayor of Creve Coeur and re-elect the existing Council for one more year before the next Council election. Because there will be no change in the composition of the Council, the election of a new mayor is even more important and poignant to the leadership of the city. So, the next three (3) years will provide a $6,000,000 challenge for the new mayor and his/her Council:   

   * The Allied Waste Contract.........................................$1,200,000    

   * The Health Insurance Plan.........................................$1,000,000     

   * The Pension Plan......................................................$1,100,000   

   * The Olive TDD & The Olive/Graeser TDD.....................$2,000,000   

   * The Millennium Park Mortgage Payoff..........................$986,000

Let's just round it off at..................................................$6,000,000

These six items account for about 1/3rd of all incoming revenues to the city. (And/or use of surplus)

Question to the voters:When you go to the polls on April 3rd to vote, what you need to keep in mind is which of the two mayoral candidates has the experience, knowledge and leadership to address these major items.

The new mayor will need to guide the Professional Staff and Council to solutions that provide appropriate serve to the community; prudent use of the citizens' taxes and fair and equal but not excessive compensation to the Professional Staff.

The test of leadership of the new mayor, as always, will be to find solutions that reconcile the interests of these competing interests. Therefore you have in your hands a SIX MILLION DOLLAR VOTE!

I SINCERELY SUGGEST AND URGE YOU TO USE IT!!!!

R. W. Kent,Ward IV,Greengate Subdivision