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By Carol Arnett

The election of the Florissant Mayor, with six candidates vying to fill the post of outgoing Mayor Robert Lowery, has received most of the  attention in the city. But four council members and the city judge will also be elected Tuesday. In two of the wards, the incumbents, John Grib (Ward 2), and Mark Schmidt (Ward 8), are running unopposed.

In Ward 4, incumbent Keith English faces a challenge from Jeff Caputa, a long-time Florissant resident, but first time candidate. English has held the seat since 2007, when former Councilwoman Geri Debo resigned.

In fact, English cited Debo as part of the reason he is running. “This continues a dream I’ve had since I was at Hazelwood Central in 1986,” he said. “Councilwoman Debo was my history teacher at that time, and she really encouraged me to give back to my community. I’ve really enjoyed my time working with residents as their Ward 4 representative.”

English said he wants to continue his project of working with students from the Hazelwood School District (HSD) in helping maintain homes in his ward. “I want to continue working with our residents in need with the reach out project, which uses HSD students, who need community

service hours, in partnership with Handyman Hardware, which donates material. We help aging or needy residents with their homes. English said the group had recently worked on a home, scraping and painting the outside, and planting and pruning. their parents, help others, and maybe learn how to do something new. I have a proven record.”

English faces competition from Jeff Caputa. He says he is running because he had been asked several times. “People have wanted me to run before, but I had smaller children. Now that my kids are grown, I think I’ll have the time I need to really do a good job.”

In the ward, Caputa would like to work on some issues he sees in the ward. “The Sunset Park Trail is an issue,” Caputa said. “There is no lighting and the foliage is too big. At some intersections, cars can’t see pedestrians and bikes.”

Caputa also said that Ward 4 had many cut-through streets and he would like to make many that are now two-way stops into four-way stops. Caputa is a Marine veteran. “The Marines breed leaders and I have strong leadership skills.” Caputa has lived in Florissant for 24 years.. Caputa is a 25-year member of the Cement Masons Local 527.

In Ward 6, incumbent and mayoral candidate Andrew Podleski is stepping down from his seat. Three  are vying for the seat: Ben Eye, Steve Purgahn, and Pat Stinnett.

Ben Eye says he is running because he thinks he has something to offer the city, and he would like to give back to his community. Eye has worked for the city for several years, in the pools and aquatic center, and is a teacher at Ferguson Middle School. He is working on his PhD. in school administration.

Ward 6 is unique because of the historic district, Eye said. As councilman, he would work with the Old Town Partners, the organizers of the Fall Festival, and the Valley of Flowers Committee. “There are huge morale boosters for the city,” he said. He also said he would like to work with these groups to provide service opportunities for teens. “The historic buildings need to be preserved, and I’ll work with the Landmarks Commission on that,” Eye said.

Steve Purgahn is also running. “I believe the city needs help in the area of finance, and this is where I have a strong background and experience.” Purgahn is a CPA in Old Town.

“Ward 6 is unique because of St. Francois Street and the Shrine,” he said. “I would like to make the area a destination point and bring in unique businesses, such as Hendel’s.”

“If you look at Ferguson, Webster or Kirkwood, they’ve really made their downtown areas destinations. We’re not as big as Main Street on St. Charles, but we could have something like that.” Purgahn said he’s a lifelong resident, and “I’ve chosen to raise my family and have my business here,” he said.

Pat Stinnett is the third candidate for the ward. “I believe I have the skills acquired through my years working as a manager for AT&T to help move the city along,” Stinnett said. He said he knows how to budget.

Issues facing Ward 6 include the need for installation of gutters in the Old Town area to help with water runoff, he said. Another problem the ward faces is one faced by the entire city, he said. “There are 1300 vacant homes in the city,” he said. “We need to attract individuals into those homes.”

“After 40 years of working for a major corporation, I have the skills to administer personnel issues and deal with the budgetary process. I know how to resolve issues.”

In the race for Municipal Judge, incumbent Timothy Kelly faces a challenge from Daniel Patrick Boyle. Boyle is a lifelong resident of the city. His firm is located on St. Francois Street. He has been the city’s Provisional Judge since 2007. Boyle is active in many civic organizations. born and raised in Florissant and former board chairman of the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce.  He said the judge position is in need a “fresh perspective and new energy.”

Kelly has been the Municipal Judge for 30 years. He is a Navy veteran and a lifelong resident of Florissant. His father was also the city’s Municipal Judge. Judge John Kelly Jr. was on bench for the Eastern District Court of Appeals for Missouri. Judge Tim Kelly  cites his 30 years  of “extensive experience”  and his success working with parents and young offenders to reduce repeated offenses.

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