{"id":6041,"date":"2011-07-26T12:31:06","date_gmt":"2011-07-26T18:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flovalleynews.com\/?p=6041"},"modified":"2011-07-26T12:31:06","modified_gmt":"2011-07-26T18:31:06","slug":"2-council-races-in-aug-2nd-election-could-result-in-major-council-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=6041","title":{"rendered":"2 Council Races in Aug. 2nd Election Could Result in Major Council Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Carol Arnett<\/strong><\/p>\n

Voters in two Florissant wards will go to the polls on Tuesday,\u00a0 Aug. 2 to determine who the newest two council members.<\/p>\n

There are no other candidates or issues on this special ballot to\u00a0 fill the seats of Mayor Tom Schneider’s old council seat and the seat of retiring Councilman Andrew Podleski.<\/p>\n

Ward 2<\/strong> is a run-off election between Pat Stinnett and and Steve\u00a0 Purgahn that would settle the tie-vote in the April election when each got 470 votes after a recount.<\/p>\n

In Ward 3,<\/strong> Mark Behlmann, Joe Eagan, and Elizabeth O\u2019Fallon are running.<\/p>\n

Mark Behlmann s<\/strong>aid, <\/strong>\u201cI\u2019ve been a part of this community all my life, I’m concerned about the challenges this city has faced over the last decade and I want to be part of the solution.\u201d He said that one of the challenges facing the city is the perception many people have. \u201cWe need to get residents positive and that starts with the administration and council,\u201d he said. \u201cThe city needs to provide information. People have to feel comfortable about what is going on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Problems facing Ward 3, he said, include street problems, traffic problems and distressed and vacant properties. \u201cPeople don\u2019t feel they\u2019re getting acceptable assistance,\u201d he said. He said that one of his goals would be to provide great customer service. \u201cI can\u2019t solve every problem, but I can help you find the resource that can,\u201d he said, \u201cwhether that is someone is the city or the county.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behlmann is in favor of a Charter Review Commission. He contends a committee of nonpartisan citizens who are interested in city government should have the opportunity to review the 37-year-old city charter. He said he has never stated that he has an agenda to change the current charter to one that would allow a city management form of government. “Only those provisions that need to b e changed should be followed up and worked on,” he said. Behlmann owns a construction business located in Florissant.<\/p>\n

Joe Eagan<\/strong> is the third candidate in the Ward 3 race. Eagan said he was running to continue a lifetime of community service. He said that he and his wife have been active in several charitable causes through the years. “This is a way to continue to serve, but in a different fashion,” he said.<\/p>\n

Eagan said the challenges the city faces include keeping citizens safe. “If people don\u2019t feel safe, there is not quality of life,” he said. Another challenge is the devaluation of property.<\/p>\n

In Ward 3, residents are feeling the effects of the economy, Eagan said. “People have lost their property values, and in some cases lost their jobs,” he said.<\/p>\n

Eagan said he was for a charter review, but not for a Charter Review Commission. He thinks the council members\u00a0 should review the charter, looking at one article at the end of every council meeting. He said when meeting people door-to-door, “not one person mentioned the charter review.”<\/p>\n

Eagan is a police officer in Maryland Heights. Eagan is also running for office for the first time. “I think I can bring a breath of fresh air into the council,” he said.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth O\u2019Fallon<\/strong> is also running in Ward 3, her first run for any office. \u201cI\u2019ve had some frustrations with government,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought I could keep complaining or I could run for office and try to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she was concerned after the recent audit of the city. \u201cIt showed a lack of accountability and some wasteful spending,\u201d she said. \u201cThe city is not doing a great job at being transparent.\u201d She said a challenge facing the city is the economy. \u201cWe can\u2019t keep using our reserves,\u201d she said. She said the reserves should be saved for a true emergency, not used to balance the budget.<\/p>\n

Challenges facing Ward 3 include vacant homes, traffic and security. She said that ward had many busy streets and residential streets used as short-cuts, and residents were frustrated at the traffic and the speeders. O\u2019Fallon is in favor of a Charter Review Commission. She is a stay at home mother of five. Before she had her children, she worked in the financial field and also managed an office for a small business.<\/p>\n

In Ward 6, Steve Purgahn and Pat Stinnett are facing off once again after April election resulted in a tie.<\/p>\n

Pat Stinnett<\/strong> has said that his many years of working for AT&T provided him with the experience needed on the council. He has the skills to deal with personnel issues and the budget, he said. “I know how to deal with individuals and meet their needs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Stinnett is not in favor of a Charter Review Commission. He said that the council should review the charter.<\/p>\n

Stinnett said that challenges facing the city include maintaining property values, and the ongoing maintenance of city properties, such as streets and parks. \u201cAnd of course, \u201che added, \u201ceveryone wants to live in a safe neighborhood.\u201d Stinnett said that Ward 6\u2019s challenges are the same as the rest of the city. \u201cThere is also a great amount of history in Old Town that we must work to preserve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Steve \u00a0Purgahn<\/strong> is a CPA with a business in Old Town and a lifetime residents of Florissant. He has stated that he would use his strong background in finance on the council. Purgahn is in favor of the Charter Review Commission. \u201cIt makes sense to have a citizen commission,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the most effective way.\u201d He noted that any recommendations from the commission would come back to the council, which is not prohibited from adding their own recommendations.<\/p>\n

The challenges faces the city include trying to maintain services with shrinking revenue, Purgahn said. In Ward 6, he would like to promote the business district. \u201cWe need more places like Hendel\u2019s,\u201d he said, which he called a destination point that draws people from inside and outside the city. \u201cSt Francois Street is the center of the city,\u201d he said, and he would work to keep it thriving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carol Arnett Voters in two Florissant wards will go to the polls on Tuesday,\u00a0 Aug. 2 to determine who the newest two council members. There are no other candidates or issues on this special ballot to\u00a0 fill the seats of Mayor Tom Schneider’s old council seat and the seat of retiring Councilman Andrew Podleski. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-florissant","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n2 Council Races in Aug. 2nd Election Could Result in Major Council Shift - flovalleynews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=6041\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2 Council Races in Aug. 2nd Election Could Result in Major Council Shift - flovalleynews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Carol Arnett Voters in two Florissant wards will go to the polls on Tuesday,\u00a0 Aug. 2 to determine who the newest two council members. 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