Aldermen-Elect Take Oath of Office

At Monday night's meeting of the Board of Aldermen, three incumbents took the oath of office for another two-year term. The board then voted for Ralph Sidebottom to serve another year as president of the board of aldermen.

Lake Saint Louis Patch asked each of the newly elected aldermen for their thoughts on the April 5 election and their plans for the future.

George Rich, Ward 3, said, "I thank those who voted for me.  I would have liked to win by a bigger margin but accept that I can to do better to represent all voters. I would ask those who voted for my worthy opponent, as well as those who voted for me, to send me an email about how they would like their Alderman to function; grich@lakesaintlouis.com. I’m always open to improvements."

"In these tough times," Rich went on to say, "the city will be faced with difficult decisions just like every citizen is. I greatly appreciate citizens giving me their opinions on critical issues to guide my Aldermanic vote. From experience I know citizens won’t always agree among themselves. But the well thought out comments I’ve gotten in the past do influence my thinking. Thanks for the help and please keep it up."

Kathy Schweikert, Ward 2, who was running unopposed, said, "I appreciate and thank all of the residents who came out to vote in the muncipal election - this shows interest in their city and community, and their votes do make a difference."

"Just briefly on the future of Lake Saint Louis," Schweikert said, "no one can predict what the state of the economy will be over the next year or two, but I feel the city is in a good position to handle the 'bumps.' Our city staff, together with the Board of Aldermen, work to have a very conservative budget with a reserve, and the next fiscal year budget will be one of the Board's major actions over the next two months. The city is also fortunate to have businesses remaining open, as well some new tenants opening up stores later this year or early next, like TJ Max at Hawk Ridge and Nike in the Meadows. We also will be starting or continuing on road and stormwater projects, as well as determining how to fund more projects in the future."

Harry Slyman, Ward 1, was not available for comment.

Lake Saint Louis Patch asked Ward 3 candidate Charles Koviak, who lost to George Rich, if he would consider running in the next election. "It's too soon to think about," he said. Koviak believes that the city needs to make some changes. "It has to get more user-friendly in some departments," he said.

Eric Oman made his third unsuccessful attempt for the Ward 1 seat. He lost to Ralph Sidebottom in 2010, and to Harry Slyman in 2009. Oman was unavailable for comment.