Tom Schneider defeated five other candidates in the Florissant municipal election to become the third mayor in more than 40 years.
Schneider captured 37 percent of the vote against his opponents to gain the title of chief administrator of the city. Fellow candidates Susan Geerling and Mark Behlmann followed closely behind with 24 and 23 percent of the vote respectively.
“Democracy is not perfection," he said. "Just because something isn’t perfect does not mean it’s rotten, or corrupt. The press and people in the community have the right to made their voice heard when they believe something is wrong.”
Schneider has served the past 32 years as the Ward 3 City Councilman.
Once votes have been certified by the city of Florissant, Schneider will be sworn into office at a city council meeting.
Read more about Schneider’s win and what his opponents had to say on Wednesday.
I can't believe is that we came that close to having an un-qualified "soccer mom" (though presumably a nice lady) running the largest city in the county under out "strong mayor" sytem. Scary!!!!
And don't forget Lowery DID do good for Florissant, MO! (Cross Keys, etc)
My congratulations to Mr. Schneider on winning the election. And here's hoping that the next 4 years bring dramatic and far reaching improvements in the city of Florissant! To all you negative nellies out there - Quit whining and give the man a chance, he may surprise all of us and turn this once great city around and set it on the right path once again.
He implied an endorsement from the police department, which they were so upset about that they collectively sent a letter to all residents stating they did not endorse him. He funded a letter of endorsement from Dick Kellet, head of NC Labor and Chairman of the Board of Election Commissioners–big conflict of interest. His sign showed up in yards without receiving permission from homeowners. Previous to this election, I heard him bragging to another man about telling a resident that their concern was his #1 priority, then doing nothing about it. He is known around our ward for being unresponsive and showing favoritism. I know it is not pleasant to hear negative things about your father, and I believe that he could be wonderful as a father and husband, treating you as he does all his special interests. I am just not confident in his ability to be an honest and unbiased in the running of our wonderful city based on how he ran his campaign and his past experience. Yes, he is experienced, but that is not the type of experience I want someone to bring to the role of mayor.
All this anonymous insult-lobbing* aside, I'm sorry you are disappointed by Tuesday's results and sincerely hope Tom surprises you in a good way in the next few years. * Your third to last sentence.
Geerling was in favor of redeveloping Cross Keys and even using TIF money for the project. She voted no on the FINAL vote (it was 5-4) because she and the others knew Florissant would not be getting the best deal if they just submitted to every change the developer made (some very huge, like adding a few million extra TIF dollars and changing the anchor store to Home Depot, though they had been told by the entire council that Florissant did not want a home improvement store in this development) AFTER their proposal was accepted. The council had been warned that the developer was in the habit of this sort of bait and switch, but only four council members had the strength of character to challenge these changes. If your father had shown more strength or had Florissant's best interest in mind when voting, we may have gotten a better deal on the project. But as it is now, Florissant will not profit from the development until the bonds are paid off (about 13 more years, I think?). Until then, the city loses around $400,000-600,000 per year on the deal. How many salaries could that pay for?
You did not respond to the whole Dick Kellet, Election Commissioner, endorsement letter conflict of interest. Do you think it is ethical? This shows bad judgment and bias in a position that begs neutrality. True, Mr. Kellet is the main guilty party, but your father was an accomplice, funding and distributing the letter. I, too, hope your father surprises all of us with some honest and fiscally responsible leadership, but it is rare for politicians to change their ways.