Dan Stallman will step down from his District 6 seat on the Jefferson County Council at the end of this month, and it appears the council will appoint Tim Brown to fill the seat.
In August, Brown was elected to take over the District 6 seat in January. The district covers the southern portion of Jefferson County, including the cities of De Soto and Olympian Village and portions of Hillsboro.
Stallman, 80, of De Soto was first elected to the seat in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020, but he did not seek reelection this year.
Council chair Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) said on Tuesday that Stallman submitted his resignation letter last week.
“Dan was a good, loyal member of the council,” Groeteke said. “I appreciate his service to the county and to the residents of District 6.”
Cherlynn Boyer, executive assistant to the council, said Stallman’s last day will be Monday, Sept. 30.
The council voted 6-0 on Monday to approve a resolution that will appear on the next meeting’s agenda appointing Brown to fill the vacant seat. Stallman was absent from the meeting.
The council’s next meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in the assembly room at the Administration Center, 729 Maple St., in Hillsboro.
Brown, 49, of De Soto, beat two other Republicans, Brad Basler and Stan Richardson, in the Aug. 6 primary with 37.4 percent of the vote, or 1,539 votes.
Since no candidates from other political parties filed to run against the Republican winner, no election for the seat will be held during the November general election, which means Brown won the District 6 four-year term that begins in January.
Stallman said he is stepping down early to allow Brown an opportunity to influence the upcoming 2025-2026 budget, which the council typically approves by the last day of December.
“(The council) is going to be talking about the budget soon, and, really, Tim Brown needs to be there at this particular time when they’re talking about the budget,” Stallman said. “He’s sharp, and I think he can handle it. It would give him a little bit more insight; those two months could be important.”
County counselor Jalesia F.M. Kuenzel said Monday that the council must appoint someone to replace Stallman, a Republican, from the same party.
Groeteke said the council’s decision to appoint Brown is in line with how it handled vacant seats in the past.
When District 5 Councilwoman Tracey Perry resigned in 2022, Councilman Scott Seek (District 5, Festus), filled the vacated seat early. Like Brown, Seek had already won the election to take over the seat, with the term to start in 2023, but the council voted to appoint him early to fill the remainder of Perry’s unexpired term.
If the council votes at its next meeting to appoint Brown to the vacant seat, he will effectively take over the seat on Oct. 1, Groeteke said.
Brown’s ceremonial swearing-in would likely take place at the Oct. 15 regular meeting.
“Being on the County Council is an important job and requires participation from all council members, and I look forward to working with Mr. Brown,” Groeteke said.
Stallman said he is a “firm believer” in term limits and now seemed like the right time to leave the council. He retired after working 20 years as a road deputy and DARE officer for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. He also worked for the U.S. government as a subcontractor for military projects.
“I think in any job that pays tax money to an official, they should think about donating some of their time, but it shouldn’t be a lifetime deal,” he said. “Sometimes people get into politics and they are in it for their whole life.”
Council members are paid $11,478 per year.
Stallman said he is sorry the County Council was not able to allocate funds for a new Jefferson County Courthouse during his tenure.
“I would have liked to have seen us work toward redoing the actual courthouse,” he said. “They were talking about it in 1967, and here we are in 2024 still repairing the old building. You’re spending a lot of money and you’re not gaining much.”
Stallman said he isn’t interested in running for any other elected positions, but he would be willing to help elect others he supports.
He said he enjoyed his time on the council.
“I worked with some really fine and really interesting people,” he said.