A spirited race has developed for the mayor of Arnold in the April 4 election.
Ron Counts, the incumbent, is running for a third four-year term leading the city. He has drawn two opponents: William Denman, a relative newcomer to the city political scene; and Phil Amato, the current Ward 3 representative on the Arnold City Council who has served eight non-consecutive terms since 1980.
Amato, who has been a sharp critic of Counts, late last year suggested imposing a limit of two consecutive four-year terms on the mayor’s position.
Amato, 63, said he proposed the term limits because he thinks the mayor’s job is demanding, and it’s hard for anyone to keep up the energy needed to do it justice for more than eight years.
“People elected as mayor are usually older, and as you get older, your energy level wanes, and to keep that up for 12 years is asking an awful lot,” Amato said.
Counts, who is 70, said at the time that he has no problem fulfilling his mayoral duties, adding that he attends lots of community events.
“People know I’m at events. All you have to do is look around and see I’m there,” he said. “Every event I know about, I’m there.”
The council took no action on Amato’s proposal.
The new mayor will be paid a salary of $29,245 a year.
COUNTS, 70, lives at 1720 East Highview Drive. He and his wife, Gaye, have two children and five grandchildren. He is retired after owning Counts Auto Body in Arnold for 40 years. He is a 1964 graduate of Fox High School and received an associate degree in business from Jefferson College in 1966. He has served three terms on the Fox C-6 Board of Education and two terms on the Rock Township Ambulance District’s board. He is a member of the Arnold Rotary Club and the Arnold Chamber of Commerce. He also has served as a board member of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
DENMAN, 73, lives at 2786 Baccara Drive. He and his wife, Janice, have four children and five grandchildren. He is a retired lineman for AmerenUE and a delivery driver. He is a high school graduate and attended college. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, VFW Post 2593 Auxiliary and American Legion Post 283.
AMATO, 63, lives at 2505 Hickory Square Parkway with his wife, Deb. He is a retired sales manufacturer representative for P. Lorillard and also previously owned three small businesses. He has an associate degree in sales and business from St. Louis Community College-Meramec. He is a past president of the Jefferson County Library Board and Arnold Jaycees and the current vice president of the library board and president of the Arnold Food Pantry.
Amato was a member of the Jefferson County Charter Commission, chaired a stormwater task force and headed committees to establish the city’s tornado siren warning system, the Jefferson County Library District and the Arnold Recreation Center. He served on a statewide task force to review state laws that affect cities. He is a former member of the Jefferson College Foundation Board of Directors, the Meramec-Arnold Elks, Arnold Rotary and Arnold Jaycees.
Amato was a Ward 3 councilman from 1980-1982 and again from 2001-2009 before giving up his seat for an unsuccessful run for mayor. He returned to the council in 2011.
What are the biggest problems facing the city and how would you address them?
Counts: We are a growing community and we need to make sure we continue to make wise and thoughtful decisions on how we grow. Doing the right thing is more important to me than just doing anything so we can pat ourselves on the back. I want to see commercial and manufacturing jobs to continue to move into our city and we have a proven track record of being able to attract the best companies to Arnold. I will work with all of our partners to make sure our city continues to grow the right way.
Denman: Overtaxing city residents. Spending needs to be controlled, like paying millions for a golf course and $80,000 for a golf pro. We are facing utility rate increases that hurt residents.
Amato: ■ Making sure residents feel safe in their homes and while shopping. Our police department should be properly staffed, well trained and properly equipped.
■ Streets continue to deteriorate. We must take steps to evaluate, prioritize and provide funding for their maintenance and repair.
■ We must pursue funding to address stormwater and flooding problems. In the 2015 flood, the city not only failed to have manholes pumped but also ordered electric cut off, so residents could not use sump pumps. I will fire the emergency director and ensure our disaster plan is followed.
■ A strategic long-range plan is needed.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Counts: I hope people will think I have done a good job of leading our city and they will trust me to continue. I want to keep our city safe by making sure our police have the manpower and equipment they need. I will continue to upgrade our streets and infrastructure. I would like to bring a state-of-the-art hospital or new veterans’ home to our city. I hope we will be able to expand and improve upon our parks system with more things like the new archery park opening this year.
Denman: Remove the utility tax that is more than 40 years old. I would give back (free) trash service promised for tax passage. There is no (free) trash service, but the tax is still there.
Amato: I have a track record of solving complex problems. I will continue to work to fix our roads, improve our quality of life and make Arnold safer. My goals:
■ Restore free trash service.
■ Limit the mayor to two terms.
■ Consult with the schools, fire and ambulance districts, the library district, Jefferson College and other jurisdictions before giving tax breaks to businesses.
■ Reduce excessive attorney bills.
■ Bring in more retail and industry to provide jobs and lessen the tax burden on residents.
■ Provide a vision to move the city forward. Standing still is falling behind.