A pair of longtime members of the De Soto City Council are facing challenges as they seek new terms in the April 4 election.
Rick Lane, who has been on the board since 2002, and Werner C. Stichling, who was first elected in 1999, are both seeking new three-year terms. However, they face challenges this spring from newcomers David J. Agnew and Clayton Henry.
De Soto has a five-member City Council, with each member representing all city residents. The council each year elects one of its own to serve as mayor.
Agnew did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
De Soto City Council members receive a $600 annual stipend.
LANE, 59, lives at 1700 N. Sixth St. He and his wife, Gayle, have three children and eight grandchildren. He is a construction worker and a De Soto High School graduate. In addition to his tenure on the City Council, Lane has been a member of the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District’s board for six years and also sits on the Jefferson County Code Commission. He has been a member of the De Soto Rotary Club and De Soto Kiwanis Club.
HENRY, 58, lives at 622 W. Stone St. He and his wife, Linda, have three children and six grandchildren. He is retired after working for 40 years as a laborer foreman for BSI Construction and a member of Laborers Local 42. He now teaches at the Eastern Missouri Laborers Training Center and owns a sporting goods store in De Soto. A 1977 graduate of De Soto High School, Henry is a member of the De Soto Elks and Masons. He has organized De Soto Goes Pink, was a coach and vice president of the De Soto Little League and was a coach of the De Soto American Legion baseball team.
His wife, Linda Henry, and sister-in-law, Ann Baker, work for the city.
STICHLING, 70, lives at 411 Leuking Drive. He and his wife, Janet, have two children and one grandchild. He is president of Werner C. Stichling and Associates Inc., an accounting and tax consulting business. He was an original owner of Eagle Bank and Trust. He earned degrees in business and accounting from Washington University. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he has training in aircraft avionics. During his tenure on the council, he has been mayor for 11 years.
Stichling is a member of Jefferson County Industrial Development Authority and is on the boards of the Jefferson County Economic Development Corp. board and Get Healthy De Soto. He also is a member of Amvets, the American Legion, the Festus-Crystal City Elks, Hope United Church of Christ, De Soto Chamber of Commerce and Twin City Area Chamber of Commerce, among others. He was a chairman of the De Soto Fireworks Extravaganza for more than 10 years, was president of the De Soto Park Board and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments board.
What are the biggest problems facing the city and how would you address them?
Lane: Infrastructure updates. Flooding issues. We have been updating streets. Water lines. Sewer lines as money becomes available. We need to work on our parks to be more safe and ADA-compliant. The flooding issue is much more complicated due to all the federal agencies involved. The amount of area involved outside the city limits, of which we do not have control, limits the ability to properly correct the issue.
Henry: The flooding. As a councilman, I would want to work with residents to develop a plan to help alleviate property damage. I’d also like to see an open dialogue between the council and the city employees to work together to solve our internal issues. We need to bring more events to our city. Concerts, festivals and craft fairs would bring new people into our community and would promote our small businesses. We also need to maintain maintenance on our city streets.
Stichling: ■ Keeping a strong first responder team in De Soto. Our compensation system must be strong to keep and attract good personnel.
■ Staying within our budget and being aggressive obtaining government grants. Our City Council has obtained more than $20 million over the last 18 years.
■ Continue to improve our infrastructure via grants.
■ Continuing the development of the soccer-sports complex, a recreation facility for our youth and adults.
■ Working on the Joachim Creek flooding issue by working with our state Legislature to find a solution.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Lane: I will strive to help residents any way I can. I am always available to discuss a concern. My ultimate goal is to make De Soto a safe, friendly place to live and bring business and jobs to the city when possible.
Henry: If elected, I’ll be in touch with the community. I’ll always be available to listen to any concerns. I would work with the businesses that serve our community. I’d like to help make De Soto more attractive to new businesses and light industry. I’d like to see a comprehensive emergency action plan put in place to help residents in the event of flooding or any type of natural disaster. I would like to see the most qualified people to help with the implementation of the plan. Change is needed in our community.
Stichling: My strength is being a strong team player who thinks outside the box, has finance expertise, has helped create jobs and has shown a passion through serving my city for more than a quarter of a century.