Two new candidates are vying for the Jefferson County Council District 5 seat in the Nov. 3 election.
Councilman Scott Seek vacated the District 5 seat in January, amid controversy over his vote to reappoint his father to the Jefferson County Port Authority Board of Commissioners, an unpaid volunteer position.
The council appointed Tim Bennett Jr. of Festus to fill the seat in March, and Bennett, a Republican, is running in the November election for a full term. He’ll be facing Libertarian Danielle “Dani” Elliott at the ballot box.
No Democrats have filed for the seat.
Council members receive an annual stipend of approximately $13,929 and serve four-year terms.
District 5 is located in the southeastern portion of Jefferson County, including the Festus, Crystal City and Herculaneum communities.
Elliott, 49, of Crystal City is a certified medical coder and biller with a multi-state healthcare system. She has an associate degree in health information. Since 2025, she has served on the Crystal City Planning and Zoning Board. She volunteers with the Festus Main Street Association.
Bennett, 40, of Festus was appointed to the County Council to represent District 5 in March. He is a former member of the Festus Planning and Zoning Commission. He is the director of flag football for the Festus Tigers Youth Football organization. He is a member of the Festus Elks and the Festus/Crystal City Conservation Club.
Why should voters elect you, and what are your goals if elected?
Elliott: I’m part of this community, and I want to see it do well. I believe public service should be about helping residents, not personal agendas or partisan politics. Local government should focus on practical solutions, responsible spending and the everyday needs of the people who live here. One of my priorities is improving communication between District 5’s city councils and county government. By working together, we can find ways to share resources, avoid duplicating efforts and get more done. When local leaders work together to strengthen our community, we can solve problems more effectively and make sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.
Bennett: I am a family-oriented individual who would like to see better development for our youth to be able to work closer to home. I would also like to see more community/family-oriented development in District 5. Upgrades to our parks and possibly a public river access or riverfront viewing area.
How would you grade infrastructure in District 5? What would be the biggest priority you would champion when it comes to infrastructure in the district and in the county as a whole?
Elliott: I would give the current state of District 5 infrastructure a “needs improvement.” The update to I-55 is a great start. For many people, driving on it is stressful and even frightening, but the updates are necessary, and I believe the finished project will ultimately be great and benefit the community. I also believe we need to address the aging infrastructure beneath our roads. It can feel counterproductive to invest in road improvements only to have them dug up later because of failing water mains. We need to address both the infrastructure we can see and the infrastructure we can’t see. Looking ahead, I would also champion more public transportation options, along with practical improvements to walkability and biking safety. Even small changes in these areas would make our community safer, more accessible and better connected.
Bennett: I think we could do a better job building and promoting infrastructure in District 5. If we want to have new, better development, we need to have better infrastructure. These changes have already started with the I-55 and Hwy. 67 upgrades, but we also need to continue working alongside our municipalities to work together to upgrade our systems.
What is the biggest challenge the county will face in the next five years? What about District 5?
Elliott: I believe the biggest challenge in District 5 is the lack of public trust. When people lose faith in their government, they stop believing their voices matter. While door-knocking, I’ve heard a lot of concerns about privacy, the use and potential misuse of Flock cameras, and the feeling that residents aren’t being listened to. People are also worried about major developments, including the possibility of a data center in their backyard, and what that could mean for their homes and quality of life. Government should never make residents feel ignored. They should know their voice matters and their concerns are heard. That is how we make true progress as a community.
Bennett: Balancing development to allow our children to want to stay in our county to have good-paying jobs to support our family businesses. The amount of red tape that individuals have to go through to be able to open and sustain a business in our county is too much. This is why we don’t see any new businesses start in our county; they travel to other counties to open their business. We don’t need to bring every big box store to our county but need to help our children to start their own businesses and keep them going.
In the next decade, the population is expected to increase dramatically. Is the county prepared for such an influx of people? What strategies should the county be pursuing to best manage a population increase?
Elliott: We need more affordable housing, better options for public transportation, improved water infrastructure and access to mental health services. These are real needs that affect people every day. We need to be wise in assessing where our tax dollars are going and whether we’re using them in the best way possible. Our community is growing, and our needs are changing. We need to make sure our priorities and spending are keeping up with that growth.
Bennett: We need to focus on supporting our local business. There is no data to support the claim of our county growing when past data shows that we have an annual growth of around 2.82 percent. I wouldn’t call that a dramatic increase. However, in order to prepare for growth, we need to allow for housing development. The fact that developers follow the rules and do the things they are supposed to do in order to build that development, then they should be allowed to.
