It promises to be an interesting election campaign for seats on the De Soto City Council.
Three seats on the five-person board are up for grabs in the April 6 election.
Council members are elected at-large and each year, they vote to appoint one of them as mayor.
Five people are seeking the two full, three-year terms up for election. Incumbent Jim Akers is seeking his second term, but the other incumbent, Roger Charleville, who served 18 years on the council, opted not to run again.
Joining Akers in the chase for two seats are Shaun Brooks, Bob Pinson, Pamela Midgett and Rich McCane.
McCane is a former councilman and mayor who resigned in August 2018 after eight years on the council, citing “outside pressures” and saying that he and his family had been harassed.
In October 2019, McCane addressed the board and said a better City Council could be assembled from five people, “drunk or sober,” on barstools in town.
“The best thing I ever did was walk away from here and from these people,” McCane told the council members then. “It was a burden to me to carry this around and not tell about it.”
McCane made no specific allegations of wrongdoing against council members and did not attribute abuse and threats to council members.
A third council member will be elected to serve out the term originally held by veteran councilman Larry Sanders, who lost in a re-election bid in April 2018 but then was appointed to replace McCane after he resigned and won a full term in April 2019. Sanders then stepped down in early 2020, and the council appointed Autumn Blanchard to serve until the next election could be held.
Blanchard is seeking to serve the final year of Sanders’ term and faces opposition from Rick Draper, a former police chief of the city.
Pinson and Midgett did not return Leader candidate questionnaires.
Council members are paid $800 per year.
THREE-YEAR TERM
McCANE, 41, has run R.W. McCane Constructors in De Soto for 20 years and is a home builder and property manager. He and his wife, Stacy, have three children. He is a 1997 graduate of De Soto High School, received an associate degree from Jefferson College in 2000, a bachelor’s degree in business administration and business management from Missouri Baptist University in 2002 and building trades certifications from St. Louis Community College in 2001.
BROOKS, 42, is an electrical designer at McClure Engineering. He and his wife, Amy, have two children. He is a 1997 graduate of De Soto High School, received an associate degree in computer-aided drafting from ITT Technical Institute in 1999 and a bachelor’s degree in computer visualization technology from ITT Technical Institute in 2000.
AKERS, 78, is a retired serviceman specialist for the Missouri Natural Gas Co. (now Spire). He and his wife, Mary Lou, have two children, seven grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. He is a 1960 graduate of De Soto High School and attended Jefferson College. He also spent 40 years with the city’s Fire Department, retiring as the chief. Akers served previously on the City Council from 1970-1972, with one year as mayor, but did not run for re-election. He also was a part-time emergency medical technician for 12 years with the Valle Ambulance District.
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
McCane: I have volunteered my time as a commissioner on the city’s Board of Adjustment and on the Planning and Zoning Board. I have been a councilman, chairman pro tem of the City Council and mayor. I also have served as a board member and vice president of Get Healthy DeSoto.
Brooks: I have served on the Planning and Zoning Board for 10 years, on the Board of Adjustment for five years and volunteered with and served on the De Soto Little League board for five years. I also volunteered in various youth sports organizations in Jefferson County while my sons were young.
Akers: I am a councilman and current mayor. I am a retired fire chief and have experience working on budgets and grant applications; I was approved for two grants totaling $500,000 for my department. I have addressed people’s concerns through veterans and civic groups. I am a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. Being an officer of several groups gave me the experience I needed to be a councilman.
What are the biggest problems facing the city and how would you address them?
McCane: Attracting investment is the community’s biggest struggle. I support voluntary annexations, utility extensions and low real estate taxes that allow our community to grow and create jobs. We should also focus on being a good partner to existing businesses to encourage expansion. Flooding affects several neighborhoods, so there should be a continued effort to work with local advocates and the federal government to develop a flood remediation strategy. Residents expect their property rights to be respected, I support using any tool within the law to address issues of crime and homelessness.
Brooks: Flooding and infrastructure (roads and buildings). I would continue to work with the federal government, the citizens’ committee for flood relief and provide the Public Works Department with the support needed to develop and implement solutions to these issues. I’d also like to see Main Street continue to be revitalized and attract business.
Akers: The biggest problem is the flooding of Joachim Creek. We are working with local, state and federal agencies to improve and hopefully correct this problem. Retaining qualified city employees is another problem. We are always striving to increase salaries and benefits. Department heads under the direction of City Manager Todd Melkus are top notch. Maintaining transparency with residents through our website and personal contact is and always will be a top priority.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals if elected.
McCane: It was an honor to serve as mayor in 2018. It was a difficult task with no city manager present. I supported corruption investigations and I worked to make the city government professional and transparent. Those efforts upset the status quo but they have made a positive impact. Leadership at City Hall and the Police Department were hired during my tenure and they have continued the work that I began. My goals:
■ Transparency and accountability.
■ Grant-funded infrastructure improvements.
■ A long-term park development plan to help win grant funding.
Brooks: I love De Soto and I would like to see the city government more open and accessible. I have lived here for almost 30 years and I want to help it prosper and grow. I will work hard to make that happen.
Akers: I want to continue working to improve our great city. We have made great strides but much remains to be done. Our hiring of City Manager Todd Melkus and Police Chief Jeff McCreary are two great accomplishments during my term in office. I also would work to increase the demolition of unsafe structures for safety and allow fewer places for transients to congregate.
ONE-YEAR TERM
BLANCHARD, 50, is a household manager. She and her husband, Paul, have three children. She attended Jefferson College.
DRAPER, 40, is a self-employed heavy equipment salesman at K’s Equipment and a licensed Realtor for Berkshire Hathaway. He and his wife, Susan, have three daughters. He said he stepped down from serving as chief of the De Soto Police Department because of disagreements on management decisions and the vision for the department. He attended the Jefferson College Police Academy.
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Blanchard: I have been a volunteer around De Soto in many groups. I volunteered at Vineland Elementary School for 10 years, the De Soto youth soccer league for the past 19 years, Safe Prom at De Soto High School for the past seven and I am part of People Really Interested in De Soto’s Environment. I am a strong believer in volunteering to improve our town in any way I can.
Draper: I have never held an elected office. I was the police chief in De Soto for two years and a detective and police officer before that; I was hired by the department in 2004. I have served on the Jefferson County BackStoppers committee and the De Soto Chamber of Commerce and am a member of the De Soto Elks.
What are the biggest problems facing the city and how would you address them?
Blanchard: Attracting new families and businesses, along with flood control. The lack of community involvement seems to be hindering growth. It is important to support and encourage more businesses and invest in our safety, including flood zones, and communicate more efficiently to get more involvement.
Draper: We must work harder to find more ways to attract new business and work to grow our residential areas. We must find ways to set ourselves apart from other cities. This will require a proactive approach and should involve the city government, Chamber of Commerce and other organizations that promote business and residential growth. We must continue to address the flooding concerns that continue to impact a big part of our community. We must lean on and listen to the experts in the field and follow the recommendations to mitigate and resolve future flooding.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Blanchard: I want to go forward with the job I started. I have dedicated a lot of my time to numerous groups and causes in De Soto over the years and feel a sense of pride for my town. I want to attract more families to our town and address flood control and optimize what generations before us established.
Draper: This election has brought forth many candidates who have very similar thoughts on what they think they can bring to the table and what De Soto needs or doesn’t need. Sometimes fresh perspectives to the same problems can bring fresh change. I would like to see someone designated or hired to proactively approach businesses and attractions to get De Soto in front of their faces, I would like to see voluntary annexation and growth to our beautiful city. We must also continue to support our employees who are the backbone of city government.