Voters in Arnold’s Wards 1 and 2 will decide who represents them for the next two years.
Incumbents Jason Fulbright (Ward 1) and Tim Seidenstricker (Ward 2) are being challenged for their seats with Doris Borgelt running to represent Ward 1 and William “Bill” Moritz seeking election to the Ward 2 seat.
Ward 3 Councilman Mark Hood and Ward 4 Councilman Claude “Butch” Cooley are running unopposed. The incumbents will be sworn in following the April 4 election.
Council members elected in April are paid $720.28 a month.
WARD 1
FULBRIGHT, 49, is a Realtor for Gateway Real Estate. He is married to Tammy. He is a 1992 graduate of Fox High School, and he earned an associate degree from Jefferson College in 1994 and a master’s degree in business administration from Missouri Baptist University in 2007.
BORGELT, 67, is a Realtor with Gateway Real Estate and a server at Lazy River Grill. She took some college classes.
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Fulbright: I have served on the council since 2013. I also serve on the board of Public Water Supply District C-1 and on the county’s Republican Central Committee.
Borgelt: I served a term representing Ward 1 on the City Council from 2011 to 2013.
What are the biggest problems facing the city and how would you address them?
Fulbright: Arnold is the economic engine of Jefferson County, and we have to protect this and make sure we are providing the best environment to grow business opportunities. Public safety is vital to the people who live, work and visit our city. Our city is growing and by working with people, I have helped to move our city forward.
Borgelt: Expenses exceed revenues. Spending needs to be reduced. The city has no revenue-producing entities. The recreation center has run at a deficit each year since it opened. Consideration should be given to a public-private partnership with someone who knows how to run this kind of operation at a profit. Tax increases are not the answer. Revenues increase with the growth of the community. Responsible spending comes with proper long-range planning.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Fulbright: I have a record of being able to work with people in a professional manor. I realize not everyone will like every action our council makes, but at least you know we are working together and you are not paying for council meetings where the only thing that gets done is the members try to score political points against each other. Continued economic development and public safety are my goals.
Borgelt: I would like to increase services and reduce spending. There are always threats of reducing city services to coerce voters into tax increases. It should be the other way around. Maintaining the golf course, now a walking park, is still a drain on city coffers. We should lease it, sell it or use it for other entertainment venues. Crime needs to be addressed. There are too many stolen cars and thefts. I would like to see police in neighborhoods make personal contact with residents and return 911 services to local dispatchers who know the city.
Do you support Proposition Public Safety, the sales tax issue on the April ballot? Why or why not?
Fulbright: I am in favor of the issue. The majority of crimes committed in our city are done by people who don’t live here. We also know that over half of the people who shop in Arnold are from outside of our city as well. It makes sense to me that we should let them help pay for our police. This money can only be used for police, and it ensures we will never have to worry about our department being defunded by future councils. This also will allow us to double the number of school resource officers.
Borgelt: No. The Police Department has at least five new SUVs stored at the Public Works lot. If they can afford to leave them there, they are unnecessary. The city has a budget. They need to work within it.
WARD 2
SEIDENSTRICKER, 43, works for Zoll Medical, educating, fitting and training patients who are at risk for cardiac arrest with a wearable defibrillator. He has two children. He earned a bachelor’s degree in theology in 2012 from Concordia University in Wisconsin.
MORITZ, 65, is retired after working for 41 years for the Boeing Company as an aircraft maintainer. He and his wife, Debbie, who retired in 2013 after working for the city, have two children and a grandchild. A 1975 graduate of Fox High School, Moritz earned a bachelor’s degree in aircraft maintenance from Parks College of St. Louis University in 1994, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix in 1998 and a master’s degree in aviation safety from the University of Central Missouri in 2006.
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Seidenstricker: I have served as Ward 2 councilman for the past four years, two of those years as mayor pro tem. I am a founding member of the Arnold Beautification Committee and serve on the Liquor Committee, Tourism Commission and Police Pension Review Board.
Moritz: I have lived in Arnold since 1965 and served three terms on the City Council from 2007 to 2013, and in my third term, I was elected mayor pro tem. At Boeing, I was a production manager for 16 years. I learned how to negotiate and to prioritize tasks to meet schedules and requirements. Both are useful skills in city government.
What are the biggest problems facing the city and how would you address them?
Seidenstricker: It’s a great time to be an Arnold resident, but every great city can always find ways to improve. I plan to keep Arnold thriving by continuing to support local businesses and to improve our infrastructure. I love working directly with our neighborhoods to get their feedback on how to make them the best they can be.
Moritz: Overspending: Arnold has been deficit spending for some years. The council has been spending undesignated reserves to balance the budget as required by law. The money from the sale of the sanitary sewer system is gone. Negotiating bad deals: Arnold issued bonds and allowed one of the largest corporations in the world to complete its half-billion dollar expansion and improvements with not one penny of property taxes to be collected, denying the schools, ambulance, water, library, health and the fire districts revenue. This is not sustainable.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Seidenstricker: I’m passionate about the city, and my work as a councilman has reflected that. I have a proven record of working hard for my constituents. I’m always available to speak with them and love hearing any suggestions they have for improvements. My goals for the next term are to continue to grow our thriving farmers market and to ensure our parks are available for all to enjoy, including the exciting events that they hold. I’m also committed to continued transparency in city government.
Moritz: During my previous terms on the council, Money magazine named Arnold as the 13th most affordable American city. Not so long ago, we had free trash, the cheapest sewer rates in the state, curbside brush pickup twice a year, neighborhood mosquito spraying, cheap recreation center fees, hazardous chemical recycling, pothole and sidewalk repairs, but much of that is gone. The city today is cutting services and overspending. It cannot seem to control its spending. This has to change.
Do you support Proposition Public Safety, the sales tax issue on the April ballot? Why or why not?
Seidenstricker: Yes. It would be a dedicated revenue stream that could only be used for the Arnold Police Department. Ensuring public safety is one of my most important goals. This proposition will make certain that our police officers are equipped with the tools and training they need to do their jobs. The city administration understands that any additional tax could have an impact on Arnold residents, so the proposition includes a provision to reduce real estate taxes by 50 percent to help offset this. We want to ensure that Arnold will never defund the police.
Moritz: I support the voters’ right to decide to apply sales taxes. This new sales tax will only be used to fund the Police Department. This will further help stop crime from coming south into Arnold and keep us all safe. If the voters decide to approve the tax increase, it would free up the existing sales tax income that currently funds the Police Department to run other city services. I will vote in favor of the proposition.