Lori Arons, 63, of Imperial recently announced her intent to run for a full term as Jefferson County Council District 3 representative in the November 2026 election. She will run as a Republican.
Arons was appointed to the seat in January 2024 when Shannon Otto resigned 11 months into her first term.
Arons was expected to kick off her campaign on Tuesday at a meet and greet event at Arnold VFW Post 2593, after the Leader deadline.
“I’m running to keep my position so I can continue serving our community for the future,” Arons said. “I really love what I do, and I enjoy being out among the public and meeting people, seeing what I can do to help them.”
Council District 3 covers the eastern half of Arnold, from I-55 to the Mississippi River, and a small portion of unincorporated Jefferson County just south of Arnold, including some residences on Miller and Seckman roads.
A retired librarian from the Fox C-6 School District, Arons regularly attended County Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings before applying for the seat Otto vacated.
She also initiated two Facebook groups, Jeffco Voters Voices for Responsible Development in Jefferson County and Involved Citizens for Responsible Growth in Jefferson County. She relinquished her role as the Facebook groups’ administrator when she became the District 3 representative.
After more than a year and a half in the position, Arons was surprised by what she learned on the other side of the dais.
“I think the most surprising thing is how much time the job (takes),” she said. “It’s a full-time position, but it’s part-time pay. I don’t do it for that reason, though. I do it because I want to be out in the public. I want to meet people, and I want to support what’s going on in our community.”
Arons said one of her proudest accomplishments since her appointment was leading a grassroots movement in an effort to establish a youth behavioral crisis center in the county. She began a letter-writing campaign in April and called on citizens and movers and shakers within the county to press state officials to allocate funding in the 2026 budget for the center.
Arons said the campaign “almost crossed the finish line,” but Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe issued more than 200 line-item budget vetoes in June, including cutting $15.6 million allocated for opening new youth behavioral health crisis centers across the state.
“We were almost there, but we were not successful,” Arons said. “I will start that up again when the session at the state begins because I believe our youth need a crisis center. When there is a crisis, in that moment, not only is the child in crisis, but the parents are in crisis. I brought awareness of the need in the county. Now, when we start up with the petitions and letter-writing, people are more aware of what it is and why it’s important.”
As the District 3 representative, Arons said she has come to enjoy “being the face of the County Council” at ribbon-cuttings, open houses and other community events. She also volunteers twice a week at the Aging Ahead Senior Center at Jefferson College’s Arnold campus, 1687 Missouri State Road. The center offers lunch and games from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Arons added that she has perfect attendance at regular County Council meetings. The council meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at the Jefferson County Administrative Office, 729 Maple St., in Hillsboro.
For questions or concerns regarding District 3, Arons can be reached at her email, Loriaronsdist3@gmail.com, or her county-issued cell phone, 636-535-8839.
“I have made a commitment to answer every phone call or e-mail,” Arons said. “Sometimes, those phone calls are hard because you want to help people, and then sometimes people just want to be listened to. So, I listen and say, ‘Let me see what I can do.’”