City Hall Opinions

Every year our City government changes with the annual election when  three Aldermen seats come up for bid. Until two years ago City decisions and discussions have been very erratic and unpredictable, simply because there has been dissension in the ranks of our Aldermen. Before that, the Board was so radical left they gave away most of the farm and angered the voters, but after the election of 2009 brought in Ward 1 Alderman Cheryl Kross, things started to change. One year later, Ward 2 Alderman Chris Gard and Ward 3 Alderman Rick "Bulldog Stokes" were elected. With them and Ward 1 Alderman Leon Tow, sanity was beginning to come to Wentzville for the first time in the minds of the old-timers. Now, with the addition of Sonya Shyrock in Ward 2 and Forrest Gossett in Ward 1, the last of the left-wing radicals were replaced and fiscal responsibility is now the term for the day. Wentzville transitioned from chaos to conservatism in only three years.

The old guard listened to special interests and small groups of citizens, in doing so they made some terrible and expensive decisions in the process. This new Board with some Aldermen who are ultra-conservative are not immune to making the same mistakes of their predecessors if they don't listen to the people who have lived in Wentzville through it's growth period. I believe the majority of Wentzville citizens want/demand accountability and  due diligence guarding their tax-dollars but not to the extent of doing harm to our community.

One of the most damaging mistakes made in the last 20 years was to build a new police station and place it out of town on the Wentzville Parkway. The facility they built was ill conceived and poorly designed. In the long-run, this building will cost more to maintain than it was to build. Mayor Vickie Boedeker had a dream to build a civic center (City Hall / Law Enforcement Center [LEC}) that would be the envy of the county and her legacy but in reality it has become the beginning of a nightmare. Had she polled the citizens of Wentzville at that time, that project would never have gotten off of the ground. Her dream, now our nightmare, may be fulfilled if the Aldermen have a mind to put a new City Hall on the Wentzville Parkway in front of the LEC.

Once again the sounds of a new City Hall are being heard coming from the Aldermen, Ward 2 Alderman Chris Gard has been pressing to get the talks going again and has indicated to me that he thinks it should be in the Village Center. This topic has been discussed for the better part of ten years, and after some confrontation and feedback with the residents, the general consensus that it would be built downtown. A resolution was passed by the City almost seven years ago and recently reaffirmed to build a new City Hall in the Village Center if, and when it became necessary. I have railed for the Village Center location longer than any of the current Aldermen or Mayor has served in office, and I will continue to do so until ground is broken.

I have never been afraid to speak out about what I believe is right and I believe the downtown location for a new City Hall is the right decision. There have been only a few topics over the years that have drawn enough passion to compel me to get up on all fours and fight, but the location of a new City Hall is one of them! The question was asked of every Alderman in the City of Wentzville: "In one sentence, tell me where you stand on the location of a possible new City Hall?" The following are the answers given by our representatives of each ward.

Alderman Ward 1, Cheryl Kross: "I don't have sufficient information to make that determination."
Alderman Ward 1, Forrest Gossett: "I'm not convinced we need a new city hall but If we do, I'm leaning toward the Downtown location until a more thorough investigation proves differently."

Alderman Ward 2: Chris Gard: "I prefer it downtown it would be the spark for the Village Center development imitative,"

Alderman Ward 2, Sonya Shryock: "It's the right thing to do."

Alderman Ward 3, Rick Stokes: "It's critical to the revitalization of the downtown area to build it in the Village Center."

Alderman Ward 3, Vacant: "I have no voice on this matter until a certain knot-head (who will remain anonymous) gives me one."

Regarding Mayor Guccione's opinion; I'm not going to ask him again because he's flipped in it twice already, besides, it's not his decision to make and I really don't give a rats-ass about his opinion on the matter.