Ballwin Board Candidates Talk Finance, Transparency

Tuesday's election will feature three officially contested races for Ballwin aldermen, so check out their questionnaire responses to see who is worthy of your vote. Don't know which Ballwin Ward you live in? Visit the City of Ballwin's website and view the available ward map, or check out the PDF file available to the right along with photos of Tuesday's candidates. Once you know, scroll down to the appropriate Ward and read the responses:

Editor's Note: Alderman Jim Leahy of Ward 3 is not being formally challenged in Tuesday's election and therefore was not issued a candidate questionnaire. 

WARD 1: RAJ M. SAJID; JIMMY TERBROCK

Raj M. Sajid

1. Please briefly describe your occupation and the name of your employer/s.
I am a medical doctor with specialties in primary care, employed by the U.S Air Force.

2. How long have you been a resident of Ballwin?
I have been a resident of Ballwin for the last 10 years.

3. What do you think is the greatest asset Ballwin has as a city?
Ballwin strives to be a family orientated community.  Our recreational facilities are as good or better than any similar facilities in the St. Louis County area. How many communities have a municipal golf course, located next to a world class summer swimming facility?

4. What do you believe is the single most important issue the Ballwin Board of Aldermen currently faces?
I believe that we need to concentrate upon making the city an efficient operation.  While the economy has had a downfall  – and with that the tax revenues that we exist on – it does not seem that an effort to reduce costs is taking place.

I have attended many of the board of alderman’s meetings and it appears to me that staff has not connected to the potential loss of revenues, and how they can reduce costs. Instead of thinking of reducing costs, they appear to look at reducing services. I am shocked that they continue to ask for sole source suppliers to be approved; this surely will result in a higher cost to the city than if there was an open bidding process.

5. If elected, what efforts will you make to ensure you stay connected with the constituents you represent?
I believe that I differ from my opponent in that I believe that I will be working for the constituents, not working for the mayor or the city.  I have contacted personally almost my entire ward, and am striving to reach the balance prior to election day.

I have held a town hall meeting  on March 19th and a second one [planned] to be held on April 2nd.  At the March 19th board of aldermen meeting, I had 10 of the local businessmen in attendance in addition to many of the residents of Ward 1.
I currently have published my personal cell phone number, and for a doctor to do that I believe is a serious commitment to the constituents

6. What traits or characteristics will you bring to the Ballwin Board of Aldermen that are unique? (personal, professional, academic, etc.)
Being a medical doctor means that I have had extensive training, first to complete a pre-med program and then to complete the medical degree program. I am qualified as a surgeon and this, in my opinion, further indicates my quest for knowledge.

Also, the fact that I am working for a government entity gives me an inside view of what is required to achieve the mission while being concerned about the costs of operation. Changes in the federal budget have required that we look closely at our costs so that we can provide those services that our patients [need].  I intend to bring that knowledge to the City of Ballwin.

7. What is your favorite book and why?
The medical journal because I want learn updates with current practices.

Jimmy Terbrock
Despite multiple attempts, Patch was unable to acquire questionnaire answers from Ald. Terbrock.

WARD 2: MARK HARDER; PAT MCDERMOTT

Mark Harder

1. Please briefly describe your occupation and the name of your employer/s.
I am currently employed full time as a realtor for Prudential Alliance.  I have had a broker / associate's license for the last 13 years.  I received  a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri - St. Louis and attended Webster University for their MBA degree program. I have also worked for several of St. Louis’ fortune 500 companies in various management positions.  I am a trainer/mentor of new real estate agents with Prudential Alliance. I am also active in STLHelp charity organization, my subdivision and my church.

2. How long have you been a resident of Ballwin?
My family have been residents of the Ballwin area for 17 years. For six of those years our neighborhood was part of St. Louis County, then we were annexed into Ballwin. My wife of 20 years, Kathy and I have raised two sons who attend Marquette High School. My wife and I have volunteered to be subdivision trustees over the years. We started the tradition of 4^th of July kid parades through our subdivision for the last 5 years. We have enjoyed living in the area and have seen many changes some good and some not so good.

3. What do you think is the greatest asset Ballwin has as a city?
I believe the greatest assets Ballwin are its recreation facilities such as The Pointe, North Pointe and the city golf course, and the potential of the Manchester road business district. These are great assets and should be leveraged to the betterment of the facilities themselves as well as the community as a whole.  Our residents need to believe in our business community and decide that “I will shop Ballwin first” before taking hard-earned money to other areas to spend.  Almost every tax dollar spent in Ballwin goes back to the budget and is then used on the services we have become too accustomed to expect. If the residents of Ballwin are not both confident in and supportive of our retail business community, then why would we expect others to support them? We have to believe in our own community first!

4. What do you believe is the single most important issue the Ballwin Board of Aldermen currently faces?
The issue that seems to be (or should be)  a part of every decision the board makes is, how do we do more with less?  The poor economy has hit Ballwin and other areas hard in decreased sales tax revenue, cutting of services,  reduced property values and crumbling streets. Every municipality has dealt with these issues differently.  We need to see what is working in other areas and implement them in Ballwin.

Managing the annual budget through these difficult times is always a priority. Ballwin is currently operating in a deficit position and using reserves to meet budget. This is a short term plan, but unsustainable as a long term plan. As your Alderman, I will be asking the board and staff 'why' a lot.  This question makes a lot of people uncomfortable, but will have to be asked if change is going to happen.

There are some ideas out there that I would like to pursue.  I would like to see all city expenses by vendor put on line for all to see (Other taxing authorities are doing this). The board and residents need to see where we are as a community year-to-date financially against budget on a monthly basis, not semi-annually. This builds credibility with the board and staff over these decisions and promotes transparency.

The board needs to keep enforcing the 3-bid law with the city staff on all major purchases by the city.  We need to explore other revenue sources from new business growth, annexation, fees, providing services to other communities, federal grants, etc.

We need to cooperate with other communities in West County on purchasing, sharing of services, mutual protection. Ballwin used to provide police protection to a number of other municipalities on a contract basis. Economic growth will be the engine that will move us out of our deficit budget position. Until then, we need to work smarter with what we have.  I would also like to see some incentives given to city employees to investigate and recommend cost savings and revenue enhancements in their individual work areas. The city staff needs to be part of the solution on a daily basis. We also need to challenge our residents to come up with ideas to increase tax revenue and cut costs. Just like every family is doing these days with their own budget, we need to be creative with the city budget.  We can do much better in everything we do.

5. If elected, what efforts will you make to ensure you stay connected with the constituents you represent?
Staying connected to the Ward 2 residents will be a top priority for me. Ballwin needs resident involvement at all levels. Too few people are deciding the fate of our city.  We need new ideas from everyone. I would encourage regular involvement by our subdivision trustees. These people are on the front lines of what is happening in their areas.  They see what has to be done and they are listening to their neighbors. These people and our business community are untapped resources for ideas and setting priorities. We need to use the technology of the day such as email, face book, websites, etc., as well as face-to-face coffee shop meetings to stay in touch with residents. I have started doing this with Ward 2 trustees already.

If someone says they have all the answers, they are fooling you.  I don’t have all the answers, but I will do my best to find the answers we need to move Ballwin forward. If someone comes to me with a problem, I will challenge them to come up with a solution as well. I want to be accountable and I want the board to be accountable for its actions.

6. What traits or characteristics will you bring to the Ballwin Board of Aldermen that are unique? (personal, professional, academic, etc.)
I have a background in leadership and organization.  I have taught these skills as a management trainer as well as practiced them in my life in almost every organization I have ever been associated with.  I have been known for providing leadership by bringing people together for a common good and solving problems.

The answers to our problems are out there, we just need to know where to look and involve bright, innovative people in the problem solving process. We can’t keep doing things the way we have always done and expect a different outcome. We can’t be afraid to try new things or be afraid to fail.

7. What is your favorite book and why?
I like reading biographies and stories about new ideas and exploration.  I like history and the founding or our country.  I am currently reading a book about John Adams by David McCullough. These people faced some of the same problems we are facing today and they persevered under insurmountable odds. We can too, through good leadership, accountability and transparency of our Ballwin government.

Pat McDermott

1. Please briefly describe your occupation and the name of your employer/s.
I thoroughly enjoy my career as an Engineer Firefighter/Paramedic for the Metro West Fire Protection District.  Metro West serves and protects approximately 57 square miles in West St. Louis County. Throughout the past 20 years, I have worked as an inspector, instructor, and fire-prevention educator in local schools and our community, thus building a safer place to live and work. 

2. How long have you been a resident of Ballwin?
41 years

3. What do you think is the greatest asset Ballwin has as a city?
Ballwin is a great place to live. We have many services available to residents such as our Police department, leaf collection, excellent snow removal and many parks and recreation assets such as a golf course, 5 parks, a recreation complex and an outdoor aquatic center.  At the same time, Ballwin is one of only a handful of municipalities in St Louis County that does not collect personal-property or real estate taxes from our property owners.

4. What do you believe is the single most important issue the Ballwin Board of Aldermen currently faces?
Cities across the country are facing loss of revenue as businesses close their doors. Ballwin is no different. The economy will define our path over the next several years. The question we must ask is how we will fund programs with limited sales tax revenue. The city of Ballwin does not collect any real estate tax or personal property tax. We rely upon the sales tax revenue from our businesses along Manchester Road to support the major portion of our city budget. Therefore we must work together to encourage redevelopment along Manchester road.

5. If re-elected, what efforts will you make to ensure you stay connected with the constituents you represent?
I will respond to questions and concerns from the citizens of Ballwin.  My plan is to communicate openly and bring people together with differing views, thus finding solutions that meet the needs of our community and the residents. I will continue to attend subdivision meetings when invited, thus providing dialogue with our residents.

6. What traits or characteristics will you bring to the Ballwin Board of Aldermen that are unique? (personal, professional, academic, etc.)
I will bring a different perspective to the board. Having worked in the public sector for many years, I believe my understanding of what it takes to be fiscally responsible will allow me to work together with the entire board as we challenge our city staff to continue to be responsible leaders. In addition, my public safety background provides a perspective that will be useful when making decisions that affect our citizens and local businesses. 

My most unique qualification to offer to the board will be my involvement with many different organizations across many communities such as Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Fire prevention and Education programs such as CERT, and the Rockwood School District. I feel that this involvement can be a bridge at a time when collaboration amongst entities should be at the forefront. I sincerely care about the city of Ballwin and I feel that I have the ability to bring people together to work on positive solutions.

7. What is your favorite book and why?
I enjoy browsing through my monthly fire safety subscriptions or the Rotarian, which is also published monthly. I’m not one to kick my feet up and enjoy a book from cover to cover. I would have to say if asked my favorite book that my answer would be the Bible. And although I don’t claim to have read this book from cover to cover by any means, my reason is that it is the foundation for my faith and gives hope to myself and my family.

WARD 4: RAY LEMBKE; KEN MELLOW

Ray Lembke

1. Please briefly describe your occupation and the name of your employer/s.
Regional Sales Manager for Paul Mueller Company, Inc.

2. How long have you been a resident of Ballwin?
We have lived in what is now Ward 4 since January 16, 1975.  Married for 38 years with two grown children.

3. What do you think is the greatest asset Ballwin has as a city?
The people who live in the City of Ballwin.

4. What do you believe is the single most important issue the Ballwin Board of Aldermen currently faces?
Funding of the city services. Since 1989, the real-estate tax rate for the City of Ballwin has been set at zero. With the tough economy, we must continue to find ways to do more with less. This is going to mean making tough decisions to do the greatest good for the most citizens. I am up to making those decisions. In my , we consistently cut, squeezed, and found new ways to do things with less money getting the best value for "we the citizens".

5. If elected, what efforts will you make to ensure you stay connected with the constituents you represent?
In my previous 7 years as an Alderman, I returned calls and e-mail, visited with people, went to subdivision meetings, and participated in public events such as Ballwin Days.   

6. What traits or characteristics will you bring to the Ballwin Board of Aldermen that are unique? (personal, professional, academic, etc.)
Critical thinking and decision making skills developed from my formal education as an Industrial Engineer, 35 years sales experience, running my own business and being a trustee in two subdivisions. 

In addition, I served on the Ballwin Board of Adjustment, the Ballwin Planning & Zoning Commission and headed two campaigns to raise money for street improvements and parks and recreation. I am committed to working for the City of Ballwin and the people of this great City.  For the last 16 years, I have been an active Lifeguard and First Aid instructor for the American Red Cross.  I am a member of CERT.

7. What is your favorite book and why?
The Bible. It contains the answers to life and living.

Ken Mellow
Despite multiple attempts, Patch was unable to acquire questionnaire answers from Ald. Mellow.