St. Peters Board of Aldermen Ward 3 Candidate Michelle Walker

Patch reached out to all local candidates for office to fill out a questionnaire before the April election. All candidates who responded to Patch will be featured on the site. 

Michelle Walker, 36

Occupation: Real Estate Broker

Education: BS Business Administration from Columbia College 1999, GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute), E-Pro and Certified Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource

Family: Walter Walker III, my supportive husband since 2002

Children: Mya, eight, Walter IV, three, and Mason, two

Years in St. Peters: 1989-1995 and 2002-2013

Background:

Being a wife, mother, veteran and community volunteer are personally rewarding and fulfilling. They are not the qualifications that prepared me to serve as an Alderman. I am a local business owner (STL Buy & Sell Real Estate Services) and Director for the Missouri Association of Realtors. My experience includes making multi-million dollar budgetary decisions, creating and implementing strategic plans and the overall management of small and large organizations. My professional experience brings the understanding that our city is a thriving business with our residents, the owners. Honesty, hard work, determination and the support of my family will make me an effective and respected voice for the people.  

Why are you running for election? 

I am running to ensure that the residents of ward three have a strong and independent voice.  Our ward deserves to ELECT a qualified representative. 

What would you change about the City of St. Peters if you were given the opportunity?   

We live in a wonderful city with great programs. Our seniors and disabled residents can access meals on wheels, transportation services, driveway snow removal and utility tax rebate programs. Our low income homeowners can get assistance with repairs and improvements. These programs only succeed if residents are aware of their existence. I will work to improve the quality of life for our residents. My highest priority will be communication. Our former Alderman that was pressured to resign had communication skills that were second to none. Currently elected Alderman Tommy Roberts and I will recreate The Ward 3 E-News and website. My goal is to continue the tradition of elected ward 3 Alderman and work towards increased community input and involvement. 

Working to encourage new businesses to occupy our vacant commercial property will create more jobs and increase sales tax revenue. My hope is that the revenue generated by these new businesses would reduce our property taxes.  I have a proven track record of working hard and getting things done within the real estate community. I have worked hard to gain my diverse professional background with extensive real estate knowledge and board level organizational experience. My professional relationships will be beneficial in bringing new business to our city. The number of business and property owners that have chosen to display my campaign signs is evidence of my established relationships in our community.

The culture of dirty politics in our ward must cease! Prior to filing my candidacy residents told me that Mayor Pagano and my appointed alderman were speaking untruths about my veteran status. I came to a board meeting to plead with them to stop, and in the same meeting they introduced new legislation requiring "proof" of service for all claiming veteran status in city government. Recently they sent a political mailer to the residents of Tanglewood Subdivision. I received many phone calls from shocked residents. The mailer questioned my ability to be a good mother. “My opponent has three very young children, and for their sake, I hope I receive your vote.  There is no way a parent with toddlers and a full time job can serve as an effective alderman.”

These comments were personally hurtful and targeted towards my family and the successful working parents in our community. No matter how low the blows, I will keep the promise I made to Terri in early December and speak only of my qualifications and the issues. I will not let unethical political behavior get in my way of delivering the excellent service our residents deserve.  Former Alderman Bruce Holt, Alderman Jerry Hollingsworth, Alderman Tommy Roberts and Alderman Judy Bateman have encouraged me to continue doing the right thing and run a clean campaign. I am committed to being a strong independent voice, behaving with integrity and respect because our community deserves nothing less.

What are your thoughts on the growth of St. Peters' laws, rules and regulations?           

St. Peters has more than enough laws, rules and regulations. I will do everything I can to minimize any new legislation’s financial impact on our residents. The board of our city should focus on improving the existing ordinances and removing discriminatory ordinances.  We must stop creating rules, regulations and unnecessary layers that increase red tape for our residents and businesses. We should remove outdated laws and simplify our codes.  Our city has tighter regulations than most of our surrounding municipalities. I will work to keep our property values high and our neighborhoods, roads, parks and schools safe.

In 2008 State Auditor Susan Montee took exception to the contracts
given to the city manager and police chief. These contracts were
renewed for a second time. What is your position on these types of
contracts? What would you do when they come up for extension again?

I would evaluate the contracts and seek the opinion of our residents. My plan would be to consult with experts, evaluate options and educate myself and our residents to make informed decisions.

What would be your top priority, if elected?

I will get to work on April 3rd. My top priority is to improve the quality of life for the residents of our ward. I will accomplish this with a three part plan to increase community involvement and awareness.  

1.  Seek input from the residents via email, website, community meetings and one on one conversations.

2.  Work with our Veteran’s Commission to establish partnerships with nonprofit organizations that provide community resources for the residents that have served our country.

3.  Revive the Youth Advisory Council.  Create partnerships with our school districts, local business leaders and our students.  Engage our youth in the governmental process, seek their input and work to build future leaders in our community.