In Clayton, we are home to a nationally ranked school district and about two thousand businesses. I believe that we need strong leadership in our City government that will communicate, coordinate and collaborate with these important partners.

The way I see it, this can mean working on simple things, such as making sure that the City doesn’t schedule events that conflict with, and include the business community in, Clayton High School Homecoming. It also means working on more complex issues such as changing policies and practices, and finding opportunities to share resources.

Working together toward common goals, we can make our community more vibrant and keep it the best place to live and work in the St. Louis area. If elected Clayton’s next Mayor, I will strengthen the relationships with the Clayton School District and our Business Community by:

• Establishing regular joint meetings between the School Board and Board of Aldermen to address common issues and challenges.
• Working with the school district to establish a capital budget reserve for the Center of Clayton, a facility we jointly own and operate.
• Developing enhanced relationships through a partnership of communicating and promoting our businesses. Jointly developing a viable retail retention and attraction strategy.

With a Master's degree in Public Administration and more than 30 years as a human resources and customer service executive, I understand how to listen, how to engage people and how to find win-win solutions.

Every day, I talk with Clayton residents and business owners about their ideas, concerns and suggestions for our City. Please keep sharing your ideas with me! You can reach me via email at AlexBergerIIIforMayor@gmail.com, Facebook (Alex Berger III for Mayor of Clayton), on Twitter (@ab3formayor) and through my website at http://www.bergerforclaytonmayor.com.

Thank your for your support and I ask you for your vote on April 2.