In Clayton, there’s nothing more important than our neighborhoods. I’ve spent pretty much my entire life here: I grew up in Clayshire, Cindy and I raised our girls in Davis Place and now our three-year-old grandson is growing up in Clayshire. Our family is just one example of how people of all ages flourish in our secure, walkable community.

As an Alderman, I’ve drawn on my 30-plus years as a human resources and customer service executive to negotiate disagreements and find win-win solutions in difficult situations.

I’ve worked with countless residents on all kind of issues, including:

• Leading the request for input from neighbors on the new facility at Hanley House
• Advocating on behalf of residents of Haddington Court during the buy-out process
• Initiating discussions about parking and access concerns between Davis Place residents and the Central Presbyterian Church

I’ve found time and again that open communications and engaging people to participate in the problem-solving process results in finding solutions. I think that our City government can do a better job of communicating with residents and being more responsive to your needs.  I also think that Clayton is lucky to have so many citizens who are community leaders, passionate issue advocates and experts in their field.  I’d like to engage more of our residents to help find solutions to our challenges and develop new opportunities to strengthen our community.

If elected Mayor, I will:

• Re-establish a Neighborhood Association Council to bring residents together to share their experiences, their ideas and create new opportunities and solutions.

• Develop a comprehensive communications strategy to foster transparency, inform residents of issues and promote our local events and businesses.

• Be available on a monthly basis in each ward. I will schedule regular visits to each ward so that residents can share their questions, interests and concerns.

• Empower residents serving on City Boards and Committees. We have a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience among our residents that we can and should draw on, and City government should listen to their recommendations.

• Balance the City Budget. The high level of services we deliver our residents contributes to the value of your properties. We need to address our financial challenges proactively and intelligently in order to keep property values strong. We should be investing our reserves in community improvements, not siphoning them off for daily expenses.

As Mayor, I'll continue to advocate for actions and policies that will strengthen our neighborhoods.

Find out more about my ideas, and share yours, at www.bergerforclaytonmayor.com. You can also share your thoughts with me via email (AlexBergerIIIforMayor@gmail.com), Facebook (Alex Berger III for Mayor of Clayton) or Twitter (@ab3formayor).

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