The First 100 Days

FROM THE DESK OF THE MAYOR

This is the first of an every-other-week posting in which I will share information about topics and issues that may be of interest to Clayton readers. Our neighbor and friend, Mayor Jim Beck of Richmond Heights, and I have agreed to share the every-other-week posting.

THE FIRST 100 DAYS

People are curious about how things are going in my new role as Mayor of Clayton. The various greetings I receive include “Congratulations!”; “be careful what you ask for” and of course “can you take care of my parking ticket”? My responses to these greetings are “thank you”; “I pretty much knew what the job was about”; and “sorry, I cannot take care of your ticket”.

This is a very busy time in Clayton and my days are filled with meetings and events. Here is a thumbnail report about my first 100 days in office:

BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETINGS: The Board of Aldermen meets three times a month. Board meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month. These meetings require substantial preparation and study to make sure that the decisions we make in these hearings are fair, and that new ordinances accomplish their intent. We meet once a month to discuss future plans and strategies. 

THE 2013-14 BUDGET: The Board of Aldermen, city manager and members of city staff have been studying, analyzing (and agonizing over) the 2013 – 2014 fiscal year budget. Our challenge and goal is to move us toward a balanced budget without affecting the service levels that we all appreciate in Clayton.  We believe we have accomplished that goal for this year and look forward to achieving a balanced budget in the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Kudos to our city manager and staff for their diligent work. More about the budget next time.

DOWNTOWN MASTERPLAN: In the course of implementing the Downtown Master Plan approved in 2010, we studied, held public hearings and passed ordinances pertaining to the Maryland Gateway District (the north side of Maryland Ave. from the city limits on the west to Brentwood Blvd on the east) portion of the plan.

BOARD MEETINGS: As the Mayor, I am a member of several boards and have met several times with some of these groups, which include: the Clayton Economic Development Advisory Committee, the Cultural Festivals Board (the group that produces the Art Fair), the St. Louis County Economic Commission (I serve on the Collaborative Advisory Board), and the Century Foundation Board. I have met with the adult advisors of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (the group established by Mayor Goldstein), and look forward to meeting with the new student members before school starts. I have regular monthly meetings with the Superintendent of Clayton Schools, the President of the Clayton School Board, and one representative each from the Board of Aldermen and the School Board.

MEETINGS & CONFERENCES: I have met with neighborhood groups and attended several neighborhood trustee meetings. I have met with developers, investors, business owners, commercial real estate people, and the Clayton Retailers Group. Along with several other mayors, I met with State Representative Maria Chappelle-Nadal to discuss pending state legislation that affects municipalities. I organized a meeting with mayors of six surrounding communities. We were able to get acquainted, share solutions to problems, and find common ground. This was an interesting and productive session, and we agreed to meet quarterly.

SPEECHES & PRESENTATIONS: I was honored to present an award from the US Department of Commerce to Fontbonne University President Dr. Denny Golden for the success the university has had in attracting students from foreign countries. This award was presented during a convention of college and university administrators from across the country that was held in downtown St. Louis. In June, I gave a welcoming speech at a meeting of 250 software users at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Clayton. Recently I was honored to perform the Oath of Office to our very own City Clerk who was sworn in as Vice President of the Missouri City Clerks & Finance Officers’ Association (MOCCFOA)-Eastern Division.

RIBBON CUTTINGS: I have been honored to help cut ribbons that celebrated the openings of six new businesses: Z Pizza; Fifth Third Bank; Dent Devil; Fortel’s Pizza (a joint cutting with U. City Mayor Shelly Welsch)); Simmons Bank; and N2 Publishing (the publishers of the new Clayton Living Magazine).

MUNICIPAL JUDGE: I put a process in place to invite applications for the position of Clayton Municipal Judge. Clayton resident Peter Krane was appointed, approved by the Board of Aldermen, and sworn in as Municipal Judge on July 9.

ST. LOUIS ART FAIR: In addition to Cultural Festivals board meetings, I participated in the production of a television commercial for the Art Fair. Keep the weekend of September 6-8 open to attend this nationally acclaimed event.

In addition to the meetings and events I have listed, there are many other one-on-one meetings, and a whole host of emails and phone calls that are made or returned daily. Without the support of our dedicated staff, including our City Clerk who also serves as my Executive Assistant, the work would never be finished. We all are dedicated to providing exceptional service to the residents and business community in Clayton.

My heartfelt “thanks” to everyone who has wished me well in my role as Mayor. I look forward to the next 100 days and beyond.