I am humbled to be elected to serve as your County Executive for a fifth term. Thank you to all who voted for me, and for your support and confidence. I very much look forward to serving the people of St. Charles County for another four years.
I was asked not long ago what my plans would be for the next four years, if re-elected. My answer was the same as it has been for the past 16 years: to ensure St. Charles County remains a safe and healthy place to live, work and raise a family; to assist our schools in any way we can so they continue to be top-notch; to provide our businesses with tools they need to be successful; and to make certain our county grows rich in all ways.
As St. Charles County continues to grow, there will be more challenges and we will continue to meet them head on. Our roads and bridges will continue to be improved and expanded; our police department will continue to be vigilant on crime and violence; and we will continue to fight the battle of opioid use and abuse.
Over the past 15 years, our Parks system has grown by more than 70 percent. We owned 2,453 acres of parkland in 2007, and today, we have 4,197. I tell people that St. Louis County has a wonderful parks system and that my goal is to have as many acres per capita as they do. The problem is, we keep growing so fast that it’s difficult to keep up!
St. Charles County Parks & Recreation is celebrating its 25th year this year and we just opened our 18th park, thanks to a local use tax passed by voters in 1997 for the sole purpose of park land acquisition, development, operations, and maintenance. We have land for three others in reserve, so watch for more great places to play, relax, and learn in the future.
Again, I look forward to the next four years. I’m certainly up for all the challenges that will only serve to make us better, and I’m certain all of you are as well.