Two write-in candidates, Ellen Wortham and Charlie Morrow, have joined the race for two open seats on the Truesdale Board of Aldermen against incumbent Kari Hartley. 

The other open seat belonged to former Alderman Justin Naranjo, who tragically passed away on Feb. 15. 

Hartley was first elected to the board in 2023 and also serves as a member of the city’s planning and zoning commission. She also serves on the city’s events committee. 

She is currently a full-time nanny in Truesdale although she previously worked as a paraprofessional for a public school district in Illinois. She said she left that line of work because her license did not carry over when she moved to Missouri seven years ago. 

“I feel like over the last two years, the current board has done a great job with making sure that we advance our little community in a way that is best for the entire community,” said Hartley. “And I just want to continue to be a part of that.”

She also cited her municipal official certification from the Missouri Municipal League, her role establishing Truesdale’s P&Z board in 2022 and her involvement with events like Railroad Days Summerfest as other qualifications. 

Morrow currently works as a sales manager VIPADI selling parts and equipment to General Motors dealers throughout Missouri and Illinois. He also cited further management and business experience as relevant qualifications along with his involvement with local churches. 

He felt the board could more efficiently manage disagreements around certain ordinances and disagreed with some of the developments that are being considered in the city. 

“Justin seemed to have a pretty pragmatic view of things, like hey, let’s get a little more information. Now, he’s no longer with us and for that reason I felt compelled to file as a write-in candidate,” said Morrow. 

Wortham operates the Curly Willow Store with her husband as well as her own interior design firm, JE Design Group. She has also served on the P&Z board since 2023 and serves on the events committee. 

She said she has joined those boards to fulfill her civic duty  and saw the board of aldermen as the next logical step. 

“I wanted to be more involved in my community, so I joined the planning and zoning committee, … So I’m just trying to get involved in Truesdale in any way I can,” said Wortham. 

Managing growth 

All three candidates recognized the importance of managing the influx of population in Truesdale. Warren County as a whole has seen significant population growth in recent years and Truesdale is no exception. 

There are two large neighborhood developments underway in Elkhorn Ridge and Boone Ridge Manor and all three candidates felt attracting additional amenities and businesses to the city was a priority. 

“It’s about listening to the current citizens and business owners, and then also the new ones that want to come in and invest in Truesdale,” said Wortham. “I think it’s important to listen to what they want, what they have to say, what they’re trying to do, and to fit everything that they want within the guidelines that’s going to benefit Truesdale.”

Morrow felt there was a need for expanded city staff to accommodate the growth and raised questions about potentially hiring additional police officers and expanding city hall. 

“I think there’s plenty here to support what we have, how do we use the space we have left, I think, is the biggest question,” said Morrow. 

Hartley agreed there is a need for additional amenities but acknowledged, businesses are not “banging down our door” to develop in Warren County. She said in her time on the board she has strived to encourage business growth that will be beneficial to citizens, and discourage those that may work against that goal. 

“I think the entire board and city staff just want what’s best for the town as a whole, and we’re never going to make a decision that we don’t feel is good for everybody,” said Hartley. 

Clarkson Construction

Clarkson Construction is one of the contractors working on the Improve I-70 project in Warren County and they are considering opening a base of operations in Truesdale using part of the former Good Game Sports Park property. 

Morrow said he took issue with this potential development and it played a significant role in his decision to run for office. 

He felt the development would be outside of the zoning uses for that property and thought a different business would be more appropriate for the space. 

“If I want to spend my money, I have to leave Truesdale to do it,” said Morrow. “We need to preserve those spaces for the retail that we zoned it for.”

Hartley said the P&Z board had met with Clarkson about their potential purchase of the property, but no decisions had been made and city officials told the developer to submit a site plan to city engineer John Choinka before any decisions were made. 

She did clarify that she would not allow the property to be rezoned from its current commercial use. 

“That entire parcel of land would not ever be rezoned to industrial because of the residential areas that are directly behind it,” said Hartley. “So that’s definitely not something that planning and zoning or the board of aldermen are looking at doing. That’s not something we have even entertained.”

Smith Street

Hartley did concede there were some issues with contractors completing improvements to Smith Street in the city but felt the board had handled the situation as best as they could given the circumstances. 

“There were some issues that arose during the process of the road construction that we didn’t know prior was going to be an issue, so those were things that we had to work through,” said Hartley. 

She thought the board and herself had done their best to hold contractors accountable and ensure all parties involved were happy with the results. 

“We all do our very best to keep our word on what we’ve promised,” said Hartley. 

Wortham thought the delays and issues with the project were something that could be learned from and would work to more closely monitor contractors if elected. 

“Any kind of project like that or similar to that, (we say) hey, this is what we need to do. We need to get this in writing moving forward, and regular inspections… You have to watch out for yourself and for the city of Truesdale.”

Hartley and city officials have been hard at work trying to keep residents informed on the project although there have been issues with damage done to residents property on the street by contractors. 

At the end of the day, Hartley was proud of her work on the board and hoped to receive the opportunity to continue. She also hoped to see increased public engagement at meetings so they can more effectively implement what residents want to see in their community.