As new Marthasville Mayor Jason Schantz sees it, change is inevitable. How you deal with it plays a significant role in the outcome of many municipal matters. “The city government and citizens need to work together,” he said. Schantz has spent the past month trying to get up to speed on current issues city officials have been dealing with. His mayoral appointment did not become official until last Wednesday’s board of aldermen meeting. The board voted 4-0 to approve the appointment. The city has been operating without a mayor since Dale Verges resigned in December. Prior to that, Verges had been absent from several monthly meetings due to work obligations out of state. Verges began his public service as an alderman in 1995 and had been mayor since 2007. A resident of Marthasville for seven years, Schantz will serve the remainder of Verges’ two-year term that expires in April 2013. He had expressed interest in the city’s mayoral opening earlier this year and met with aldermen on Feb. 20 to discuss the vacancy. Moving forward, Schantz said it’s important for municipal leaders to be proactive on issues and engage the public as much as possible to help keep the city moving forward. In the past 10 years, the city’s population has increased to 1,136 from 837. “A lot of the problems in the past have been caused because the city lacked the tools to do anything about it,” he said. “I would like to see the citizens, through this government, be able to have a voice in their future and control the destiny of this town opposed to reacting to change and saying ‘I wish that wouldn’t have happened.’ ” Schantz is employed as a laboratory manager for Environmental Services and Associates (ESA), which is contracted with the city to operate its water and sewer systems. He previously worked for Boonslick Regional Planning Commission, which assists local governments in a variety of ways in Warren, Lincoln and Montgomery counties. During that time, Schantz was involved in some city business and was instrumental in the Marthasville Area Chamber of Commerce securing a grant to restore a deteriorating Katy Trail depot. The project, which is nearly completed, involved relocating the structure to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources trailhead near Highway D. The depot, which will be used as a welcome center and museum, is the only one restored and still located on the Katy Trail. Schantz currently serves as vice president on the Marthasville Chamber Board of Directors.