Name: Scott Schulze
Age: 44
Hometown: Warrenton
Occupation: Deputy sheriff
Position sought: Warrenton Ward 2 alderman
Previous political experience: Current Warrenton Ward 2 alderman
Why are you running and why should people vote for you?
I love this city and the community that helped shape who I am today. Having lived here since childhood, Warrenton has always been home to me. For more than 20 years I have served our community as a law enforcement officer, and since April 2016 I have had the honor of serving the citizens of Warrenton as the Ward II Alderman.
Warrenton is experiencing rapid growth, which brings both opportunity and responsibility. My focus has been ensuring our infrastructure stays ahead of development so our water and sewer systems, roadways, and community amenities can support the growth we expect in the coming years.
Over the past several years, I have been proud to help advance several important projects that have strengthened our city. One of the most significant was the construction of the West Warrenton Boulevard/IS-70 overpass. This project helped revitalize the long-stagnant former outlet mall property and bring new development to the area, including Rural King. Just as importantly, the commitment made to citizens when they approved the one-cent sales tax to fund the bridge was kept. The final loan payment was made in spring 2025—nearly ten years earlier than projected.
I was also proud to help bring a new community pool to Warrenton and support the turfing of the athletic complex fields. These improvements allow Warrenton to host tournaments that bring visitors to our city and support local hotels, restaurants, and businesses.
Serving the citizens of Warrenton has given me valuable experience and perspective. Recently, our city faced the largest development proposal in its history. While it drew significant public attention, I believe the Board carefully evaluated the risks, listened to the community, and made the right decision for Warrenton’s future.
Warrenton is a special place, and I remain committed to protecting our community while preparing it for a strong and sustainable future.
What are your goals if elected?
One of my priorities moving forward is identifying and acquiring additional land for future park development. As our city continues to grow, it is important that we expand recreational opportunities and provide safe, welcoming spaces where our children and families can play, learn, and stay active.
I would also like to see the planned expansion of our wastewater treatment facility move forward. This project is essential to ensuring that our infrastructure keeps pace with Warrenton’s continued growth and development.
Additionally, there are several roads and sidewalks throughout the city that require repair and improvement. Maintaining and upgrading our transportation infrastructure is critical for the safety, accessibility, and overall quality of life for our residents.
What issues are most pressing for your constituency?
Over the past several years, I have seen the City lose many talented and dedicated employees to neighboring communities that were able to offer stronger financial incentives and benefits. Retaining quality employees is essential to maintaining the high level of service our residents expect and deserve.
During my time in office, we took an important step forward by implementing LAGERS retirement pension benefits for our employees. While this represented a significant improvement over the retirement plan previously offered, we were initially only able to provide one of the lower benefit levels.
Over the past year, we worked responsibly within our budget and were able to increase the plan to Level 3. This was meaningful progress, but I believe we must continue moving forward. My goal is to ultimately bring this benefit to the highest level available so we can better recruit and retain the skilled employees who serve our community every day.
Reducing employee turnover is critical. Constantly hiring and training new staff is both costly and time-consuming, and it can impact the efficiency of city services. By investing in our workforce, we can build a stable, experienced team that is committed to serving the citizens of Warrenton for years to come.
