Warrenton Mayor Eric Schleuter says he doesn’t want to take his position for granted after being chosen by voters to serve a third full term in office.
Schleuter is the only …
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Warrenton Mayor Eric Schleuter says he doesn’t want to take his position for granted after being chosen by voters to serve a third full term in office.
Schleuter is the only Warrenton incumbent to make it through last Tuesday’s elections, out of three current officials running for re-election. The Record this week asked Schleuter to discuss his priorities for the next two-year term, and how he interprets the results of the election.
One of the ongoing priorities for the Warrenton city government, which Schleuter plans to continue, is to facilitate controlled, “responsible” growth of the city’s housing and businesses.
“I don’t want us to be the next Wentzville, and I don’t think anybody in (the government) does,” Schleuter commented. “But I think people are ready for growth ... as long as it’s controlled growth, not something that’s going to blow up out of control where we’re scrambling to catch up.”
Schleuter said residents have frequently expressed a desire for more amenities such as restaurants, which the city hopes to attract as more people move to the area. He commented that he is proud the city government helped bring stores like Rural King and Schnucks to town during his time in office.
As Warrenton sees more growth in housing, Schleuter said it will be important for the city to collect feedback about what kind of housing prospective residents are looking for. That information can be given to builders to help them provide housing that meets people’s needs.
The mayor went on to say that he would continue to pursue public improvements such as sidewalks in different areas of town. City officials have also been discussing the establishment of a new industrial area near the west I-70 overpass that Schleuter hopes to see progress on in the next term.
“I think there’s a lot of good things on the horizon for us, and I’d like to see those come to fruition,” Schleuter said.
Schleuter is also making it a priority to encourage more public involvement in the city government, and better communication between city officials and residents.
As the only current elected official to make it through Warrenton’s elections this year, Schleuter said the results are a reminder that there are many diverse viewpoints in the city. He said it’s important for a representative to seek out and consider those perspectives.
The mayor has also been reflecting on how communication affects public trust. He said people react positively to representatives who are open, honest, and willing to answer questions and come meet people where they are in the community. He said city officials haven’t always done well answering critical questions from the public.
“We failed by saying nothing when things were challenging for us,” Schleuter said. “We stayed silent, because that’s a reactive thing we had always done. Well, that doesn’t work for the public anymore.”
Going forward, Schleuter said he plans to encourage other elected officials to use any avenues available to them to engage with the public, answer questions and have factual, courteous discussions.
Schleuter also plans to push for citizens to be more involved in their government. The city has a number of advisory committees for areas like parks, tourism and zoning that rely on citizen volunteers to help guide the city. Schleuter said he wants to see more active recruitment for those committees, starting with invites to anyone who ran for election in April.
One of the mayor’s roles is to preside over meetings of the board of aldermen. Starting this month, half of the board’s six seats will be occupied by new representatives. Schleuter acknowledged that some of the new members could come in with strongly held beliefs that disagree with previous decisions from the board.
Schleuter said it will be his role to help introduce the new aldermen to the board and encourage them to contribute their ideas, without seeing disagreements as conflict.
“Open and consistent dialogue is good, as long as it’s constructive dialogue, and not argumentative and pointing fingers,” Schleuter commented. “There will be some arguments at first. ... We always find it difficult when we have to look inward and really challenge ourselves as to what’s right, and whether we need to make a change.”
Schleuter said he looks forward to engaging with the new aldermen and finding out what ideas they have to help improve the city government.
