A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Ward II candidate Christine Wait was running in Ward III and Ward III candidate Melissa Jepsen was running in Ward II. The Record regrets the error. 

Warrenton residents will have the opportunity to decide two contested races for their board of aldermen during the April 8 election. In Ward II, incumbent Steven Cullom will face off against challenger Christine Wait and in Ward III incumbent Roger Romaker will run against challenger Melissa Jepsen. 

All four candidates felt that managing the increasing development coming to Warrenton and ensuring the city grows sustainably should be top priorities moving forward. 

Ward II

Cullom was first elected to the board in 2021 and will be seeking his third term in the office. He said he was seeking re-election because he feels he has a good track record and hopes to continue that work. 

“I’m choosing to run for reelection because I enjoy helping out the city,” said Cullom. “That’s why I ran originally the first time years back. I feel like we’ve been making great improvements to the city over the last few years, and there’s a lot more to do still.”

Wait is another longtime resident of the area who has worked for Missouri American Water in their Department of Environmental Compliance monitoring water quality. She said with her retirement approaching she felt it was time to take on additional responsibility to improve her community. 

“I feel it’s my time now to increase my civic responsibility not only as a voter, but as an advocate for the community,” said Wait. “So this community has done a lot for me and my family and I mean a tremendous amount.”

She said she wanted to improve transparency between city government and its citizens and make use of as many resources as possible to try and improve city services. 

“That’s one of the things that is on my goal list is to increase community services by acquiring available state and federal grants to improve infrastructure, public safety, digital equity and environment concerns, particularly in our neighborhoods,” said Wait. 

Cullom cited several decisions he was involved with as points of pride during his time on the board. Namely, he cited decisions like moving some appointment powers for department heads back to the board, their continued work on infrastructure improvements and his communication with MoDOT on the Improve I-70 project. 

“MoDOT wanted us to pay for the new overpass, and I was very outspoken in the meeting that I don’t think our citizens should have to pay for,” said Cullom. “The bill (was) passed being that 70 is a state funded highway and 47 is a state funded highway so therefore, why should we have to pay for the overpass?” 

Ward III

Romaker will be seeking his second term on the board after he was first elected in 2023, and echoed Cullom’s sentiments that he chose to run again to continue the work that was underway in improving the city. 

“I really enjoyed the process, it was very informative, I learned a lot,” said Romaker. “Learned a lot about what was going on with the city, and I just felt more engaged with the city, and I think I just wanted to continue that.”

Jepsen has been a resident in the area for some time and was a teacher at Liberty Christian Academy in Wright City. She now operates two small businesses with her husband in St. Peters, The Blind Broker which does window treatments, and the Flying Blind Disc Golf Shop. 

She said she was running to help guide the growth that has been coming to the area and maintain open lines of communication between the board and its citizens. 

“I see a lot of frustration in the community, so I really honestly want to just have more open lines of communication between government and residents,” said Jepsen. 

Romaker presented his voting record as credentials for his reelection and said that while many of the board’s decisions are “cut and dry,” there have been decisions that he felt were important. Specifically he discussed his opposition to the Dollar General on North Highway 47, which the board denied, and a tobacco and vape shop that was approved earlier this year that he also opposed. 

“I really think the things I’m happiest about are when people call me and say hey, I’m having a problem with this and I actually get to go to the city and do something about it,” said Romaker. 

Jepsen said while she felt the current board had handled situations fairly, she would like to see more discussion on issues during meetings and thought since the current board is often in agreement, a new voice could be a welcome change. 

“I think for a woman’s perspective on what is our city offering for our families, and having that perspective, I think would be something good to bring to the board,” said Jepsen.