Former Council Member, Small Business Owner File for St. Charles City Council Seats

Eleven people, including a former city councilmember and the owner of a small business near New Town, have filed to run for five St. Charles City Council seats. 

Council seats in Wards 6 though 10 are up for election on April 2. Filing closed Jan. 15. Each of the incumbent council members have filed to run for another term. 

Councilman Dave Beckering, Ward 7 and Councilman Ron Stivison, Ward 9, will not face any competitors in this race. 

Councilman Jerry Reese will face Richard Wenger, a first-time candidate, for the Ward 6 seat. 

Wenger, who is retired from a job in civil service, said since his retirement he's gotten more interested in public service. Wenger said his priorities are finance and budgeting.

"I would be a little more fiscally responsible than I think the city has been in the past years," he said. 

Newly appointed councilman Rod Hermann has filed to run for election to Ward 8 and will face former St. Charles Council president Rose Kasper, Justin Collier and Steve Schad, co-owner of Molly O's Tropical Sno and Chili Shack. 

Schad, who also works as a project manager for an insurance claims company, is a New Town resident who said he'd like to see the area north of 370 more connected to the city. 

"There's been a disconnect between the city of St. Charles and New Town," he said.

Councilwoman Bridge Ohmes has two opponents in the Ward 10 race: Kenneth Wright and Bryce Steinhoff, who was elected in November to the St. Charles County Republican Central Committee.

Steinhoff has been active in Republican politics, supporting Ron Paul during the 2012 St. Charles County caucus and advocating for keeping the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department intact.