Politics & Government

Ellisville Voters to Decide How Long Officials Stay in Office

Following the decision of city council members late Wednesday, voters in the City of Ellisville will decide in April whether to extend future officeholders' election terms.

Voters in Ellisville will decide this April whether elected officials in the city should have an additional year in office.

That was the conclusion of Ellisville’s City Council late Wednesday, when members voted without dissent to put a referendum before voters that would extend the lengths of officials’ terms from three years to four. Approval of the referendum also would move mayoral elections to a year separate from aldermanic elections.

Mayor Matt Pirrello, who’s term as mayor expires in April regardless of the referendum’s result, said the proposal to extend terms was motivated in part by a “learning curve” council members experience in their first term.

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Pirrello said the proposal to stagger mayoral elections separate of aldermanic elections, meanwhile, eliminates the possibility of having three of the council’s six aldermen along with the mayor from being voted-out in the same election.

“So in any one year where the mayor and three council members are elected, there’s the potential for a complete majority turnover of the council,” Pirrello said of the city’s existing cycle.

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Multiple council members reiterated their support for the ordinance in part because it wouldn’t take effect until 2013; a similar but separate proposal would have extended aldermanic terms starting this spring, which Councilmember Dawn Anglin said might have skewed public perception.

“And I almost feel like we’d have a better chance of getting this through (with voters) if it were to start after the election,” Anglin said prior to Wednesday’s vote. Anglin is this spring.

At a town hall meeting earlier this month, City Administrator Kevin Bookout estimated that the cost of adding the referendum approved Wednesday to the April ballots would cost the city between $500 and $1,000.

At that same meeting, some residents expressed concern that the longer terms might deter qualified candidates from running for election.

Councilmember Michelle Murray, who also is seeking the city’s mayoral seat, said the change won’t have a negative impact.

“If you’re passionate about the city and want to serve, the extra year isn’t going to make or break that decision,” Murray said. “If you commit to three (years), you can commit to four.”

Municipal elections in Ellisville and Ballwin take place April 3.


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