Patch sent all local candidates for office identical questionnaires to compile candidate profiles prior to the April election. Each candidate who returned the survey will be featured on the site in order of his or her response.
Mick Cahill, Ellisville City Council District 2 Candidate
Age: 51
Address: 42 Covert Lane
Education:
Family: Carri (Wife), Courtney, Erin, Emily
Years lived in Ellisville: 21
Reasons for Running
To adequately represent the Citizens of Ellisville. In District Two we don't have adequate representation for the citizens. Isn't the Council's job to be the voice of the people? The existing Council has stopped doing that and is just addressing their own agenda. I love Ellisville; I have lived here for over 20 years. There is a great sense of community here in Ellisvile. This is evident when the citizen turnout is so great at City Hall. Yet the current council doesn't listen. It's time for a change.
Questions
What excites you about living in Ellisville? What do you want to change?
Ellisville has many things to offer: a great park system, triple A-rated schools, location, sense of community, mixture of old and new neighborhoods. What do I want to change: Attract new business and allow the voices of our citizens to be heard.
What are your views on the past year's recall efforts, mayor impeachment discussion and Walmart development proceedings?
My views of the recall efforts: Personally, I am very disappointed with the standing council to get rid of the elected mayor for some type of personal vendetta. If the charges were valid, why now right before an election and the second phase of TIF is going to be addressed? Would they do this if there wasn't some type of hidden agenda?
Walmart: I don't have an issue with Walmart coming to Ellisville; however, I disagree with offering them a TIF. I also disagree with displacing hundreds of citizens out of their dwellings when there is plenty of vacant land to build.
Are you pro-TIF, anti-TIF or believe there are situational uses of TIF in Ellisville?
I am anti-TIF. I believe it's unfair to the existing small businesses that have helped create Ellisville to allow a large corporation the opportunity to expand in our community on the taxpayers' dime. It makes it an unfair playing field, in my opinion.
What do you view as Ellisville's greatest accomplishment(s) in the past five years?
Dog park
Assume you win the election. What single thing do you want to accomplish during your term?
An open forum where the citizens can speak and their voices are actually heard. The current council has lost the ability to listen to what the citizens want in their community. It's obviously time for a change. I want to grow business. Ellisville is not small business friendly. The last five years have not been good to our city. We need to bring in businesses to fill the vacant storefronts that exist. We can't continue to go down this road and we need to become more small business friendly and stay away from the large corporations that ask for TIF to build in our great community.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please join us on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at West County Lanes.
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We all know that the condition of one's yard (the little known Candidate Lawn Care Requirement) is what's really important. Whether or not a candidate agrees to hand out millions in Corporate Welfare in the form of TIF is beside the point. And while we're on the issue of yard/lawn care, someone might want to speak to the council member from the District 1. Given the number of vehicles...cars...trucks...van...trailer...boat and trailer...surrounding his girlfriend's yard, the place is beginning to look like a salvage operation.
However, I am more concerned about the condition of Mr. Cahill's finances than the condition of his property. Do a quick search of him on www.courts.mo.gov; click the link for Case.net on the right of the screen. Look at both Michael Cahill in Ellisville and Michael P Cahill. How many times has he or his wife, Caroline (aka Carrie), been sued or had their wages garnished in order to get them to pay their bills? Is this really someone we want making decisions on multi-million dollar projects for the City of Ellisville??? I don't think so.
I would think that someone who used to be in the middle class and got tired of being effed over by the wealthy "who know better" (according to you) and decided to run for office and represent the interests of his peers - the very same constituents being taken advantage of by the Sansone's and those "who can pay their bills". You should apply your same criteria to the existing council. Former Mayor Matt Perrillo and City Attorney Paul Martin in particular, should be two people (among Murray, Pieper, and Anglin) that you should be questioning their ability to be making decisions on multi-million-dollar projects. Given Mr. Martin's efforts at defending the City Charter in Matt Perrillo (sitting council member) vs. the City of Ellisville and five residents (bringing a petition to recall Mr. Perrillo) were so ineffectual, I doubt that Mr. Martin could defend his way out of a paper bag with a chainsaw.
What I do believe is relevant is how the candidate manages his/her finances, that is making appropriate decisions in the balancing of one's income and expenses. As a member of city council, one is charged with making many financial decisions for the city including both annual budgets and the projects such as the Sansone development. Based on the trail of civil litigation, spanning several decades, I do not believe Mr. Cahill would be someone the residents of Ellisville would want making financial decisions for our city.
Those politicians? I take Mick Cahill over them any day of the week.
QED. Remember, many of peoples expenses are out of their control when their income changes. Nobody gets a reduction in their mortgage payments or utility bills or property taxes when they get a pay cut or worse, lose their job. The same goes for the City when its "income" (or revenues) goes down (via state budget reductions in payments to the state and sales tax revenue reductions due to a recession) and those TIF bond payment still have to be made. The very same argument you make could be made about the previous Mayor (Perrillo) and Council (notably Mr. Troy Pieper among them) regarding RPA-1/Sansone/TIF/Walmart, and the trail of civil litigation and the extremely likely future litigation that the City faces. Given this view you have, and the record of the incumbent candidate Pieper, it should be obvious, that even with your concerns, he cannot be any worse for the City than the financial burdens (TIF, litigation) that Mr. Pieper has whole-heartedly endorsed during his term. I'll give Mr. Cahill the benefit of being able to distinguish between personal finances and city finances, unlike Mr. Pieper who has proven otherwise.
Stff a bunch of aging rockers...very responsible...
KJames, do you really put your name on everything you write...and write everything that you sign?
Do you really put your name on everything you write...and write everything that you sign? Still waiting for an answer...
I live in Mr. Cahill’s district and I have several comments and responses to your ideas on Ellisville. How has the council stopped hearing the voice of the people? Council meetings have been overflowing and voices have been heard…will Mr. Cahill hear my voice? Or will you discard my opinions and ideas? How do you know the impeachment has been a personal vendetta? If charges are made against an individual in government, then shouldn’t the citizens have a right to hear those arguments? And if proven then what should be the outcome? Where is the hidden agenda? These issues have freely and openly been discussed and dissected in the community and on live television. Wal-Mart is not receiving the TIF. Now you lost me at the dog park. I live right next to the largest park in St. Louis County and my wife and I walk our dogs in that park all the time. The city took taxpayers money and built an enclosed park so dogs can run around with other dogs? Huh? You are for the money spent on a dog park that produces “zero” income and you are opposed to an entity that will generate enormous revenue for the city….how do you square that argument? What are your plans to bring business here, Mr. Cahill? Think of the jobs that will be created by building the development. Your arguments are short sighted, hence, our household will vote “no” on you.
And in regards to the Dog Park, you might want to get those "facts" of which you are so very fond "straight" before you start spouting...Again, we are not your students trapped in your history class at SLCC-Wildwood.
Bingo, Jenga, Yahtzee!
Absolutly, now you coming around to my thinking. If you do not shop at Wal-Mart you will not pay the TIF. I am not fond of Wal-Mart, I just like options on where I can spend my money (and Wal-Mart is a great investment) I walk my dogs in a rather large free (although some of the sales tax that I pay goes into the park, which, obviously, I have no issue with) park and both of them love it. Both dogs tell me that they love the interaction with nature.
I can only assume you do not understand the nature of sarcasm.