Print
Share page with AddThis

2019/05/06 - Walter's Blog: New Faces on the City Council

Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
 

You may have heard there was a City Council election on April 2. Actually, you may not have heard about it because voter turnout was only 11%. In any case, the election was significant for the City of O’Fallon: due to retirements and competitive races, half of the City Council is new.

Hear are your new O’Fallon City Council members:

Ward 1: Dennis Muyleart

Ward 2: Jessica Lotz

Ward 4: Todd Roach

Ward 5: Chris Monroe (2-year term)

Ward 5: Gwen Randolph (4-year term)

Ward 6: Tom Vorce

Ward 7: Nathan Parchman

It is exciting to have so many new elected officials with fresh ideas. However, it also means a lot of institutional knowledge left the City Council, so our most important task is to prepare the new aldermen to govern. Newly elected officials are jumping onto a moving train, and they must make decisions even though they were not around when legislative issues began.

Since half of the City Council is new, we have developed an extensive orientation program:

  • Half-day orientation session with department heads to learn about City operations.
  • One-on-one meetings with me to discuss their personal goals and visions for O’Fallon.
  • Committee of the Whole meeting featuring presentations on meeting management, parliamentary procedure, Open Meetings Act, ethics, and human resource policies.
  • Online orientation packet containing resource links and City policies.
  • In June, there will be a half-day retreat where the City Council will develop goals and priorities for the future of O’Fallon.

There are many exciting things happening in O’Fallon, and we want to maintain the momentum. Without exception, everyone on the City Council has stated that they love O’Fallon and want our community to continue to be exceptional. I am confident our new City Council will accomplish great things.