Campaign season is in full effect, and so is political posturing for the benefit of voters. Listen, St. Louis County residents need safe roads to drive on, they want assessments that are accurate, taxation that’s fair, and the ability to handle their business with the County in person, online, via email, or by whatever means practical in a timely and efficient manner. County governance is where the rubber hits the road–literally–for residents, and it’s important that our leaders are capable, professional, and laser-focused on providing essential services instead of scoring political points. If elected, my expectation is that I’ll be inheriting well over 10 years of structural and fiscal challenges, many of which have occurred during Mark Harder’s 12-year tenure as a County Councilman. I believe that after 12 years it’s time to try something–and someone–different.
The last few weeks in St. Louis County politics has been tumultuous to say the least. On Monday, County Executive Sam Page sent correspondence to municipal leaders in St. Louis County proposing that municipalities take over responsibility for County-maintained roads that run through their boundaries. As you might imagine, municipal leaders aren’t too excited about the proposal. In this week’s regular meeting of the St. Louis County Council, Dr. Page also announced that negotiations to relocate County operations have ceased, though Council members apparently aren’t aware of the status of Project Cornerstone–which is an effort to either relocate the Clayton office and county seat, bring the Lawrence K. Roos building up to fire code, or the most likely scenario at this point–both.
In the County Executive’s statements regarding the possible transfer of County roads to municipalities, he also stated that Councilman Harder has suggested this as a possible solution to an ongoing challenge in not only maintaining those roads, but also as a means to provide some budget relief for the County. It should be noted that Councilman Harder’s actual conduct in meetings regarding St. Louis County policies is often combative and he often seems to not be “getting it” when County staff try to explain how their respective departments and duties are conducted. Case in point, I would point you to a Budget Committee meeting from last week in which Paul Kreidler- St. Louis County’s Director of Performance Management and Budget where Councilman Harder repeatedly asked questions regarding how monies are budgeted, allocated, and dispersed amongst the various County funds, requiring Mr. Kreidler to repeatedly explain the rules regarding how monies can be utilized per local, state, and federal law. I’m frequently amazed at how someone who’s been making budget decisions for St. Louis County for 12 years too often seems to have little to no understanding of how departments actually function much less about the policies that inform and direct County functions.
That Budget Committee meeting can be found at https://boxcast.tv/channel/wdeojvfau9uqc9qt6k8z?b=ya2qhohctznz9ro91rzl.
In regard to the immediate concerns of starting to build a budget for 2027, an October 1 deadline to adjust County property tax rates will be missed and with it the opportunity to perhaps bring in a little more revenue to help ease budget pressures. The County has the option to adjust this rate every two years, so that option has been tabled.
In a nutshell, those in charge of daily management of the budget (and Dr. Page as well) have been clear that the only immediate solutions to balancing the County’s budget are to increase revenues and/or cut services. One-time funds like the NFL settlement funds are not the solution to pervasive structural deficits and systemic challenges. The County Council must learn to work with the Executive, the Directors, and as an ally to staff, residents, and businesses alike in order to right the ship, but unfortunately it seems that our Council has a serious issue with how they communicate with all involved and they’ve spent a significant amount of the taxpayers’ time over the last few years engaging in political posturing and conflict, conducting the People’s business in what I think can be accurately labeled as “politics as usual.”
I don’t claim to have all the answers to decades of mismanagement plus a world that changed and evolved over the last 20 years, from technological advances to the shifting, growing, and changing of populations within St. Louis County and beyond over the last few decades. It’s pretty clear that St. Louis County has been challenged to navigate a rapidly changing economy and population growth in some places in contrast to population contraction in others.
I believe that St. Louis County leaders need to make some vast improvements in not only how St. Louis County government functions, but also in the way St. Louis County leadership communicates. Every week we see Council members going back and forth with the Executive (and at times each other) as well as often treating Directors, staff, and residents as subordinates, not as valued team members or constituents. I’m hoping that with new members and new leadership that the tenor and tone of Council dialogue improves. We can only hope…
At the end of the day, the seven members of the St. Louis County Council have a sworn obligation to do their best to serve not only their Districts, but one million residents, tens of thousands of businesses, and millions of people who work in and travel through the St. Louis area every year. I believe that a great place to start is learning how to better communicate with each other, the Executive, Directors, staff, and residents. An appearance before the Council should never be being subjected to an interrogation or be met with contempt by a Council member, but too often that’s what we see, week in and week out. The work that the Council and the Executive does is critical to the capacity for St. Louis County to be able to provide core services to constituents, and that has to be the mission. Period.
Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto: “Let the Welfare of the People be the Supreme Law.”
If you’re interested in viewing further discussion regarding previous plans for the 2026 Budget you might find this discussion form last November with the Council’s Budget Director Chris Grahn-Howard insightful. You can view that Budget Committee meeting here: https://boxcast.tv/channel/wdeojvfau9uqc9qt6k8z?b=fzqmlulshm6cwieyakx7
Recent polling is favoring Democratic candidates heavily for the November elections, with the Cook Report upgrading MO02 from “Solid R” to “Likely R,” with “generic” Democratic candidates now polling at anywhere from “+8” to “+10” in a variety of polls, and with margins for Democratic candidates running in “red” Missouri diminishing, we may have some wind at our backs. However, now, more than ever, it’s important that we lean in and do the work. We will be the ones to make 2026 a “wave year” for Democrats in this state and around the nation, so let’s do whatever we can for the next 34 days to engage with voters and make the case that Democratic candidates will fight for the PEOPLE instead of ceding our values to billionaires, zealots, and selfish personal ambition. I truly believe that we aspire to be the “good guys,” but it’s up to us to convince the voters on November 3. I’ll be leaving it all on the field, how about you?
(By the way, if recent polling is accurate, that makes this race more than competitive- polling favors us in this race by a few points- which means that we have even more reason to lean in so that we can successfully retire Mark Harder on November 3!!!)
If you’re interested in helping our campaign to defeat Councilman Mark Harder on November 3, here’s what you can do:
You can support our grassroots, people-powered campaign by giving today at KIEHNE2026.COM.
You can sign up to join #KiehneAction as a volunteer at KIEHNEFORMISSOURI.COM/VOLUNTEER.
You can host a meet and greet and introduce your family, friends, and neighbors to our campaign. If you’re interested, please contact the campaign at info@kiehneformissouri.com. You can also call or text us at 636-324-3570.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page signed the following bills into ordinance:
Bill No. 167, 2026 became Ordinance No. 29,669
St. Louis County residents are invited to submit their thoughts regarding a merger proposal and the future of St. Louis County and the St. Louis region at: https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-government/county-executive/what-does-a-stronger-st-louis-look-like/.
The St. Louis County Council Perfected the following bills:
BILL NO. 171, 2026, INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DAYS, ENTITLED: AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO EXECUTE A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, LODGE 111 FOR ST. LOUIS COUNTY PARK RANGERS. (REFERRED TO BUDGET COMMITTEE ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2026)
08.25.26~OC-13
Bill No. 171, 2026
The St. Louis County Council approved the following measures for Final Passage:
BILL NO. 171, 2026, INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DAYS, ENTITLED: AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO EXECUTE A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, LODGE 111 FOR ST. LOUIS COUNTY PARK RANGERS. (REFERRED TO BUDGET COMMITTEE ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2026)
08.25.26~OC-13
Bill No. 171, 2026
BILL NO. 168, 2026, INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DAYS, ENTITLED: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 29,012 BY REPEALING AND RE-ENACTING SECTION 1 PERTAINING TO A SUBSTANCE USE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM GRANT FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE.
09.08.26~OC-5
Bill No. 168, 2026
BILL NO. 169, 2026, INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DAYS, ENTITLED: AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO ACCEPT A MISSOURI CRIME LAB UPGRADE PROGRAM GRANT OF UP TO $47,943 FROM THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY; APPROPRIATING THE SAME FOR SUPPORT OF THE SALARY AND BENEFITS OF A FORENSIC SCIENTIST AND THE PURCHASE OF A VACUFUGE AND DIGITAL CAMERA; AND AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE CHIEF OF POLICE TO EXECUTE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS.
09.08.26~OC-2
Bill No. 169, 2026
BILL NO. 170, 2026, INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DAYS, ENTITLED: AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE TO ACCEPT A GRANT OF UP TO $313,600.09 FROM THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY; APPROPRIATING THE SAME FOR SUPPORT OF THE SALARIES AND BENEFITS OF THREE DETECTIVES; AND AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE CHIEF OF POLICE TO EXECUTE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS.
09.08.26~OC-3
Bill No. 170, 2026
The St. Louis County Council approved five orders that renewed insurance contracts for St. Louis County employees. Apparently they didn’t appreciate the way in which these items were presented for approval as presented as they would’ve bypassed the Council’s authority to approve purchase contracts. There was dialogue from Council members expressing frustration with the County Executive’s handling of this circumstance.
A number of residents testified in favor of using ARPA funding to support Sustainable Farming projects in North St. Louis County, which was approved by Council members in April of last year but vetoed by Dr. Page. There was a request for a veto override to approve funding for these efforts to improve food security in North St. Louis County. There was particular support for “Rustic Roots,” which provides resources for urban farming and delivering food to those in need.
Communication dated April 29, 2025, from The Honorable Sam Page, County Executive, RE: St. Louis County Council Substitute Bill No. 1 for Bill No. 54, 2025, passed by the County Council on April 15, 2025, returning Substitute Bill No. 1 for Bill No. 54, 2025 unsigned and stating his objections thereto, pursuant to Section 2.110 of the County Charter, thereby vetoing Substitute Bill No. 1 for Bill No. 54, 2025
05.06.25~OC-36
Bill No. 54, 2025
Substitute Bill No. 1 for Bill No. 54, 2025
This Week’s County Council meeting: https://boxcast.tv/channel/wdeojvfau9uqc9qt6k8z
The complete agenda for this week’s Regular Meeting including attachments is available at: https://stlouisco.civicweb.net/document/470833/
The St. Louis County Council typically meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm at the St. Louis County Government Center, Lawrence K. Roos Building, 41 S. Central Ave., Clayton, MO 63105. You can view current and past St. Louis County Council meetings online at: https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-government/county-council/
A list of public meetings can be found at https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-public-notices/.
St. Louis County government meeting agendas and minutes can be found at https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-public-notices/meeting-minutes/.
KIEHNE CALENDAR
Are you interested in hosting a meet and greet to introduce your family, friends, and neighbors to our campaign to defeat Mark Harder in November? If so, please contact the campaign at info@kiehneformissouri.com. You can also call or text us at 636-324-3570.
We also have an immediate fundraising goal. We need to raise $5,000 to launch our October push to engage with District 7 voters in the last 30 days before the November 3 Election. We need 43,000 votes to win, and we need YOUR help to get there. You can donate today at KIEHNE2026.COM or just click the “donate” button below.
John Kiehne is running for St. Louis County Council opposing Republican incumbent District 7 Councilman Mark Harder. Councilman Harder has served on the St. Louis County Council for 12 years, and while St. Louis County is the main economic generator for this region and the state of Missouri, St. Louis County has struggled to maintain sustained growth, meet critical obligations, and is heading for budget shortfalls that threaten St. Louis County’s ability to function.
If elected, John Kiehne will not only focus on fiscal responsibility, public safety, and repairing and maintaining St. Louis County roads and bridges, but also lean in to promoting economic growth and development to revitalize not only St. Louis County but the entire St. Louis region.
For too long politicians have spent precious time and energy attacking each other and the St. Louis region instead of celebrating our assets and addressing our challenges. I believe that the residents of District 7 and St. Louis County deserve representation who will fight to help make St. Louis County residents more healthy, safe, secure, and prosperous.
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