Bob Nation, Candidate for Chesterfield Mayor

Biographical information

• Name, Age and Address: Bob Nation, 62, 17669 Bridgeway Circle, Chesterfield, Missouri 63005
• Occupation: Retired Airline Captain and Retired Military Officer, Residential Real Estate Broker
• Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Arizona; Command & General Staff Officer Course; Airline Transport Pilot License; some graduate course work in Public Administration and Quantitative Analysis.
• Family: Wife Louise, Master’s degree in Cardiovascular Nursing, Nurse Practitioner; three grown sons all Lafayette High School graduates; Rob, BS in finance and actuarial science, Drake University 2001 (associate in Society of Actuaries); Andy BS in Systems Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy 2007; Chris, BA in Philosophy/Religion and English, Truman State 2008, Master of Divinity, Princeton Theological Seminary 2011.
• Years lived in Chesterfield: 33-year resident of Chesterfield

Brief Background

• Retired Lieutenant Colonel, USAR
• Retired Captain, American Airlines
• Chesterfield city Council Member, 6 years
• Served on all four council committees, chairmanship of two
• Active participant and dues paying member of Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce
• Active member of Kiwanis Club (supporting local needy children)
• Volunteer pilot, Wings of Hope

Reasons for Running

I seek this office in order to better serve and represent the best interests of our residents and businesses. While we live in a wonderful city which provides high levels of service and many forms of recreation, I believe we can do better when it comes to spending the taxpayer’s dollar.  I support responsible development, but have been increasingly frustrated at decisions to spend money frivolously. One such example concerns the development of two outlet malls, partially at the taxpayers’ expense. I would also like to increase transparency in our municipal government and seek more constituent input.

Questions

What do you think the duties of the mayor are?

The duties of the Mayor are such that he/she does not vote unless there is a tie vote among council members. However, I believe there is a level of leadership and guidance that comes from the office of the Mayor. In view of the fact that the Mayor is elected by all the residents of the city, it is appropriate that certain policies are set and supported by full time staff. The Mayor, along with the city administrator, is the primary representative of the city and as such attends many public events that involve and promote the city, its services and activities.

What do you think are the biggest issues facing the city of Chesterfield? As mayor, how would you address them?

As a member of the St. Louis County Tax pool, Chesterfield must share its sales taxes with other members of its pool.  Other cities in the County are point-of-sales cities, which keep most of their sales taxes and donate only a certain amount to the pool.  We need to change this outdated law, which unfairly forces Chesterfield to give a disproportionate segment of its taxes to other locales.  As mayor, I would work with other cities and the state legislature to modify the existing system. Other important issues: potential excess retail space (two outlet malls), traffic, infrastructure, commercial and residential development.

In what area do you think the city of Chesterfield needs to improve? Are you satisfied with the way city government has been operating?

I am generally proud of how our city has served our residents. However, I think we can do better when it comes to spending. Instead of looking for ways to spend excess fund reserves, I favor modest roll back of some of the tax rates. No government should collect more revenue that it needs to pay for services provided. I also believe we can improve the transparency of city operations. (Very few people were aware of the approval of additional 1% sales tax that will fund $30 million of one of the outlet malls.)

What role do you think city government should play in promoting economic growth?

I do think Chesterfield has a role to play in promoting economic growth in our City. There are many situations and scenarios where our economic development department facilitates communication and coordination that results in new business locations.  A data base is maintained that is available to the public to make known office and retail space available, in addition to vacant ground.  The fact that Chesterfield is a wonderful place to live, work, and play makes it an easy sell to perspective new businesses.

What separates you from your opponent in this race?

Me:  Semi-retired, age 62, successful military and civilian aviation careers, three grown sons

Opponent:  Full-time job, age 35, two young children

Me:  Fiscally conservative; don’t look for ways to spend money unnecessarily, while maintaining excellent services

Opponent:  Voted for tax increases and more spending

Me:  100% of campaign funds from friends; No conflict of interest

Opponent:  heavily funded by commercial developers

What contributions have you made to the community and how do you see yourself using those experiences if elected?

• One of original elected Trustees of Wildhorse subdivision (nearly 500 homes) for five years; helped fellow residents with problems, worked with developers on Board
• Member Citizens for Responsible Growth, worked on zoning issues throughout city
• Volunteer pilot, Wings of Hope
• Former President, Air Force Academy Parents’ Club
• Above experiences have given me confidence, leadership skills, people skills, and sense of giving back to the community, all needed to be a successful mayor.  My wife, Louise and I have raised our family in Chesterfield and are grateful for the environment where our sons have grown up and are achieving success with the values they learned. This experience coupled with the sum total of my life experiences will enable me to continue serving and contributing to our community.