Chesterfield's Congenial Director Stunned (Momentarily) By Award

Chesterfield's Director of Planning, Public Works and Parks/Recreation Michael O. Geisel, was stunned to be named the winner of The Spirit of Chesterfield Award Wednesday at a city Chamber of Commerce meeting.

"If you could have seen the look on his face," said Chesterfield's Mayor Bruce Geiger afterward.

Geisel was chosen earlier for the award by the Chamber board and director, but staff at Chesterfield's City Hall conspired to keep it a secret that he had won—and surprise him with it.

They apparently told Geisel that his boss, City Administrator Michael Herring, was being honored at the Chamber of Commerce gathering. The Chamber and City Hall have worked famously together since the city's founding, and so the ruse was preserved.

Geisel and his colleagues were at the Chamber meeting Wednesday, when Geisel's name was read off as The Spirit of Chesterfield Award winner.

Geisel said his first thought was, "Oh no, they got the wrong Mike." He said he glanced at Herring, thinking he might look—well—disgruntled?

Instead, Herring (and others) apparently looked happy that the surprise element had worked, and that Geisel had won the special annual award.

Herring said afterward that he and others had been plotting the happy surprise for Geisel "for quite a while."

Geisel took it all good-naturedly, as is his manner overall.

Congratulations to Chesterfield's Michael Geisel.

A previous version had inaccurate information about previous winners. The late Joanie Schmelig was named Chesterfield Citizen of the Year.