I want to thank the 200 Ward 1 residents who voted for me and residents from other Wards who endorsed me and encouraged me. I particularly want to thank my wife, Patricia, and Lynn Berry, Hank Clouse, Tony and Sandy Kardis, Christy McCollom, Bob Fry, and Scott Simon who helped me in many ways during the long campaign. Lynn, you are a great treasurer. Scott, you are a first rate media expert.

After standing outside the polls all day on April 2, I now have a much increased respect for the people who stand up for candidates and issues at the polls on election day. I have often ignored these folks in the past. The next time I vote I am going to take the time to thank them all for their effort, regardless of how I am voting.

I am very pleased that I was able to focus attention on some important issues for Ward 1 during the campaign, and I hope that Ward 1 will gain from my effort. I am proud that my campaign was positive and focused on the issues. I am very disappointed that another Creve Coeur election was marred by a malicious, untruthful, ad hominem attack. (A last-minute hate-mailer was sent to Ward 1 residents.) CreveCoeurVoter.com will run a series of editorials, starting with “Politricks of Personal Destruction – Part 1”, to inform voters and advocate clean campaigning in Creve Coeur.

Today I received an email with the subject, “Where do we go from here?” One answer to that question is that I am going to Biloxi. I have some important business responsibilities that require attention, one of which is attendance at an industry meeting. I plan to do some writing on the trip – there are no direct flights.

CreveCoeurVoter.com is the place for voters to interract with the issues

CreveCoeurVoter.com will continue, but with some changes. There will be less attention to the nuts and bolts minutia, such as Meeting Notes, and more emphasis on the most important issues. I also hope to engage more reader contribution and provide a platform for both short comments and long format editorials. One thing I learned from talking to voters is that they have a lot to say but don’t have a good place to say it.

Finally, I hope to have time to write more in the CCV Journal. I’ve learned that Facebook is not for me.

The last time I was a candidate for anything was in (“Oh What a Year”) 1963 at Blytheville (Arkansas) High School, home of the (now politically incorrect) Chickasaws. I was invited to run for Student Body President. There were three candidates. I remember exactly the second I lost that election. We all gave a speech to the student assembly. I was the smartest boy in the room, and everybody knew it. I was first chair trumpet player in the marching band and going steady with the head majorette. What do you say? I have no memory of what I said, but I do remember what Jack Holt said, “Ask not what your school can do for you but what you can do for your school.” It was a landslide for Jack.

I remembered that and at the League of Women Voters candidate forum I said that “I had asked not what my city could do for me but what I could do for my city.” It was a sincere statement, concisely summarizing the last six years. Alas, all Ward 1 voters were not forced to sit and listen to the candidates speak. Lesson – high school voters are better informed than municipal voters and the elections are fairer.

Unlike baseball closers, I don’t have a short memory and never even considered being a candidate for anything for a long time. But when friends encouraged me to be a candidate for an open seat this year I knew I was qualified and I went along. I would do it again – once every fifty years!

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I sincerely believe I am the candidate who offers that “right combination”.

Ward 1 residents have been well represented by Beth Kistner and David Kreuter since 2005.

But our taxes have gone up and the continuation of our full service trash collection continues to be questioned by Council members.

Also, Ward 1 has not kept up with the western part of the city in infrastructure improvements. A large project for decorative lighting on Olive west of I-270 recently began construction, but there are no plans to improve the lighting along Olive in Ward 1.

Thousands of dollars are spent every year on the I-270 overpass grounds, but there are no plans for landscaping or streetscape improvements along Olive in Ward 1.

One resident wrote me that her Ward 1 neighborhood is “the forgotten corner of Creve Coeur.”

Ward 1 has a strong, unified, well organized political establishment that has a tradition of endorsing candidates. I have been endorsed by City Council members, business leaders, and residents from every part of Creve Coeur because they’ve seen my capabilities, work, and action first hand.

But elections should be decided by qualifications, not endorsements. Ward 1 has a choice  — a clear choice —  for new leadership on April 2.

I’ve unofficially represented Ward 1 and all Creve Coeur residents at City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission meetings since 2007 as editor of www.CreveCoeurVoter.com. I have respectfully provided constructive input to the City Council and insight based on my education and 45 years of experience at Monsanto and as an entrepreneur/businessman.

I was appointed to the Employee Pension Fund Board of Trustees because of my knowledge and experience in finance.

I earned the UNANIMOUS vote of the City Council as a 2011 Citizen of the Year for my citizen journalism and my contributions to the work of the Council.

As I said at the League of Women Voters forum, I ask not what my city can do for me but what I can do for my city. I am uniquely qualified to analyze complex issues and make sound decisions. I know how to lead AND how to contribute to a team. I have the education, the experience, and the right temperament to represent Ward 1. I sincerely ask for your vote.

The post An Open Letter to Ward 1 Residents Before Tuesday’s Election appeared first on David Caldwell, Creve Coeur City Council Ward 1 Candidate.

I want to thank them and the Creve Coeur Squires for organizing and hosting the event.

Below are two videos of me at the forum, my opening address and closing.

The post Speaking at the League of Women Voters Forum appeared first on David Caldwell, Creve Coeur City Council Ward 1 Candidate.

It will now be held this Saturday, March 30, from 2-4 p.m. at GRAN PRIX Bowling Supply, 1248 Andes Blvd.

Directions: Take Lindbergh north from Olive to Baur. Make a right on Baur, then the first right turn which is Andex Blvd.

NO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE SOLICITED OR ACCEPTED. DAVID CALDWELL FOR CREVE COEUR IS A SELF-FUNDED CAMPAIGN.

Free refreshments will be available.

David wants to hear from Ward 1 residents about current and future issues important to them.

Paid for by David Caldwell for Creve Coeur, Lynn Berry Treasurer

The post Our Meet and Greet Rescheduled for Sat. March 30, 2-4 p.m. appeared first on David Caldwell, Creve Coeur City Council Ward 1 Candidate.

A bowler friend of mine once wrote, “Everything I need to know about business I learned from bowling.” And he proved it in a list which included teamwork, patience, and other characteristics of successful managers.

Bowling taught me the two A’s – Action and Accuracy.  We’ve all seen bowlers who throw a big hook but can’t hit the headpin. Others can roll it down the middle but don’t have any mustard on it.

People who get things done are those who understand the two A’s and strive for Action and Accuracy. Both are important – indeed critical.

Get into Action when there is a problem to solve or an opportunity to seize. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t spin your wheels. Use vision to see the target, take aim at a goal, and do it with Accuracy. .

The two A’s worked for me as a student earning two Masters Degrees. The two A’s worked for me as a Monsanto employee as I rose to become Director of Corporate Finance. The two A’s continued to work for me as I grew GRAN PRIX from nothing to a leader in its industry.

I saw a problem when I attended City Council meetings in 2007. The residents were uninformed about the legislative process and were having difficulty communicating their expectations and concerns. Council members also seemed frustrated – with residents and with each other.

I took Action and founded www.CreveCoeurVoter.com so residents would get information they did not have before. CreveCoeurVoter became a guide for residents in dealing with the City Council.

Then I spoke up on issue after issue – with thorough analysis, factual support, and creative solutions. I helped many residents communicate with the Council and achieve satisfactory resolution of their issues.

Accuracy is simple. Get your facts right or lose credibility.

I have been successful because of Accuracy. I have a perfect record at CreveCoeurVoter. I’ve never been accused of publishing wrong facts or figures.

The City Council unanimously honored me as a 2011 Creve Coeur Citizen of the Year because I patiently developed credibility with them over a four-year period by presenting accurate facts and figures to back-up my recommendations.

When I decided to become a candidate for City Council, I did not forget the two A’s. I went into Action.  I turned in my candidate petition on the first day- with almost twice the required number of signatures. My opponent turned it in on the last day. I immediately began communicating with voters through a CreveCoeur.patch blog and advertisements. I also submitted my priorities and qualifications to the Post Dispatch/League of Women Voters on-line voters’ guide. My opponent as of March 20, 2013 did not. Most voters have seen little or nothing about my opponent’s positions.

I have also been Accurate. I submitted my biographical information for the city newsletter accurately. The city is now rushing to mail out a correction to the resume my opponent submitted. My opponent was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2010, not 2000 as published in the March 2013 Creve Coeur newsletter.

I take Action right away and when I do. I’m Accurate. I’ve proved it for six years unofficially representing you as editor of CreveCoeurVoter.com. I’ll do it as a voting member of the City Council if you choose to elect me on April 2.

The two A’s – Action and Accuracy – make for a good bowling score and a good City Councilman.  I sincerely ask for your vote on April 2.

The post Two “A’s” – Action & Accuracy appeared first on David Caldwell, Creve Coeur City Council Ward 1 Candidate.