This was supposed to be the year that St. Charles County Republicans finally had an open race for county executive.
But that changed after incumbent Steve Ehlmann scrapped his plans to retire, saying that he didn't see anyone else who could prevent former state Sen. Bill Eigel from winning the powerful post.
Ehlmann said Eigel is giving voters the impression that he could do things that he wouldn't have the power to do — or shouldn't do, like withholding funds from cities that build apartment complexes.
"I've got to convince the people, unlike my opponent, that the county executive has certain parameters on which to operate," said Ehlmann, who first became county executive in 2007. "And you're an executive, you're not a dictator."
Eigel made a name for himself in Jefferson City with high-profile filibusters and clashes with GOP leadership. Both Ehlmann and the other major candidate in the race, Jason Law, contend that Eigel, who narrowly lost the GOP primary for governor in 2024, plans to use the county executive's post to run for governor again in 2028.
Eigel has denied that he wants to use the post as a stepping stone. He said he wants to significantly lower the tax burden for the county — and reduce government spending.
And he finds Ehlmann's reasoning for reversing course on his retirement plans perplexing.
"I can't imagine insulting the people of St. Charles County by saying that the only reason you're seeking the responsibility of the highest office in the county is because you don't like somebody else," Eigel said. "I have nothing personally against Steve. He's been around a long time. Certainly, we disagree on policy and process. But I don't have any dislike of Steve Ehlmann. My goodness, I'm doing this because I want St. Charles County to be strong."
Law, a former mayor of Lake Saint Louis and lieutenant colonel with St. Louis County Police Department, contends that St. Charles County voters want new people in high leadership positions. He said Eigel and Ehlmann are more of the same.
He doesn't believe Eigel's assertion that he won't run for governor — or that Ehlmann would serve another full term.
"We have a lot going on in St. Charles County," Law said. "We're talking about data centers and other growth, and you need to look outside five and 10 years. And I don't think he wants to do this job anymore. I think he wants to run [it] for a couple of years and then hand it off to somebody else of his choosing."
Ehlmann said that, if he wins, he will serve out a term that will expire at the end of 2030.
Concerns about growth
For all the explosive political dynamics of this contest, it's also notable from a policy perspective — because the candidates have different takes on the issues.
For instance, Eigel wants to eliminate the personal property tax, which both Law and Ehlmann say is an unworkable campaign promise. There's also disagreement over whether St. Charles County should sell key assets, like the National Equestrian Center.
All three candidates fear that the county's growth could potentially stagnate. Ehlmann has said that if the region doesn't get a handle on St. Louis' perceived crime problem, it will eventually have a negative impact on suburban areas like St. Charles County. Recent reporting from STLPR shows that crime is down in the city by 28% over last year, and homicides are at their lowest level since 2005.
"I think it's important we have a regional approach," Ehlmann said. "We understand that if there's a problem in the city, eventually it's going to be a problem in St. Charles County."
Ness Sandoval, a demographer at St. Louis University, said that St. Charles County's population is still growing but that its continued growth will depend on two things: the availability of housing and people moving into St. Louis.
If St. Louis' population keeps declining, Sandoval said it will eventually hurt places like St. Charles County.
"St. Charles County wants St. Louis city to succeed," Sandoval said. "They want more people moving into the city because they're going to be future movers into the county."
Both Eigel and Law have advocated for fewer apartment complexes to be built in St. Charles County.
Law said that the county doesn't have the road infrastructure to handle more people.
"I'm not saying forever," Law said. "I'm just saying let these apartments saturate in and make sure we have the resources to respond to things for those apartments — and we can provide the services that people expect in St. Charles County. If you overbuild it, you're stretching our resources to the point we can't provide the same resources as we did before."
Eigel said that apartments don't produce as much tax revenue to pay for things like schools. He wants to eliminate personal property tax to make St. Charles more affordable for potential residents.
"This constant idea that the highest position in government in our county can't do anything and is helpless in the face of a problem that's facing our county is precisely why St. Charles County is starting to stagnate, and why we need new leadership," Eigel said.
Ehlmann said it's only possible to restrict apartment complexes in unincorporated areas of the county, since municipalities have control over what they build within their borders.
"In 19 years, the county has approved one apartment complex," Ehlmann said. "But [Eigel] suggests that somehow the county executive, me, during that period, could have put pressure on the cities and gotten them not to approve these things."
Sandoval, though, said that a halt in constructing apartment complexes could ultimately create a disincentive for young people to move there.
"What they're missing is a lot of single family homeowners start as renters," Sandoval said. "I started out as a renter. And then once we had enough, once we started a family, and we realized we wanted a house, we started to save up."
St. Charles County voters will decide on Aug. 4 whether they're sticking with Ehlmann or opting for new leadership. The winner of the contest will face off against Democrat David Veneziano in November.
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