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07.03.2009 7:33 pm

Former Webster Groves mayor to run for St. Louis County Council

By Phil Sutin
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Terri Williams, a former mayor of Webster Groves, will launch her campaign for a seat on the St. Louis County Council in a parade.

Terri Williams

Terri Williams

Williams will have a float — “Hometown Girl at Election Time” — in the Webster Groves 4th of July parade which starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. In a statement her supporters predict that about 50 will accompany the float. The parade will go along Lockwood and Gore avenues, Big Bend Boulevard, Elm Avenue and Glendale Road.

Voters will not consider county council seats until a primary in August 2010 and a general election the following November. Williams is seeking the 5th District seat that Councilwoman Barbara Fraser, D-University City, now holds. Fraser is running for state senator from the 24th District. Candidates cannot file for any of the 2010 election races until February.

Williams said she would ask local mayors, small business owners and community leaders “what is important to you?” and try to work together to solve district problems.

The county, she said, should try to help small businesses and let their owners know what resources they have available. These businesses are taking big hits in the recession, she said.

MetroLink should expand to all parts of the county, she said. Gas prices are in a lull and will go up, she said.

Williams favors a joint St. Louis-St. Louis County ban on smoking in public places. “The city and the county should make a concerted effort to work together. It will be good for businesses long term and for tourism,” she said.

Williams was mayor of Webster Groves from 1994 to 1998. She also had been executive director of the Webster Groves-Shrewsbury Chamber of Commerce and held citizen advocate and taxpayer’s advocate positions in county government. She is chairwoman of the University of Missouri St. Louis County Extension Council.

The 5th District runs from Olivette and University City to Affton and Crestwood in the east-central part of the county.
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8 comments

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Blog Comments: Rules of the Road

If you want Metrolink in Webster Groves, YOU pay for it.

— Nick Kasoff
8:44 pm July 3rd, 2009

Two academic economists have looked at the likely effect of a St. Louis City/County smoking ban on the St. Louis City bar & restaurant industry. One predicts a smoking ban will cut City restaurant employment 1.1 percent and bar employment 19.7 percent. The other predicts that a substantial portion of City restaurants and 80 percent of St. Louis City bars will suffer losses due to the ban.

St. Louis convention planners say public smoking laws have no effect on their business.

— Bill Hannegan
11:29 pm July 3rd, 2009

This is a joke, right?

— A CENTRIST
9:20 am July 4th, 2009

It has been years since I have heard her name but no story on Williams would be complete without covering her controversial tenure as Mayor of Webster Groves. She was an embarrassmenet to the city, frequently over-stepping her largely figure, ceremonial position (Webster Groves has a city manager form of government). The idea of this woman running for anything is laughable. I suggest that before printing anymore of her press releases the Post review their own archives to get the whole story.

— SeekerSTL
3:06 pm July 4th, 2009

Sounds like another Sarah Palin nut to me. Wonder if she dresses to the left or right.

— Watchdog
8:43 am July 5th, 2009

Which ticket would Ms. Williams be running on?

— soccer mom
11:07 am July 5th, 2009

soccer_mon: She’s a Democrat. No smart Republican would ever propose anti-smoking. She’s part of the business killer crowd who thinks profit and revenue is evil.

— CraigHawksleysGhost
6:07 am July 6th, 2009

I am not sure whether Ms Williams would run as either a Republican or a Democrat. She used to be my neighbor (over ten years ago, back when I lived in Webster Groves) and at least at that time she was a member of the Missouri Green Party. In fact, she was part of the first wave of activists to organize a Green party in this state. Meanwhile, I think that SeekerSTL is being rather ungenerous. Ms Williams was a fine mayor. Admittedly, I agree that the mayor is most a figurehead position in Webster, but I cannot agree that she “over-stepped” her office in any “embarrass[ing]” fashion. I was always proud to have her as a mayor and pleased to have her as a neighbor.

Meanwhile, I quite agree with Mr Kasoff - if the citizens of Webster (or Kirkwood, or Creve Coeur, or Florissant, etc) want Metrolink, they should be willing to pay for it. I hope that Ms Williams can use her excellent leadership skills to convince the citizens of the county that this would worth their while to do so. A well developed light rail system would benefit everyone in this metro-area.

— GrzeszDeL
11:34 am July 6th, 2009