Attended Town Hall Meetings with Council Members: I scheduled and began attending regular town hall meetings with members of the Council in their districts. Attended Weekly Council Meetings: I am committed to attending the weekly meetings of the St. Louis County Council. My predecessor, in regularly skipping these meetings, failed to engage in critical governmental business while also signaling his disregard for the elected members of the Council, who are there to serve the public. On one occasion, I was in Washington, D.C., meeting with our congressional delegation and arranged to attend the Council meeting through a live video stream, joined by Congresswoman Ann Wagner and Congressman Lacy Clay. Provided Weekly Reports to the Council and the Public: At each of its meetings, the County Council invites the County Executive to provide a report. Past County Executives have rarely used that opportunity to keep the Council and the public informed about the County’s business. But, since I became County Executive, I have presented a report at each meeting of the County Council and will continue to do so.
Improving County Government Began a New Relationship with County Employees: On my first day as County Executive, I began meeting with County employees. Many of them felt caught in the middle of the controversies that riled County government in recent years. Those controversies reflected poorly on the County and made their jobs more difficult. I told our workers that those days are over. I have made it my goal to meet with the employees in every department as soon as possible, I regularly communicate with them about our efforts to improve County government as a place to work, and I regularly attend employee events. Incorporated Best Practices: We asked department directors to study industry best practices in the public and private sectors to see
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