Knocking on doors and talking to the voters is the best medicine for a candidate. I've met so many nice people and had great conversations on front porches, in the front yard or in the garage of the voters.   I'm up to 2,500 doors and plan to keep on going until the day before the election on November 6th. Today I'll be out in Wentzville off of Peine Road.  See you soon.

Monday night the St. Charles County Council pushed back their vote on 4631, acknowledging they were rushing it through. Please continue to call (636-949-7530) and email the council (council@sccmo.org) asking them to VOTE NO ON 4631  We need to inundate Councilman Elam he is the swing vote.  Call or email him and the other 6 councilmen.  This is just one more evidence that this County Council does no listen to the people. 

Need to have hundreds of people emailing or calling Elam......he is the swing vote.

Raising a Family Right Here in St Charles County

My mother and father's families were next door neighbors in O'Fallon on Woodlawn and Hembrock streets. My aunts and uncles played together in the open areas between the homes in theier part of the city.  Since then, those empty areas have all completely filled in. After my father came home from his military service during the Korean war he asked the younger Haislip girl he'd watched grow up next to marry him. They bought their first O'Fallon home in 1957 when I was three years old. It took them 4 years to save up enough to put a down payment on one of the first homes in one of the first "subdivisions" in O'Fallon.  I grew up happily with a younger brother and sister in Country Life Acres.
And when it was my turn to marry and have a family, we chose to stay in O'Fallon, St Charles County because it was such a great place to live and raise a family. I have two sons who grew up in Forest Park-EastBrook Addition and eventually we moved almost a stone's throw away on the other side of Main Street in Towerwood Subdivison.
Now there's 8 grandkids for me to spoil when they come to visit Grandma Cheryl and Papa Jim, still in O'Fallon. 

I have spent many years involved in our church and school, especially when my sons were at Assumption and St Dominic schools where their mother and father were also educated.  I've also been involved in my neighborhood, city and county non-profits and governments. St Charles County means a lot to me and my family.  We have roots that go do deep.  And even if my sons have moved to pursue their careers and are not living in St Charles county they are always happy to revisit their former home, and of course bring the grandkids. 

A County Council that Just Does Not Listen

From an earlier post: 
We must stop this development. It belongs to all of us, the citizens of Missouri. It should be preserved. 
This is one of the reasons that I want to serve on the County Council. I do not believe that the current men in charge are listening to the testimonials, public comments, the phone calls and the emails they are receiving.

From Last Night's County Council Meeting: 

Well, it seems I was right about the current council which would include my probable future opponent in this campaign.  Last night,  after each of them acknowledged to the packed house there for the meeting that they'd never received so many emails and phone calls on any other issue, only one council member voted strongly against the Missouri Bluffs development. One out of seven.  My present council member chose to take the coward's way out and abstained from voting on the issue.  In this case, the abstention  was, in effect, a yes. 

In their own words, the people did not want this and they went ahead and ignored the please and voted for the developer.  This place belonged to all of us, from the federal government to the transfer to University of MO, this was a place that was pure and in its original state that belonged to all of us. 

 This is what is now going to be filled with homes for the elite who can afford it :
 Missouri Bluffs-Preserve This Place

Fathers Day and the Heat of 2018

Yesterday was Father's Day.  I would not be the person I am today without the amazing and wise father who raised me.  He was smart, caring, concerned, loving, generous and insightful. My siblings and I were lucky to have him and we still miss him every day.  That being said, I married a man very much like him and I spent the day helping his children and grandchildren honor him.  He's a big fan of desserts and in this picture you can see his two granddaughters and I making "gourmet" cupcakes for him. With the temps so high on Sunday, it was a good excuse to stay in and pass up some canvassing time.
Today is another story.  Going to be as hot or even hotter than yesterday.  But there are too many doors knock and voters to talk to, I'm going to go out.  Hope that I can catch some voters home today before it gets too hot. When you don't have a gigantic campaign fund, the one on one encounters at the door are the one certain way of making a difference and getting people to know you.

Monday, June 25 - 
Stop St. Charles Missouri Bluffs Development 
Developers are still trying to convince the St. Charles County Council to change zoning rules to allow 350 housing units to be built on the Missouri River bluffs near the Katy Trail and the Weldon Spring Conservation Area. The next meeting of the St Charles County Council, where there could be a vote on the issue, is Monday June 25th at 7pm at the County Executive Building / Historic Courthouse (100 N. 3rd Street, St. Charles, MO 63301).
Show up to this meeting to say: "We've had enough, no building on the bluffs!"
What: St Charles County Council Special Meeting on the Missouri Bluffs Proposal
When: Monday, June 25 at 7pm.
Where: County Executive Building Council Chambers - 100 N. 3rd Street - St. Charles, MO 63301

Friday night was the 36th annual St Charles County Democrats First Capitol Dinner.  It was so inspiring to see the entire Trigg Banquet Center full of motivated Democrats, Progressives, Patriotic and Concerned Citizens.  We all agreed that the best thing for our country, state and county is to have competent, caring and active leaders who are not interested in what benefits and money they will get from leadership, but what they can do to make life better for their fellow Americans.  They are hard working brother and sisters

This year St Charles County has a great line up of county and state candidates.  Almost every single office is filled with a Democratic candidate.  

Our emcee was Democratic Senate Leader Gina Walsh and the keynote speaker was Nicole Galloway who spoke eloquently about fairness, honesty and transparency in our state government.  

Kudos to the Central Committee for putting together such a great night of true service and fellowship.

Out the Door for Canvassing

Even though it is a holiday weekend, we're out the door for a few hours of canvassing today in Wentzville.  If you live off of Heritage Parkway, I like forward to seeing you today. But don't forget what the holiday is for, what it means, what we honor.

On Memorial day we remember those who gave their lives protecting our freedom.

Campaign Benefits

There are lots of reasons that make running for office a great experience.  The most positive element is how many people you get to meet.  The best people are the voters, the real people I meet at their homes.  I try to find out what is on their minds and what they would like to see their governments work to accomplish. There will be more on that as I go out each day to canvass my neighbors.

Another great thing about running for office is meeting and working with the other candidates.  I have met and befriended so many caring, enthusiastic and determined candidates this election cycle.  This picture is from a campaign kickoff in Lake St Louis for Patrice Billings last week.  There were 5 other women besides Patrice among the 50 or so attendees. Pictured from L to R are Patrice Billings for Senate District 2, Lorna Frahm for County Executive, myself, Senator Gina Walsh, Katy Geppert for Congress District 3, and Jan Kester for State Rep District 63.  All good people who want to make Missouri and St Charles County a better place to live.  I am glad that I have met them and to have made new friends while working together for the same causes.

We began neighborhood canvassing last night.  I had the opportunity to talk with 21 voters before the clouds moved in and the winds picked up.  I got back to my car just before the first drops started and then it really let loose.  I'm headed out now to the same neighborhood to start up where I left off.  I have 50 houses left on this list and hope to finish by 7pm.  Looking forward to some engaging voter conversations.

Why Run Now?

It was on March 25th, two days before filing for office ended that I heard from three women who were already signed up or thinking about running.  "Cheryl, we need a full team, one of us available for every position on the field.  The team can't win if we don't have players on the field" So four of us signed up on the last day. Good people, good candidates who, when elected, will serve with passion and distinction. There are a total of 16 good people, 9 of them women, who are running for office in St. Charles County.  I am proud of this group of brave people and I am proud to be one of them.

It seems like such a short time it has been since I last served in elected office and in the grand scheme of things 8 years really is not so long ago.  But when you look at the level of discourse, the heated arguments, and the us vs. them mentality that has taken over today's politics it would seem as if a hundred years has passed.

We've come to a time in politics when you are labeled a traitor if you agree on anything the other party says. I pledge to conduct myself in a way that is civil, honest, and respectful toward people with whom I disagree. I value people from different cultures, I value people with different ideas, and I value and cherish the democratic process.