Priorities

Public Safety

I fought for and saved the ShotSpotter program from being cut from the 2024 budget.

  • ShotSpotter has been a valuable tool for areas that have an increase of gun violence. Police receive a call when there is gunfire and are on the scene before anyone calls 911. It has been proven to save lives and lower the crime rate in areas such as Castle Point and Glasgow Village.

I also passed Open Carry Legislation is designed to take guns out of the hands of our youth.

  • Requires that all residents of Unincorporated St. Louis County to have a conceal/carry permit.
  • In order to obtain a conceal/carry permit, residents must be 19 years of age.
  • Officers now have a tool that will allow for them to stop anyone openly carrying a weapon and ask them to produce their conceal/carry license.
  • If they do not have one, the gun will be confiscated, and the person will be cited. They will be able to retrieve their gun only if they are able to show proof of ownership.
  • While in custody, the gun will be checked to see if any crime has been committed using that weapon.

Jamestown Mall

In my first campaign for the St. Louis County Council, I promised you that I would make Jamestown Mall my top priority and that is exactly what I have done. I worked with federal, state and local officials to get the ball moving. Ultimately securing 12 million dollars to demolish the eyesore. On April 26, 2022, I passed legislation that allocated 6 million dollars to demolish the mall. I also worked with the Governor's Office to secure support from the state. After an agreement with Governor Parson, collaboration with Senator Brian Williams led to him successfully requested another 6 million dollars for the project. On September 26, 2023, demolition of the mall began.

While we have made great strides, this process is not over. I have made it clear to the St. Louis County Port Authority that they should immediately provide a request for proposal and allow developers to bid on the project. Whatever developer is chosen will have to provide a project that will be useful to all the residents of our community.

  • I will continue to work hand in hand with the Port Authority to get results regarding Jamestown Mall that we can all be proud of.
  • I have and will continue to guarantee a process that is both transparent and results that provide adequate oversite in all aspects of the project.

Derelict Properties

I passed legislation that will use $11 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the demolition of derelict properties. This legislation will provide the necessary funding for the demolition of derelict properties which sit primarily in the Castle Point, Glasgow Village and Spanish Lake areas of unincorporated St. Louis County. Once the properties have been deemed eligible for demolition, funding will be utilized to raze the structures.

Food Insecurities

We have a shortage of healthy food options in North County. That is why I passed legislation to put $5 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding towards addressing the food desert in District 4. This legislation allocates the following:

  • $350,000 to A Red Circle to fund a seed program for farmers in District 4. This will allow farmers in District 4 to produce more crops to sell to residents.
  • $250,000 to Rustic Roots Sanctuary to fund their expansion program which includes the purchase of a cooling system to keep food fresh as well as a truck to transport food to local stores for sale to residents.
  • $4,400,000 set aside to support long-term solutions to food insecurity in District 4. This includes a campaign to bring larger grocery store chains to the area.