Ward 3 City Council Seat Up for Grabs

When mayor-elect is sworn into office on Monday, he leaves behind his Ward 3 City Council seat, which he’s held for 32 years.

Florissant’s Ward 3 residents will select its new councilman on Aug. 2, which leaves three months in between with only eight councilors.

City Clerk Karen Goodwin said that business would continue normally for the council, despite being short of a councilor. With the possibility of ties resulting from the council’s future vote, Goodwin said she believes that councilors would take that into consideration before voting.

The Ward 3 section extends from Washington Street and Charbonier Road around Koch Park to the streets of Tahoe, Kostka and Montezuma. It consists of more than 1,900 households.

Goodwin said that despite the vacancy, Ward 3 residents will continue to be served as other city councilors step in to assist residents. More specifically, residents can turn to the the City Council president for questions, concerns and more in their ward.

The council president will be selected during the Florissant Council meeting on April 25. Ward 4 Councilman Keith English currently serves as council president.

The filing period for the Ward 3 seat opens on May 3 and will close on May 17. 

One candidate has already announced their intentions on filing and pursuing the Ward 3 seat, .

Behlmann, who currently serves on the Hazelwood School District Board of Education, ran for the office of Florissant mayor in the April 5 municipal election and captured 2,312 votes resulting in a third place finish.

Behlmann said after being encouraged by several Ward 3 residents and his own supporters, he made the decision to pursue the seat.

“I strongly feel it’s going to be a heated campaign,” he said. “My heart is definitely in it.” 

Behlmann, who formally announced his candidacy on April 13, said that he’s excited about the race, but he knows it’s a stepping-stone in his political path.

He said he fully intends to run for mayor in 2015.