Charlie Dooley Sees Progress in St. Louis County

From the August 8, 2004 print edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Martin Van Der Werf of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

For decades, St. Louis County has been the destination for people leaving the city for more space, nicer surroundings and proximity to employees. But the county's leadership role has been slipping. The population has leveled off and begun to drop, the Census Bureau says. A study by the University of Missouri at St. Louis indicates that the people who moved from the county between 1993 and 2002 took about $2.6 billion in household income with them.

Charlie A. Dooley became St. Louis County executive under difficult circumstances. He was elected to the position by fellow council members after the death in October of George R. "Buzz" Westfall.

Dooley, with less than a year on the job, is standing for election in November. He stumbled into politics with an appointment to the parks board in Northwoods.

What are the key issues facing the county?

The key is economic development. It's about jobs and how we keep St. Louis County as the economic engine of this state and the leader of this region. That, I think, is of utmost importance in our minds.

A lot of St. Louis County is more or less built out. Is it at a tipping point, where it can slip backward, or can it go forward?

See, I have a problem with you saying it's built out. Let me give you an example. Within the next two to three years, there's going to be over 4,000 new homes built in St. Louis County. That's not built out. That%u2019s gonna happen. That's on the books. That's in the process now. Four thousand new homes. People don't build homes where people can't move to.

Then, you look at the sale of the (abandoned county) jail (in Chesterfield) that's going to be coming up very shortly. You're talking about, what, 32 acres of land in prime development area. Think of the tremendous opportunity.

So, to say that we are stagnant population or stagnant business, that is not true. Look what we did with the Ford plant in Hazelwood. We saved those jobs. So, we're reaching out to the business community and saying, look, St. Louis County is a great place to do business, because people are doing business here, and people doing business like to do business where people are successful.

It seems as if the trends show companies moving farther west, farther north, farther south. They talk about more land, about lower costs for land, less regulation. What does St. Louis County have to offer that other counties don't have?

Look at the (proposed business park near) Lambert airport. You're talking over 600 acres of land, and there's 472 acres of land that is actually developable. You're talking about the possibility of 12,000 jobs. Can you think of any other place in this state or in this region that has that type of land assembled, that can really bring those types of meaningful jobs? We're talking about jobs that people can support their families (with), good-paying jobs.

Does the county need to look at the regulation of business? Is there too much red tape?

I don't think so. Anywhere businesses go, they understand there are requirements. You can't get away from requirements. No business can. I don't think our requirements are any different than anyone else's. I think we do a good job of working with people. So, I just don't think that that is a true statement. St. Louis is actually one of the few counties where you can get a permit online.

One of the concerns expressed by a lot of people is that problems in the city of St. Louis - blight, homelessness - are spreading into the county. Is that a concern?

That is always a concern to any government. But let me tell you some of the things the county is doing about our inner-ring cities. If you look at, for example, in Wellston and Hillsdale and Pagedale and Pine Lawn, there you have new homes being built (where homes) haven't been built in decades. The county economic council is working with the city of Jennings to help develop its marketing plan, its redevelopment plan, its land-acquisition plan, all those things.

Would some smaller cities be better off if they merged?

You can say the same thing about the fire districts. You can say the same thing about the school districts. But I think that's something people themselves have to determine, and the economics will determine that in the future. But . . . we do lose efficiency in government in some respects, there's no question about it.

We got multiple police departments overlapping; we do have those concerns. There are issues with zoning departments in certain areas. I think as time moves on, when people realize that we can't do what we do anymore, there will be some more mergers.

In the short run, by the same token, if you ask those individuals in those venues, they'd say, "Yes, it's the best thing going, because I get to have control, direct control over my taxpayers' dollars." I'm not going to argue with those people.

You grew up in North County and went to Wellston High School. Now, you're the most important government official in St. Louis County. What does your example say about opportunity?

Opportunity is present in St. Louis County at many different levels. There's business opportunity, there's no question about that. . . . St. Louis County is the best place to live because we've got some of the most affordable housing. . . . We've got a tremendous park system in St. Louis County. So, we got a lot of things (about) the quality of life that I think can make a big difference in people's lives.

I think this is a great place to live; it's the center of this whole region. It's where the most activity is taking place. So, why would you not want to be a part of that?

Republished with the permission of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2004 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
http://STLtoday.com