At the Brentwood mayor’s coffee on Friday, Mayor Pat Kelly was asked about term lengths for the mayor and aldermen, which are four years for each. He said he favors reducing the terms back to two years, from four, for both mayor and aldermen through a vote of the people, but said he’d veto a BOA vote to cut his term.
He said going back to four years for aldermen would take a vote of the people, but “because the way that the state legislation is written, and because of the ballot language that we had (in 2010), the board of aldermen could vote right now to make the mayor’s term two years.”
Kelly said, “If that’s what the board of aldermen want to do I’ll just veto it. OK?”
He said with recent issues like Boys Hope Girls Hope, and the “dispatch center and all that stuff — I don’t care anymore.”
Voters approved lengthening the terms for mayor and aldermen in the November, 2010 election. (It was 65 percent in favor of lengthening the mayor’s term and 55 percent for aldermen.)
“At that time there were no issues in Brentwood — everybody was happy,” Kelly said.
He told the approximately two dozen in the council chambers he believes the mayor’s term should be four years. “I just think it takes that long to get things done, if you’re trying to accomplish anything,” he said.
He said the checks and balances for the mayor is the board of aldermen.
“If the city isn’t going in the right direction the turnover will take place at the board of aldermen.”
The aldermen could put it on the ballot for them in the next election, he said. “This is the time to do it. I would suggest we do it in the November election, because there would be the best turn-out.”
As the Mayor said above, “Voters approved lengthening the terms for mayor and aldermen in the November, 2010 election. (It was 65 percent in favor of lengthening the mayor’s term and 55 percent for aldermen.)
“At that time there were no issues in Brentwood — everybody was happy,” Kelly said.
If everyone was happy in Brentwood, apparently 35% were not happy with extending terms for the Mayor from 2 years to 4 years.
Hopefully, we will have the terms on the ballot in November to reduce the terms from 4 years to 2 years for the Mayor and BOA.
You 65% who voted for 4 years for both, you can see what we got. Some of us in the 35% could not get the Mayor to quit or anyone on the BOA and could not recall any of them.
Please think clearly when you vote next time.
No disrespect intended to the blue hairs…..baby boomers, gen-x-ers, just a figure of speech. Thanks anyway for your uplifting story about the free sidewalk. Here’s my entry for the renaming of the city slogan. Brentwood-City of Free Concrete.
I moved here from Webster Groves several years ago. I love all the services the city offers to us, and the low taxes. A couple of years ago a large section of my sidewalk in front of my house was replaced by Brentwood. When I lived in Webster, if I wanted my sidewalk replaced, I had to pay for it myself. I know there is a lot of people posting about how bad this city is, but it is better than the surounding communities. Mary and Mr Completely, why can’t you see this? I am one of those bluehairs mr completely complains about and I don’t appreciate his disrespect.
I have lived here all my life. 55 now. I do not want to live anywhere else. do we have some minor problems. sure, but the good outweighs the bad big time. those that complain all the time should move. see if they can find somewhere better I doubt it.
I couldn’t agree more Tom, things are so much cheaper and better here than in Webster. People like mr completelty just don’t care about anything, they just want to tear everything down. How sad must his life be that he can’t see anything good, but feels the need to complain about everything. If I thought it was so bad here, I wouldn’t stay. signed your local Blue Hair!
If the City of Brentwood found a cure for cancer for all Brentwood residents and presented a bill to put this into ordinance, Mr. Completely and Mary would take to this website to complain how this is all the Mayor’s agenda. The Three Stooges (Saunders, Manestar, Harper) would vote against the Bill because curing cancer for all Brentwood residents would bring change. Karen Smith would want to know how the BOA has the authority to use tax payer funds to cure cancer. The Pozzo’s would demand the City file a claim to recoup all funds used to find this cure. Finally, Denise Sebbings would complain the this new cure was making too much noise and want another sound study done.
Ha! Not to worry, if the CofB found a cure for cancer they would only share with Catholic persons of substance, real estate developers, attorneys, bankers and bluer hairs, in a closed session with no minutes. The rest of us would suffer a slow painful death while enjoying free trash service and sidewalk replacement.
It’s blatantly clear the people posting comments about Kellys statement refuse to listen to the facts. People who were at the meeting, even the person who wrote this story have said the comment was taken out of context. But these posters above are so driven by hate they don’t even hear the facts! Beware Brentwood residents, these are the radicals that will kill Brentwood. They can’t see the good in Brentwood, all they can do is tear it down. God help us all!!!!
God help us all? That’s really funny. Yea God is sitting around (where ever God sits) worrying about Brentwood Missouri, you, me and the Mayor? Ok…..
I believe God does care about the details of everyone’s life as a matter of faith. I also believe pat started ‘acting out’ after all his plans for BHGH failed. this was a bitter loss for him personally, despite the neighbors most affected saw the dorm as uncharacteristic building in the residential area. Brentwood is a lovely town, and pat’s moves, one after another seem to assault that. I will be glad when he returns to being pat the regular citizen—not the mayor. Brentwood citizens deserve to be listened to–and that is not on his agenda. God BLESS us all. Thanks for your post Mr. Completely.
Kelly’s “I don’t care” comment was not taken out of context. I did move it and the related sentences before it higher up in the article so as not to “bury the lead.” Maybe what he meant by that could be interpreted in different ways, but he said it in the context as it’s written here.
Doug, under this mayor, we are a damaged divided city. I have no doubt that pat does not care–and no I don’t hate him. I do believe he is angry because BHGH went down–and that was his crowning jewel. And I do believe he has lost his judgment and desire to listen to the people. When any person of power loses heart, they often fight back by making penalizing and wrong decisions. I think that is where pat is. I believe your posting to be accurate in reflecting the truth of pat’s mood. I don’t personally dislike him, but will be VERY glad when his term is finally up. We can get someone who listens and responds to the people. Thanks for a good job, Doug. You provide a real service.
cc – So how was the “I don’t care” comment taken out of context? Since you were there and apparently heard it first hand, explain what was said exactly.
While i am not particularly a supporter of the mayor, in fairness, my interpretation of the mayor’s use of the phrase “I don’t care anymore” was related to specific issues such as BHGH and the dispatch center.
These issues had been fully discussed and had either been decided by the Board of Alderman or were in the hands of the Board of Alderman to be decided.
I did not see it as a generic reference that he does not care about the city or it’s citizens.
Coffee with the mayor is designed to pander to the blue hair voters who follow their leader. Complete waste of time. Back in the day we had happy hour with Mr. Completely at Nick Carters now that was productive.
Pat, just go. You are the least necessary person at City Hall. We could begin to heal with you gone.
I attended this meeting and the mayor’s comments are being taken out of context.
A citizen asked if the mayor could explain the history of moving to 4 year terms and what it would take to return to 2 year terms.
The mayor in his explanation shared the Board of Alderman are to be the checks and balances to the mayor’s position.
On the 2010 ballot CITIZENS VOTED to extended both the mayor’s and the alderman’s terms from 2 to 4 years.
He went on to say because of the way state legislature is written the BOA have the power to vote to return the mayor’s position back to 2 years while retaining their own seats for 4 years.
Therefore theoretically, The Board of Alderman can vote to reduce the mayoral term when it was the CITIZENS who voted to extend all terms. It was in this context he said he would veto should the board vote to reduce the mayoral term.
That seems only FAIR to me.
This past Board of Alderman meeting 3/3/14 he spoke to this issue and requested the city’s attorney draft an ordinance to have the Board approve returning to the CITIZENS the VOTE to return the mayor’s position and the BOA positions to 2 years.
Attend the mayor’s monthly coffee, ask your own questions and listen to his answers first hand.
Disgraceful, Mayor Kelly. Just absolute disgraceful.
Pat Kelly’s total disregard to his constituents has never been more blatantly clear than saying if the BOA voted to cut his term he’d just veto it right after he said the checks and balances is the BOA! When he said in the same meeting he just doesn’t care then why doesn’t he just resign! It is a very sad day when the Mayor of a city says he just doesn’t care! I took that to mean he doesn’t care what the citizens of our town think. This is the most rediculous thing I have seen him say in the last 3 years and that’s saying something. Since you don’t care, resign!
I couldn’t agree more. He only has his interest in mind not the citizens or the other BOA.
The – i don’t care – comment was taken out of context as well I attend meetings and this site’s Brentwood articles seemed quite unbalanced and slanted. Perhaps that gets more readers but, to me it only serves do deepen Brentwood’s wounds fanning mistrust and animosity.
Attend the coffees share your thoughts and concerns directly.