Chris Thornton, a candidate for mayor of Brentwood, submitted his bio and a statement to 40 South News for publication. The municipal election is April 7. The statement and photo were submitted by Thornton. Go to thorntonformayor.org for more information about Thornton’s campaign.
Thornton will host meetings for residents to ask questions, voice concerns, or “just talk about their vision for the city” at the community center Feb. 27 and March 3, 5, 10, 11, 14 and 15; and at the library on March 7. See Chris Thornton Open Meeting Schedule for details.
From Thornton:
Chris Thornton has lived in Brentwood since 2007. He is an attorney licensed in Missouri and Illinois, specializing in intellectual property and working with small businesses. His wife, Pam has been a State Farm Agent in Brentwood since 1996. They have three children, Rowan (11), Ian (10) and Lexi (8). Ian and Lexi are students at McGrath elementary school. Rowan is a graduate of McGrath and now attends Sperring Middle School in the Lindbergh school district as part of the St. Louis Regional Program for Exceptionally Gifted Students (PEGS).
Chris is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law (J.D. 1996). He has a B.S. in Physics from the University of Missouri – Rolla and a Masters in Physics from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He has served on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis Chapter of the American Liver Foundation, been a Parent Representative for the Brentwood Gators swim team and served on the McGrath Field Day Planning Committee (PTO).
Chris is running for Mayor because he believes that Brentwood’s City government has become fractious and somewhat dysfunctional. As Mayor, Chris’ first priority will be to facilitate effective communication between the City’s elected representatives.
He will strive to establish and maintain a professional, respectful atmosphere in meetings and keep the focus on issues with a positive, city-wide impact. Chris will work with every member of the Board of Aldermen to help them effectively represent their constituents and use the influence of the Mayor’s office to help them work together to represent the citizens of Brentwood.
Chris believes that the most effective way to maintain trust between the government and the citizens it represents is transparency and accountability. The key to transparency is consistent, clear communication of the government’s actions and the reasons for those actions.
As Mayor, Chris will work with Brentwood’s staff to present the City’s financial information in a way that is easily understood, without specialized training, and readily available to anyone. He will encourage the City’s elected representatives to conduct as much of the City’s business as possible in open, public forums and ensure that clear, concise, information about the actions of the City government is consistently available to the citizens. Chris will strive to bring an atmosphere of openness to City Hall and do everything he can to promote the free flow of information between the Board of Alderman, City staff, standing committees and the citizens of Brentwood.
Chris believes that a sense of community and a shared vision for Brentwood’s future are essential to maximizing our opportunities and making the most effective use of the many resources Brentwood has been blessed with. Any effort to seriously improve the community whether commercial development, residential development, building new schools or improving our roads, is extremely complicated and presents a host of challenges.
Chris believes that overcoming those challenges is hard enough if we are working together and that it will be nearly impossible if we are not united in our approach. As Mayor, Chris will work hard to develop a shared vision for Brentwood’s future and then focus our City government’s efforts on making that vision a reality.
See also: 4 running for mayor of Brentwood, 6 for alderman, Patrick Toohey, Brentwood mayoral candidate, Mark Wilson running for mayor of Brentwood
Garanimals were born out of the concept that there is a positive connection between how children dress and how they feel about themselves. Looks like the Thornton family are well coordinated and have a positive connection.
Garanimals!