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It’s been a long time since residents of Kimmswick have been called to the polls to decide the outcome of a municipal election.

In fact, you’d have to go back to April 2014, when the Ward 1 and Ward 2 seats on the city’s Board of Aldermen were being contested.

Curiously, the winners of those elections – Shirley Ising in Ward 1 and Philip D. Stang in Ward 2 – are squaring off in a contested mayoral race in the April 6 election.

Stang, the incumbent, is seeking his fourth two-year term as the city’s top dog. Ising resigned in the middle of her only term as Ward 1 representative.

The other contested race is for the Ward 2 aldermanic seat. Heather Rice, the incumbent, is seeking a new two-year term but faces a challenge by Gary Lee Ridings.

Neither Rice nor Ridings returned a Leader candidate questionnaire.

In Ward 1, Connie Schmitt faces no opposition for her sixth straight two-year term.

The mayoral position and members of the Board of Aldermen are not paid.

MAYOR

STANG, 74, is the retired owner of Out of My Mind Art Studio in Kimmswick and Naples, Fla. He was also the president of PD Stang and Associates management consulting, associate partner of IBM Consulting Group, principal of Gemini Consulting, vice president of Pro-Tech Inc. management consulting, vice president of purchasing management institute, director of operations at Seco Products-Hussman Corp., materials manager at ITT Blackburn, managing consultant at ITT Grinnell, and a planner at General Dynamics/Electric Boat. He and his wife, Dianne, have three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Bryant University and a chancellor’s certificate in planning and zoning from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2016. He also is a certified purchasing manager and is certified in production and inventory management.

ISING, 70, operates the Kindred Crows Olde Country store in Kimmswick, is a registered nurse and trauma nurse specialist and is a state-licensed real estate broker. She and her husband, Eugene, have three children and three grandchildren. She received an associate degree with a post-college certification in trauma nursing from St. Louis Community College at Forest Park in 1986.

What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?

Stang: In addition to my three terms as mayor and one year and eight months as Ward 2 aldermen, I am the state chair of the executive board of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, an organization of more than 100 mayors along the Mississippi River, am a member of Missouri Mayors United and the Missouri Municipal League. In Kimmswick, I am a member of the Anheuser Estate board, CERT and Kimmswick Historical Society Member and am a festival and Clean Streams volunteer.

Ising: I served a term as a Kimmswick alderman 2014, was president of the Student Nurse Association in 1986 and led the Campaign to Re-Elect Fred Heitert and Save the Blackpath Committee in the mid-1980s. I am a former member of the Kimmswick Historical Society, Friends of the Fletcher House and Duke of Gloucester in colonial Williamsburg.

What are the biggest problems facing the city and how would you address them?

Stang: Short-term financial stability and long-term financial and growth potential. With residents, merchants and organizations, I have managed the short-term financial issues. Liabilities from the 2019 flooding have been eliminated. Budgets have been cut or frozen and fundraisers and donation drives have been utilized. We are planning a spring festival.

In the long term, the first phase of the port will be completed in April. Federal and county funding projects are underway to move forward on a comprehensive plan, including our “Great Streets initiative. I continue to work with county, state and federal officials and organizations to fund our comprehensive plan.

Ising: Kimmswick has recently suffered financial devastation due to floods and lack of festival income due to COVID shutdowns. It would be a priority to reassess assets and expenditures of the city, with consideration to what is important for community growth in regard to the future.

What should the city do in light of the reduction of revenue caused by the cancellation of festivals caused by the pandemic?

Stang: Judicious management of our limited resources and aggressive planning for the future. I truly believe that the city will weather this short-term financial problem. The riverboats stopped coming, we survived. The railroad closed its station, we survived. The interstate highway system bypassed us, we survived. The Mississippi River tries to flood us, we survive. The pandemic tries to strangle our revenues, we survive. And we will have a Strawberry Festival this spring, and survive.

Ising: Reassess assets and expenditures, attract businesses and direct the board accordingly with regard to the community while maintaining the town’s unique mix of residents, merchants and tourism.

Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.

Stang: Because I care about the people, history and future of Kimmswick. I work tirelessly to improve our city and our lives. Specifically, I fought for and drove the Great Streets study and the development and adoption of a comprehensive plan for the future. I have championed for good, accountable government. I have marketed Kimmswick on every form of media; TV, radio and newspapers, etc. I am Kimmswick’s voice at the county, state and federal levels. I will continue to work to bring the river economy back through the port.

Ising: As a former alderman, town merchant and an area resident for more than 30 years, I have seen many changes and many floods. As a community, we can move forward together while maintaining transparency and accountability, as we work to get back on our feet and maintain Kimmswick’s rich history.