Dooley Clinches Victory in Tight County Executive Race

Although Charlie Dooley trailed challenger Bill Corrigan most of the night, north St. Louis County precinct results pushed Dooley ahead.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS — The mood switched from somber to jubilant in a second after John J. Temporiti took the podium.   The treasurer for Democrat Charlie Dooley's campaign for St. Louis County Executive announced that, with 34 precincts left to report, Dooley had edged ahead of Republican challenger Bill Corrigan. Even better news for supporters—those 34 precincts left were in north St. Louis County, a stronghold for the Dooley campaign.   Applause and cheers erupted. Campaign signs were passed out. It was as if someone had injected life back into the banquet room at the Sheraton Westport in Maryland Heights.   Dooley had trailed Corrigan all night.   "Usually the absentee ballots indicate what the results will be, so when it came back that …

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Final Local Election Results

Maplewood-Brentwood Patch will bring you updated results as we hear them.

Here are the final election results for the local races in Brentwood and Maplewood, reported by the St. Louis County Board of Elections Commissioners. Last updated: 1:34 a.m.

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Corrigan Appears Solo at Candidates Forum

The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce hosts a candidate's forum for Republican Bill Corrigan despite Democratic incumbent Charlie Dooley's absence.

Republican Bill Corrigan used his solo appearance at a candidates forum on Thursday afternoon to bash his opponent in the race for the St. Louis County executive office, incumbent County Executive Charlie Dooley, a Democrat. "We've had a lack of leadership for four years," Corrigan said. "This region is in decline. We are fully behind. Perhaps that's why he is not here today." Dooley's campaign secretary Katy Jamboretz said after the forum by phone that the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, who hosted the event, failed to confirm the date with her in early October. "The calls were unreturned," Jamboretz said. "We've had eight other forums and there was no problem." Chamber members were surprised to learn Tuesday afternoon that Dooley wouldn't…

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Corrigan Challenges Dooley for County Executive Seat

Two St. Louis County natives are squaring off for the County Executive position.

Republican candidate Bill Corrigan is challenging Democratic incumbent Charlie Dooley in a race for the St. Louis County Executive. Dooley has held the position since 2003. Bill Corrigan Corrigan, a lifelong resident of St. Louis County, is running on a campaign to create jobs and address accused corruption in the government. "I have presented an ethics reform plan to stop the corruption in the county government and return the government to the people," Corrigan said. Background Corrigan is a partner at Clayton-based law firm Armstrong Teasdale with Rep. John Diehl (R-Town and Country). Corrigan calls himself a "citizen candidate" who wants to use his position lead the community. "I believe citizens are tired of career politicians who …

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Eye on Business

Stay Skeptical of Promises to Lower Property Taxes

Politicians may promise to lower taxes, but many economic factors contribute to these rates.

Every election season, local candidates seem to promise a lot of things. Advocating strong family values, promoting more job opportunities, helping the growth of small businesses, and, everyone's favorite, lowering taxes. The topic of property taxes is being used in the political arsenal of this year's candidates for St. Louis County executive, but Missouri residents have paid the same amount in property taxes—as a percent of their income—since 1978, according to a report from the Missouri Budget Project. Despite this tax trend, many are distressed over the burden of property taxes. The debate has reached the point where voters will be asked on Nov. 2 to decide on amending the state's constitution in order to elect the county assessor. …

Editor's Notebook

Week in Review: Taxes, Sustainability Commission and Big Projects

This weekly news round-up examines the week of Oct. 10 to 16.

We stayed busy during Maplewood-Brentwood Patch's inaugural week, bringing you the latest on governmental projects, sports games and local events.

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Corrigan, Dooley Trade Blows in Brentwood Debate

The two county executive candidates talked about jobs and economic growth in a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters of St. Louis.

St. Louis County executive candidates on Thursday traded personal attacks about their respective plans while addressing questions about economic growth, discussion of a county-city merger and the use of tax-increment financing. Democratic incumbent Charlie Dooley repeatedly emphasized what he characterized as a history of successes during his tenure, such as the county's AAA rating and the accreditation of its police department. Republican challenger Bill Corrigan countered that Dooley has exhibited a lack of leadership, and he argued that his proposals for tax reform and ethics guidelines would represent a new day in the county. The libertarian candidate in the race, Theo Brown Sr., did not attend Thursday's debate. A representative for …

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