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Patrick Toohey

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Newcomers Saunders, Manestar, Toohey Elected Brentwood Aldermen

Ward 3 incumbent Andy Leahy also won re-election in an uncontested race.

In the first election since the string of controversies that rocked Brentwood in 2011, three newcomers are set to join the city's Board of Aldermen. Maureen Saunders (Ward 1), Cindy Manestar (Ward 2) and Patrick Toohey (Ward 4) all won seats on the board during Tuesday's municipal election. Andy Leahy, an incumbent in Ward 3, won an uncontested re-election bid. Each candidate was elected to a four-year term. (Get real-time updates about Brentwood City Hall and other news on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MaplewoodBrentwoodPatch) Saunders, who won with 66 percent of the votes cast in her ward, entered the public eye following two stories of financial mismanagement at city hall: former city administrator Chris Seemayer's theft of city …

Elections 2012: Slow Morning at the Polls in Brentwood Wards 1 and 4

One Brentwood aldermanic candidate called the low turnout disappointing.

Just after 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jim Bischoff and Maureen Saunders shared a bench outside Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Brentwood, the polling place for Brentwood’s Ward 1. Voters started arriving as the sun rose, but not at a great pace. Ninety-five had voted by 9:30. Though Bischoff and Saunders said they were there for the day, family and supporters kept them going with trips to Subway and St. Louis Bread Co. While the candidates admitted that election day is long, they said they're happy it's finally here. “I’m glad it’s over, I think that’s the general consensus,” Bischoff said. The night before, Saunders had similar comments. “I don’t like the ugliness,” she said. Saunders said she was a little anxious about the election, which she …

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Doug Miner

8:34 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Watch Maplewood-Brentwood Patch Facebook for election updates tonight!   more ›

April 3 Election Voters' Guide

On April 3, all voters will decide on a St. Louis County proposition. Voters in two Brentwood wards will have contested races: Ward 1 and Ward 4.

  Here's a rundown of all running for seats on the Brentwood board of aldermen. Ward 1: James Bischoff and Maureen Saunders Ward 2: Cindy Manestar (unopposed) Ward 3: Andy Leahy (unopposed) Ward 4:  Gary S. Bierman, Lorraine Krewson and Patrick Toohey Where can I vote? On Tuesday, April 3, polling places will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Find your polling place by inputting your address or check out the PDF attached to the guide.   Ballot Measures  Proposition S: St. Louis County voters will be asked to approve a $100 million bond issue to fund construction on both county court buildings. Most of the bond—$85 million—would be used to construct a new Family Court building next to the circuit court. The remaining $15 million would fund …

Friday, March 23, 2012

Brentwood Candidates' Voting Records: From Spotless to Spotty

Missouri's 'Sunshine' law makes records of public governmental bodies open for inspection. Patch requested the voting records of all candidates for the Brentwood Board of Aldermen, and looked specifically at how often they voted in municipal elections.

Ward 4 aldermanic candidate Patrick Toohey last voted in a municipal election in 1999. Since then, Lorraine Krewson, also a Ward 4 candidate, voted in ten municipal elections. Among the seven Brentwood aldermanic candidates, Krewson gets the gold star for being a regular voter in municipal elections. She registered to vote in 1960, and since 1999, has missed only two municipal elections; in 2001 and ’03. Toohey registered in 1994, and since then, in municipal elections, voted only in 1999. Neither Krewson or Toohey returned messages Patch left for a comment. Gary S. Bierman, also a Ward 4 candidate, registered in 2007, and voted in the 2010 and '11 elections. He said he was a Brentwood alderman in the 1980s, then lived in the city of St. …

Patrick Toohey

9:24 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012

It is true I only voted once from 1994 until now. However from Fall 1994 to Spring 1995 I was a senior in high school. I spent the next four years in college. In 1999 I graduated college and began working as a 20 something professional constantly evolving and taking on greater responsibilities in life. During those discovery years of my life I didn't vote in local elections. Now in my mid 30's I …   more ›

Four For Four, Krewson Runs For Ward 4 Alderwoman

She may be temporarily under the weather, but Brentwood aldermanic incumbent Lorraine Krewson has more work to do for the city.

Lorraine Krewson has unfinished business with the Brentwood Board of Aldermen. That’s why the 81-year-old Ward 4 alderwoman is seeking her fourth term. Unfortunately, Krewson declined Patch's requests for an interview. She has not been feeling well lately. “It’s not a good time to be sick,” she said in a brief telephone conversation. “Not that there is any really good time to be sick.” So Patch did some research on Krewson and identified some of her recent votes that Ward 4 residents might want to know about. We also talked with two peers. Krewson has been an alderwoman since 2004 and currently serves on the Brentwood Public Safety Committee, the Ways and Means Committee and the Human Relations Commission. She is also the liaison between …

Tenacious

10:32 am on Sunday, April 1, 2012

Lorraine Krewson is a very strong, knowledgeable citizen. She is focused on the issues in the city both business and residential. She has so much to offer because of the vast experience that she brings to the table. Due to her background as a city clerk, she is able to advise the new city administrator when proper procedures are not being followed. She understands the needs of and the issues …   more ›

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Bierman Seeks To Restore Financial Oversight As Brentwood Aldermanic Candidate

Semi-retired builder Gary S. Biermann believes that his 50+ years of experience in the construction business will benefit Brentwood and Ward 4.

  In the following days, Patch will provide profiles of candidates for the Brentwood Board of Aldermen in the April 3 election. Gary S. Bierman is running for Ward 4. One of the memorable traits about Brentwood aldermanic candidate Gary S. Bierman is his manner of speaking. He pauses several seconds before responding to questions, carefully weighing the significance of each word before he says it. He’s that reflective; kind of like a retired philosophy professor.  And he looks like one too–bearded, balding and a bit portly. “I try to get the right phrasing,” said Bierman, who wants to become the next Ward 4 alderman. “I consider myself a better writer because I can edit.” For a year, Bierman wrote a column in the Brentwood Forest …

Monday, March 19, 2012

Patrick Toohey is Back in Ward 4 Race

He said he'll let his qualifications as a CPA and his work as manager on the Brentwood Forest Board speak for his campaign.

Patrick Toohey said he never had the chance to officially withdrawal from Brentwood's Ward 4 aldermanic race after he told Patch of his decision to pull out, due to work obligations. "In the mean time, word spread that I was dropping out of the election," he said in a March 18 e-mail to Patch, "partially because of the article Patch wrote and partially because of conversations I had with those in the community about dropping out." He said individuals in the community urged him to reconsider, and he did. "I am going to remain on the ballot but I am just not going to actively campaign. I will let my qualifications as a CPA (do not confuse this with the CFA, I am a CPA and currently working towards the CFA exam) and the work I do on the …

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A Candidate Drops From Brentwood's Ward 4 Race

Gary Bierman and incumbent, Lorraine Krewson are the two remaining.

Brentwood Ward 4 candidate Patrick Toohey has dropped out of the race. He said he doesn’t have the time to run. “Due to time constraints of work, studying for the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) exam and being on the Brentwood Forest Board I do not have the time to run a campaign,” he stated in an email to Patch. Toohey is a board manager of Brentwood Forest Condominiums. That leaves Gary S. Bierman and incumbent, Lorraine Krewson running for the open seat in the ward. Tom Kramer is the other alderman; his term expires April 2015. On the phone, Krewson had little to say about Toohey’s decision. No comment "off the top of my head,” she said. “It'll be an interesting race. I wonder if Gary will drop out of the race.” Krewson has declined …

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Doug Miner

5:42 pm on Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A quick update: Brentwood City Administrator Bola Akande said, as of late this afternoon, that Toohey hasn't officially dropped out of the race, in spite of the email he sent yesterday to Patch.   more ›

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Editor's Notebook

Elections 2012: What Are Your Questions For Brentwood Candidates?

We're scheduling interviews for aldermanic candidates in Brentwood. What should we ask them?

The April 3 election is less than a month away, and we at Patch have started scheduling interviews with each aldermanic candidate in Brentwood. We plan to replicate our elections coverage from last year, when we profiled aldermanic and school board candidates in every contested race. Our profiles of Lee Wynn and Brandon Wegge are great examples of the work we completed. We believe it's important for voters to learn as much as possible about candidates before heading to the polls on April 3, and we're thankful that most candidates have welcomed us into their homes to meet their families and learn about their priorities. Now we want to hear from Brentwood residents: What questions do you have for the aldermanic candidates? Add your questions…

Philip Scherry

2:30 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012

How do they plan to work with neighboring municipalities to help lower everyone's costs, and also provide improved services?   more ›

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Charges Lead to Aldermanic Candidate's Removal From Brentwood Forest Board

Gary S. Bierman was removed from the board because of a conflict of interest, said Joan Smith, president of the Brentwood Forest Condominiums Board of Managers. Bierman said there's another side to the story.

Despite stating otherwise in its flier, the Brentwood Forest Condominiums Board of Managers did not allow unit owners attending Monday’s night’s meeting to vote for or against retaining Gary S. Bierman as a member of the oversight committee. Bierman, a candidate for Ward 4 alderman in April's municipal election, was removed as president and voted off the board of managers entirely on Jan. 16 after receiving "favored treatment and services under questionable services," charged Betty Connor, vice president of the board, during a prepared statement. Bierman accepted the decision that removed him as president, but he sought to retain a seat on the board until June, when his four-year term was scheduled to expire. It was denied, prompting …

Sue Auer

11:32 am on Friday, March 16, 2012

I have been a resident of Brentwood Forest for nearly 25 years which shows that I like it here. I was on the Board for 6 months in 2006 and left because of health problems. I attend the monthly Board meetings. I find Bierman's activities as Pres of the Board shocking, corrupt and disgusting. He voices NO "mea culpa"   more ›

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