To the Editor:

Kevin Schartner has earned my respect, friendship, and vote for the next St. Louis County Councilman of District 6.

I first met Kevin in 2015 when he served as a volunteer for the Mehlville School District.

Since that time, I have witnessed Kevin continue to act as a leader for our community, working relentlessly to improve school safety, bringing transparency to financial management, improving infrastructure, and increasing expectations around student achievement.

His leadership in the Mehlville School District is one of the reasons our community has become a destination for families who seek to participate in public education.

The St. Louis County Council needs this type of leadership. Right now, the council lacks coherence and momentum. I believe Kevin could make the same type of positive impact across St. Louis County he was able to make while serving as president of the Mehlville School District Board of Education. We need someone like Kevin who can leverage the lessons learned from leading a large system such as Mehlville School District to help the St. Louis County government.

Kevin’s leadership and ethics, his ability to connect with a community that he understands, and commitment to improving systems is exactly what the St. Louis County Council needs.

Chad Dickemper
Oakville

Editor’s note: Dickemper is an administrator with the Mehlville School District. This opinion is written by him in his personal capacity as a resident and voter, not as a representative of the school district.