Chesterfield Mayor Robert "Bob" Nation says he appreciates the firsthand perspective associated with witnessing four decades of progress from living in Chesterfield since 1980.
"The city's mission is to provide the four Ps: police protection, public works, parks and planning/zoning elements, and we believe we cover those areas for residents really well," explains the retired military and commercial pilot with a 27-year career in aviation. Since retiring, he served as a volunteer pilot for Chesterfield-based Wings of Hope.
He says the interdependent but separate roles of St. Louis County authorities, state and regional public health departments or public utility entities often are misunderstood when it comes to how the scope of initiatives or limitations affect Chesterfield's citizens. He adds that with the continued increase in operational expenses, labor, fuel, utilities, commodities and equipment, along with a shrinking labor market, Chesterfield sometimes struggles with maintaining exceptional levels of services based on static revenue resources.
Bob was first sworn in for a four-year mayoral term on April 17, 2013, and was re-elected to a second four-year term in April 2017. He started his third term in April 2021. Prior to becoming mayor, he was a city councilmember who served on a handful of the city's volunteer committees. Additionally, he's been a trustee for Wildhorse Subdivision, and the treasurer for Citizens for Responsible Growth.
"I'm really proud of the professional staff that Chesterfield has. They provide high-level facets of services, and sometimes it's easy to take for granted the really top-caliber level of support they ensure happens," says the mayor.
He reminds that Chesterfield is a municipality that primarily depends on retail sales tax, with no property taxes collected. "When people reference rising property tax annual rates, it's important to note that funding benefits local fire and school districts, not Chesterfield's operating budget at City Hall," he adds.
Bob says Chesterfield is a regional leader who needs and benefits from community engagement and interaction. "Along with the municipality's transparency, we also need residents to be consistently aware of governmental operations," he adds. "I feel we're fortunate to live in such a fine city as Chesterfield, and I'm very optimistic about our future. We may be going through some challenging times right now, but I think we can see down the road to what likely will become a good outcome."
bnation@chesterfield.mo.us
636.537.4711