By: Ernie Wren

When Alderman Dorise Slinker ran for Mayor in the April 2022 election, he ran on a platform of: budgetary control, infrastructure improvements such as roads, and transparency. After winning the election he immediately followed through on one aspect of his campaign promises, transparency. In part of his social media post he stated, “With my transition from Alderman for Ward 3 to Mayor I will be leaving a vacancy on the Board that will need to be filled. I am fully committed to transparency in this process and as such I would like to take a different approach to filling this vacancy. If you reside within Ward 3 and are interested in serving your community and ward as an Alderman, please submit a one-page letter to myself and our City Administrator at dslinker@ashlandmo.us and kmichel@ashlandmo.us no later than April 29th, 2022.”.

Mayor Slinker has stated that his commitment to the citizens of Ashland is to make decisions and appointments based on what is best for the community, and not necessarily who-knows-who. He is also committed to having a working relationship with City Administrator Kyle Michel, one that is based on respect, engagement, and open communication. So when he received six requests from local individuals to be considered for appointment to the Ward Three vacancy, he partnered with Kyle in interviewing and making the final decision. Their selection of David Wilson (a relatively unknown individual in city government and activities) was based on in large part on his years of serving the community in law enforcement, and his experience as a small business owner. Both are bits of experiences that will help round out the diversity of perspectives with this city council.

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal