5 questions with Republican caucus candidate Steven Peters

1. What made you want to run?

I have been a member of this exceptional community for the past 20 years and preceding that–have had a connection with the village my entire life. What made me want to run? I want to continue to serve this community to the best of my abilities and advocate for the people who call our great village home. I believe I can be part of a great leadership team to continue to push St. Joseph forward and bring new views to the table, while embracing our small town, close-knit community charm.

2. What are the major challenges you believe are facing the village?

a. Growth; What I mean by this is we seem to be short on building space, but still want to make this community stronger—which requires growth. We need to maximize our current space and attract developers who are ready to invest in our community, We seem to have some community property available, and how can we attract some different businesses we currently don’t have. b. Financial Stewardship; I believe the current village board has appropriated money very well, but how can we make sure we are maximizing each dollar available to us? Are there grant programs available? Are our current programs financially feasible for our village? I have experience in applying for grant funding and would like to dig deeper into grant funds that may be available to our village.

3. What would be your four year goal for the village?

As mentioned above, my four-year goal would be to promote growth and sustainability. I would like to see new businesses come to our town and see a feasibility study on maximizing the downtown business district. Including addressing the lack of access to parking. We have great properties downtown and I would love to see them full of new small businesses we can support as a community

4. What should people know about you?

I am here to serve the people of the Village of St. Joseph. I have loved this town my whole life and there is nowhere else I would rather raise my children. There will most definitely be tough times if I am fortunate to be elected to the position, but I will always have the village interest first. Being a part of the growth and future of Saint Joseph is in my blood. My grandfather, Ray Gene Peters, was a past mayor of St. Joseph. I have always admired him from an early age and wanted to follow in his footsteps of being a public servant to his community. My father, Mike Peters, is the Public Works Director and I have had the honor of watching him serve the community for my entire life.

One of my greatest inspirations in life is my friend and mentor, the late Russell Chism who was a past St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District Chief. He embodied the idea of servant leadership. People who had the honor of knowing him knew, “If you have a problem, call Rusty.” And I always admired that about him. When I think about being a leader in this community, I strive to be more like him. And I believe the village as a whole would benefit from leaders who contend for their constituents. I cannot think of a better way to be a part of the progress and protection of our village or to be more like these men who have impacted me so greatly—than to run for a Village board seat.

5. How would your previous experiences benefit the board?

Currently I am an appointed member of the Village Planning and Zoning Commission. I have leadership experience including with the Saint Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District as a Lieutenant. I work with other government agencies during my workday as an EMS System Coordinator. I work with various fire departments and boards to make sure their fire department/ambulance service is operating at their highest level. Most importantly, I am a father, husband, son, and friend in the Saint Joseph Community. Seeing our community function at its highest ability is all I can ask for. Being an elected board member will give me an opportunity to understand the obstacles our community is facing at an in-depth level and allow me to be your advocate for the greatest needs we are currently facing.