Adam Paul became mayor of Ellisville in April 2012, in June 2013, and then again in July 2013. The bright young leader is clearly not afraid of a challenge and during his first run for public office, he took on the big dog. Mayor Paul described the platform of his mayoral race as “NO WALMART.” The simple message of growing the economy without the commercial giant and instead using the property to develop local business was one that rang true for his constituents. Mayor Paul won his race with overwhelming support, but little did he and his family know what would be coming next.
Adam Paul grew up in central Illinois, the youngest of 11 children. After college, he moved to Chicago and found a job where he stayed for 8 years. “It was kind of hard because I lived a mile from Wrigley field and I was a Cardinals fan because my parents were from St Louis.” Paul met his wife Dominque when he was working in Chicago. She was a student athlete and Paul jokes that, “she’s the athlete and I’m the mathlete.” Dominque is a property appraiser and spends her flexible free time with their two children, a five year old boy and a four year old girl.
Paul moved to Ellisville, Missouri with his family and immediately loved the atmosphere and convenience of living there. “I loved getting back to my Midwestern roots. When I was in Chicago, I was the guy who was saying hello to everyone walking down the sidewalk, and after living there, you’re the guy who doesn’t say hello back.”
After living in Chicago, a city with what he described as corrupt and abusive of TIFs, he was shocked that any area in west St Louis County could be considered blighted. He learned of the Walmart that was planning to come to Ellisville seeking TIF funding and knew it wasn’t right for his new city. He believed the space being eyed by Walmart would serve the city better in its present state as housing for students and adults on fixed income. It was then that he decided to run for mayor. He won in a four way race with about half the vote. “I spent $500 in
the race and I’ve talked to mayors who have spent $20,000.” For Paul, that was the mandate he needed. In April 2012, he became mayor.
From the day he announced that he was running, Walmart launched a PR campaign to get him out. In April 2013, the Ellisville City Council voted to impeach Mayor Paul, on
what he believed were charges brought about by Walmart interests. In June, he was temporarily reinstated by a judge and then in July, was fully reinstated.
Since his reinstatement, Mayor Paul has been working hard to ensure the future of his city. “I wish that it were three months from now so we could see the progress.”
Paul has prioritized the vacancies on Manchester Road and other parts of Ellisville. Paul’s supporters will certainly not be disappointed and will soon see the progress. Long vacant buildings will soon be filled and medians repaired. “The ship has turned,” Paul said, and Ellisville continues to make progress. In addition to the impressive list of new developments, Paul has created new organizations within the city government to keep the progress rolling. Ellisville has a new economic development plan, a new assistant city manager, increased transparency, and is working to create incentives for new development. Mayor Paul has also created a voice for business owners in the area by creating a business community committee, which he believes will help make Ellisville a prime location for new development. “The city’s job is creating a soft landing pad,” said Paul, and his new structure is meant to facilitate that.
Public service is a family value for the Pauls. His wife, Dominque, is running for Rockwood School Board on April 8th. Mayor Paul is focused on continuing his progress in the area and looks to continue his work through the St. Louis County Council.
Only those who have never spoken to Adam Paul would think that he would be done for after April 2013. The Pauls are a family driven by service and you can tell by Adam’s voice that nothing is going to slow him down when it comes to pushing his constituents and his city to be the best it can be. If you weren’t on eam Paul yet, you should be now.
