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VOTE411 Voter Guide

St. Charles County Council, District 7

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  • Candidate picture

    Tim Baker
    (Rep)

  • Candidate picture

    Monica Balestreri
    (Dem)

  • Candidate picture

    James Ploudré
    (Rep)

Biographical Information

What are your top three priorities?

Why are you qualified to serve in this office?

Age 58
Public elected offices held County Council, St. Charles County, District 7, 2022-present
Highest post-secondary educ BSCE, University of Missouri-Columbia, civil engineering
Incumbent? Yes
Occupation Engineer, retired
1) Add a sidewalk along Upper Bottom Road. 2) Address storm sewer problems in St. Charles County. 3) Smart growth.
My experience as a civil engineer (36 years) and serving as public works director of St. Charles gives me knowledge of issues impacting St. Charles County, i.e., stormwater issues, traffic calming, etc.
Campaign Website http://monicabalestreri.com
Age 48
Highest post-secondary educ M.S., University of Cincinnati, criminal justice
Occupation Solution engineer
Smart, planned growth: infrastructure must be in place before new development is approved. Fiscal accountability: transparent budgets and responsible use of public funds. Government transparency: decisions made in the open with real community input before votes are cast. District 7 deserves a council member who leads with data, not politics.
I've spent over 15 years at the intersection of government, public safety and data including at St. Charles city police as a crime and GIS analyst and St. Charles County emergency communications supporting 911. I hold a GISP certification and help agencies make smarter infrastructure decisions. I understand why data integrity, accountability and transparency matter.
Campaign Website http://ploudre.com
Age 57
Highest post-secondary educ A.S., St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley, general STEM transfer studies
Occupation Retired
Return power to taxpayers. 1) Growth: Stop sprawl. Block development unless it mirrors existing areas and infrastructure supports it before approval. 2) Conditional use permit reform: Stop loopholes forcing unwanted projects into neighborhoods and establish a follow-up review system. 3) Oversight: Citizen review for tech usage and guardrails on responders/county agencies.
I am an IT systems and security expert uniquely qualified to lead citizen oversight of county infrastructure and technology usage. As a half-century resident who deeply cares for my neighbors, I bring corporate budgeting and problem-solving skills to the council. I am dedicated to ending pay-to-play politics, protecting property values and ensuring fair, equal governance.