A long-time alderman has won one of the few contested mayor’s races in the rescheduled April election held Tuesday, June 2.
Tony Paolillo, 46, won a narrow victory over David Sharp, with Paolillo receiving 201 votes — 50 percent — to Sharp’s 198 votes — 49 percent. Two write-in ballots were also cast.
“I’m feeling great and grateful,” Paolillo said of his win.
Tony Paolllo
He was also pleased by the voter turnout in the rescheduled election and appreciated the campaign against Sharp, which contained no negative comments.
“David would have been a great mayor as well,” he said.
Originally from St. Joseph, Paolillo and his wife have lived in Platte City for 20 years and they consider it their hometown. They have been married for 22 years.
He was the store manager of a high-volume box store for seven years, managing more than 150 people.
Since 2003 he has owned and operated a deck and fence construction company.
“I have served Platte City as an alderman for 12 years, 11 of which I have been elected by the board of aldermen as board president/mayor pro tem,” Paolillo said during his campaign. “As well, I have been an appointed trustee and secretary to the Platte County Regional Sewer District and has been a shareholder and board member of the Platte County Fair Association.”
He is running for mayor to continue the growth of Platte City, concentrating on economic development while continuing to provide superior city services and keep his small town values in mind.
He believes he is a good choice for the position because he already has a good working relationship with the board of aldermen and senior city staff and the knowledge of Platte City’s future plans.
“My 12 years of service as alderman have given me experience and exceptional knowledge of how city government runs and operates,” Paolillo said.
As far as problems and issues facing the city now and in the future, the unknown economic impact of COVID-19 is the most challenging issue he sees in the near future.
”I have the experience of leading during an economic downturn that challenged the city in 2008-2009,” Paolillo said. “We were able to maintain excellent city services and still plan for the future needs without putting the burden on the taxpayers of Platte City.”
He said he will use his past experience prioritizing critical services to ensure residents are safe and provided the quality of services they expect.
His goals remain the same as when he was first elected to the board in 2008: to provide leadership, to encourage Platte City’s economic growth, to maintain the small town values and to continue to provide superior city services.
PLATTE CITY USE TAX
Local voters also narrowly approved a city use tax.
With 408 votes cast, the tax passed with 206 positive votes.
Platte City administrator DJ Gehrt has addressed the Platte City Board of Aldermen on the need for the tax since the city’s general fund has been trending downward in the last five years.
If the downward trend continued, providing services to community members, which they have come to count on, may be diminished, he said.
Use taxes are being adopted in towns and cities around the state to provide a way to keep funds from falling as more and more people shop online.
One of the purposes of the use tax is to protect local, in-state retailers against unfair competition from sellers out of state who aren’t required to collect tax.
The use tax also ensures that all of a state’s residents help to fund local and state programs and services no matter where they shop. People either pay the sales tax or the use tax, but not both.
The fund pays for the police department, city staff and parks and recreation.
Platte City’s general fund was $2,493,632 in 2015 and dropped to $2,343,254 in 2019.