David A. Dimmitt has announced his candidacy for Brentwood’s Ward 1 Alderman. The election is April 5. He is running against the incumbent, Maureen Saunders. The following is based on information from the press release announcing his candidacy.

Resident since 2001

David and his wife Jackie moved from St. Louis County to their current residence, 9104 Pine Ave., in 2001. She is an attorney at Thompson Coburn LLP. They have two children: Nick, a sophomore at SLUH and Zoe, a sixth grader at Immacolata, where David and Jackie have been parishioners since 2001.

David is a 1989 graduate of Washington University School of Law. He has been in private practice as a trial attorney at Witzel, Kanzler & Dimmitt LLC for 26 years. He first came to Brentwood in 1991 when his law office moved from downtown St. Louis to 2107 S. Brentwood Blvd. In order to make way for redevelopment of the corner of Pine and Brentwood Blvd., he moved his office to its current location at 2001 S. Big Bend Blvd. in Maplewood.

Planning and Zoning Board member

Dimmitt has served as a commissioner on Brentwood’s Planning and Zoning Board since 2006. In that time he helped shape commercial redevelopment in Brentwood including:
• Hanley Station, Houlihan’s and Springhill Suites
• Fontbonne University
• Brentwood School District HQ and early Childhood Development Center relocation
• Westlake ACE Hardware, Arby’s and OfficeDepot
• Brentwood Promenade expansion
• Drury Inn and Bonefish Grill

Dimmitt helped to update Brentwood’s sign code and ordinances related to the Federal Flood Insurance Program. He is also involved in updating Brentwood’s Comprehensive Plan, a master plan designed to be used by Planning and Zoning, developers, and the Board of Aldermen as they consider redevelopment options for the City.

During his more than 10 years on the commission, the last two as vice chairman, he has attended over 90 of the 100 meetings. He believes that this level of commitment, as well as the experience gained over those 10-plus years, will be very beneficial to the next Ward 1 Alderman.

Encouraged by Brentwood’s growth

Since 1991, Dimmitt has witnessed firsthand the growth and change to Brentwood.

“Presently, almost one half of the City’s $25 million revenue comes from sales tax,” he said. “Brentwood is the third best city in Missouri for starting a small business and the second best place to buy a house in Missouri.”

Missouri’s Department of Education rated the Brentwood School District as number 1 in the St. Louis area in its Annual Performance Report. Dimmitt believes “Brentwood is now a real player in St. Louis County and, as such, it is more important than ever this City have high quality employees to continue the growth and manage the day-to-day affairs of the City. Recently, though, the City lost some very valuable employees and are at risk of losing more. It’s vital that we foster an environment to retain these employees.”

Brentwood in competitive market

He believes another change is the emergence of other communities like Maplewood and Rock Hill as competitors to Brentwood.

“We cannot afford to lose ground in this highly competitive market to other municipalities,” Dimmitt said. “Businesses have even more choices now when deciding where to locate. The Board needs to work together if we are going to successfully compete for these businesses.”

‘An alderman who will listen’

Dimmitt believes that Ward 1 deserves an alderman who will listen to the residents. He believes his experience as an attorney representing clients will serve him in this capacity, stating, “An alderman should be able to advocate for his constituents in a professional manner.”

Beginning in January, Dimmitt will hold a number of open houses to explain his vision for the City. He said he looks forward to meeting with the Ward 1 voters to discuss this vision and to hear their concerns.