By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph has a new city councilmember representing the southside.
Jason Eslinger has been selected to fill the District II council seat following the resignation of Taylor Crouse due to moving out of the district.
Eslinger's interest in joining the city council isn't new. He ran six years ago for the District II seat, against former councilmember PJ Kovac.
"Came up a little bit short, so when this opportunity came up I thought well my kids are a little bit older, have a little extra time, and I've been part of the south and southside for most of my life and if I can give back and make southside and the city a better place, that's what I'm gonna do," Eslinger tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Eslinger says his hope is he can help address some of the blight he's heard people say affects the city.
"I have people that come visit from out of town and they're like it's a nice city, nice town, but there's a lot of things that need fixed and that's houses, businesses, buildings, roads, all of the above," Eslinger explains. "So hopefully we can work together with the county and the city and then everybody else and make this a better place."
Eslinger says as quickly as things came together Thursday, with being interviewed and being chosen for the seat, he has not even considered if he wants to run again.
"I'm sure if everything goes well and we're making some progress I will definitely run again, but that's to be determined in two years," Eslinger says.
Eslinger will be sworn in during a special session tomorrow. Once sworn in he will fill the final two years of Crouse's term.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.