By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A newly elected city councilmember who had an easy path to his seat is seeking to help beautify the city and increase workforce in St. Joseph.
District three councilmember Andrew Trout ran uncontested in the election in April.
Trout says he ran for the councilmember seat because like many in his district, he knew it was time for change.
"Everybody knew how much I loved the city and how much I was disappointed in the downward turn of the city over the decades," Trout tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "So, I thought well why not, I got to meet some people who knew how to do that and hopefully listened appropriately to what they tried to teach me."
Trout says one of his biggest goals on the council as he looks at the city is to try to bring back people's pride in where they live.
"People don't have, in my estimation, the views that we used to have of St. Joe, this was a beautiful city it was well maintained, it was manicured, people took care of their homes," Trout says. "And you know now, I drive down the road and I see people parking in front yards and un-mowed lawns and unkempt houses, and that disgruntles me to a point."
Trout also has a big focus on increasing workforce development in the city, including educational opportunities for workers in more fields than are currently offered in St. Joseph.
Trout says that the current workforce development strategy in St. Joseph is a nice start, but he thinks there is more that can be done.
"We've got to make ourselves appear, meaning visually, attractive to new people coming in, we've got to make ourselves economically look good to businesses wanting to move into the area," Trout explains. "We've also got to grow the educational base in St. Joseph."