St. Louis County’s Democratic and Republican central committees have chosen their nominees for the Aug. 5 special election to fill the vacant seat on the County Council created by the death of Kathleen Burkett.
The Democratic nominee for the 2nd District post is a familiar one: Dr. Sam Page of Creve Coeur, a physician and former state representative who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2008. He lost to incumbent Republican Peter Kinder.
The Republican nominee is Robert Saettele, a city councilman in Bridgeton who also is a businessman. According to his biography on the city’s website, he is co-owner of Satellite Outdoor Services, Inc. and an instructor at St. Louis Community College at Meramec.
Leaders of both county political operations chose their council nominees on Saturday. The council is in the process of officially setting the special-election date as Aug. 5, the same day as the statewide primaries.
The victor will serve out the remainder of Burkett's term, which runs through 2016. Burkett, a longstanding Democratic activist, died in April.
County GOP chairman Bruce Buwalda acknowledges that his camp faces a challenge, since the 2nd District is considered Democratic leaning. But Buwalda said Sunday that Saettele should be considered a strong contender, particularly given his service on the Bridgeton council.
With Page as the Democratic rival, said Buwalda, "It will be a fun election. We're looking forward to it."
Page, meanwhile, said in an email that he’s happy to get back into politics. “This is a unique opportunity to serve my community and stay close to my family,” he said. “I started out on the City Council in Creve Coeur 15 years ago. Local government has a huge impact on our quality of life and opportunities for our kids.”
