(This appeared in West Newsmagazine a few weeks ago...just prior to the new municipal elections.)
Scott Douglass, Clarkson Valley’s one and only mayor to date, is set to retire following the election of a new mayor this April.
His retirement will cap a 34-year career of service to the city.
“The only thing older than me is dirt!” he jokingly exclaimed. Born on July 6, 1930, in Columbia, Missouri, Douglass has lived in West County since 1983. “Clarkson Road was barely paved and was a two-lane road when we moved here.”
In 1989, Clarkson Valley went from village to fourth-class city and transitioned from government by a board of trustees to a mayor and aldermen. Douglass, who was chairman of the board, was voted in as mayor.
“When we went from village to city, we obviously had some ordinances that came from the village. So, we didn’t have to start from zero, but we started from (the) 10-yard line because we had to establish ordinances, who we were and why we were,” Douglass explained.
Clarkson Valley is a community of 2,609 people, according to 2020 census data. It borders Chesterfield, Ballwin, Ellisville and Wildwood. Within those borders are Marquette High, Crestview Middle, a Rockwood Early Childhood Education facility, Forest Hills Country Club, First Church of Christ Scientist, Mercy Clinic Family Medicine and the Masonic Temple Association of St. Louis.
The city also has 14 subdivisions, with residential properties that sit on at least one acre. According to city documents, each subdivisions has its own set of rules concerning landscaping, fencing, annual assessments, et cetera. Each subdivision also owns and maintains its own roads, sidewalks and retention ponds.
As to why Clarkson Valley was founded, it all comes down to one word: protection.
“I’m proud of our main focus, which has three areas: safety and protection of the individual, protection of property values, and protection of the environment,” Douglass said. “For protection of the individual, we had the Ballwin police, and now the Chesterfield police.
“For property, the city was organized on individual private, single-acre residential properties with no retail and no business, and we’ve maintained that. Obviously, we have a hospital on … Clarkson and Clayton. Come on, you don’t want a residential house there. So, that’s the reason we were able to negotiate putting the health center there, and a church and school down a little way.”
Douglass noted that in terms of environmental protections, the city pays for trash collection and “has sound ordinances.” It also has farmland “still in Clarkson Valley just north of Marquette High School.”
While the city does employ a city clerk, much of its work is handled by citizen volunteers.
“That’s one of the real advantages of a small city,” Douglass said. “People can get easily involved, and when they do, it really provides good service for everybody.
“It’s easy to be the mayor of Clarkson Valley because (residents) over the years have taken personal responsibility for themselves. That’s who we are. As the administration of this city (mayor and board), we are pleased to say we’ve certainly encouraged that by stressing that good government is less government.”
Douglass may have been destined for local leadership.
“I always had in the back of my mind a couple ideas that flashed through me when I was younger. I thought I wanted to be a race car driver or a politician and/or president of a company.” He succeeded in the latter two. In addition to being mayor of Clarkson Valley, he was president of one of Southwestern Bell’s three St. Louis subsidiaries when they broke away from the monopoly into a private company.
Sue McNamara (Ward 1) shared, “One of my favorite stories concerns the time a resident called him frantically about a very large and valuable ring that was inadvertently tossed and discovered missing after the holiday trash had been picked up. The mayor contacted the trash company, accompanied the resident and helped dig through the landfill. They found the ring! Who does that?”
In 2012, Douglass was the recipient of the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis’ annual Buzz Westfall Award for Excellence in Local Government. The plaque he received notes that the award is “‘in recognition of outstanding leadership and commitment to the City of Clarkson Valley, St. Louis County and the St. Louis Region.”
It gives you a good feeling that what you’re doing is important …,” he said.
Another important endeavor in which he has succeeded is his devoted marriage. He and his wife, June, will celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary this year. He said retirement will mean more time to spend together and perhaps an easier daily schedule.
“At this stage, it’s all just a little too much,” Douglass said of his duties as mayor. “I feel like I still function well enough, but I can’t stay on it with sustainability. I wear out now. It takes me too long to bounce back. You know, you have a busy day with a lot of activity and it used to be, I’d get up the next day and be ready to go. It’s hard for me to do that anymore.”
Even so, he said he will continue to volunteer at Community Christian Church in Manchester. “I happen to be an honorary elder there … an elder emeritus,” he said.
Alderman Gregg Bogosian (Ward 3) noted that the mayor leaves big shoes to fill.
“As our first and to date only mayor, to say he’s going to be a hard act to follow is a pathetic understatement,” Bogosian said. “I feel sorry for our next mayor; kind of like being the next quarterback after Tom Brady.
“His 34 years of service give him an unmatched amount of institutional memory, and we’ll be calling him for advice and guidance for years to come.”
