Meet Michael
Michael is the current alderperson of St. Louis’s new 9th Ward, a vibrant community which includes the neighborhoods of the Central West End, Forest Park Southeast, and Kings Oak.
Before his election, Michael was a Senior Grant Specialist for Washington University’s Ophthalmology Department. Born in Alton, Illinois and raised in the Metro East, Michael graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Political Science. He is the former Treasurer and Vice President of the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood Association, as well as the previous Outreach Director of the St. Louis Young Democrats. Michael lives in Forest Park Southeast with his wife, Sarah, and their two rescue dogs, Izzy and Yadi, and their rescue cat, Stan.
Michael moved into the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood in 2012 to be closer to his job located at the Center for Emerging Technologies in the Cortex district. It was there that Michael met his wife, when their dogs would play together at lunch. In 2014, he started working at Washington University in a central administration office.
Within two years, he was promoted to the Ophthalmology department as a Senior Grant Specialist. Michael has made a habit of earning the trust and confidence of his colleagues through hard work and mutual respect. He is proud of his ability to work with others, navigate difficult situations, and reach positive outcomes.
As a bike commuter, Michael has a ground-level perspective of St. Louis pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. He believes that the condition of a city’s streets is a policy choice, and is committed to improving our infrastructure to serve all St. Louisans. He has shared that perspective previously as a representative of his neighborhood on the Great Rivers Greenway Governance Committee for the Brickline Greenway.
Michael first fell in love with the city for its architecture, charming neighborhoods, and excellent food scene, but he believes that a city’s most valuable assets are not its buildings or streets. St. Louis’ best asset is its people. Michael ran for alderperson to improve the everyday lives of St. Louisans in the 9th Ward and beyond. Now, he is ready to work hard for our city.
You’ve met me - now see what I stand for.
You deserve an alderperson, and a city, that show up for you.
I am committed to creating real, positive change in our community through visionary policy. Most importantly, I’m committed to making that change real by doing the hard work.