Michael Peters originally decided to run for State Representative because of his grand-kids. With four of them living in the city he was concerned for their education and decided it was time to step up. Of course that’s not the only reason… “It’s a real anomaly to have a strong community with lousy retail. It hurts the school systems because they don’t get tax dollars. Crestwood mall… the last time it was fully operational, it generated 1.7 million dollars in sales tax for the community. Now that’s made up for in property taxes.”

Watson Road as a Thriving Destination

At Starbucks one morning Michael Peters and I hovered over a small table in the corner, our drinks clutched tightly in our hands as we discussed politics and his run for State Representative of the 91st District this year.

Since Crestwood Mall’s decline and official closing in 2013, things have changed in the areas of Crestwood, Lindbergh, and Webster Groves. Tax revenue from retail has declined substantially, property taxes have increased, and it’s hurt...tourism? I was surprised to learn that Route 66 is still a huge draw for tourists as far away as Europe, and although Watson Road was once the heart of this cultural attraction, we no longer have much to offer these travelers.

Michael Peters believes there’s a solution. “I want to talk to the Mayor of Webster about marketing the Watson Corridor as the heart of Route 66. I was amazed to discover that tourists spent over 4 billion in St. Louis last year and 22 million came from Europeans and Canadians. One of the real reasons they come here is for Route 66, but people just drive past us! We really lost our identity, so we need to brand ourselves.”

More than just the marketing, there are many small things that can be done to increase tourism and sales in the district, for example removing the concrete lane dividers on Watson Road. “Those dividers on the road, they encourage the subliminal mindset to keep driving.” Michael has even asked an employee at the Harley store if someone could be trained in half a day to ride a motorcycle. This would be a major draw for tourists because they could rent a Harley and drive from Ted Drewes to Mile 277.

The Elderly Could Lose Their Homes?

Most people are busy going about their lives when Michael shows up on their doorstep. Usually they take a flyer, thank him, and go back to their routine. But the older members of the community are concerned and will engage him with questions about how to fix the problem of rising taxes.

As the lights slowly went out in Crestwood Mall, the property taxes for many homeowners in the district increased. For Michael, that has meant a $1,000 bump in annual taxes. For seniors on a fixed income a $1,000 a year increase is unthinkable and this change is close to driving some long-time residents from their homes. Tapping his cup on the table for emphasis, he explained “If we can raise retail, they won’t have to worry about rising property taxes because our school funding can come from businesses rather than homes.”

When I asked Michael how he would legislate some of the changes we had discussed, he told me that 2.5% of Missouri’s budget goes to economic development, and he would attempt to increase that. “If you can promote jobs, you can build a community.” While he doesn’t want to take money away from education (30% of the budget) or medicare (33%), more tax revenue from economic development projects will mean lower property taxes and larger budgets for both of these in the future.

The Failure of Education

Statistically less than 50% of college graduates find a job in their field after graduation, so… “we need to take a hard look at what kind of degrees are being offered.” Michael is hoping to be assigned to an education committee, if elected, so he can begin affecting change.

First and foremost, he says we need to make sure public schools are making students career-ready. Michael wants to see young adults go to college with their first years worth of credits already under their belt. Before they even arrive on campus they would have a basic foundation in fields like healthcare, data, or business management.

His education agenda in a nutshell: “If we can get education with a career focus, young adults won’t be moving back home with mom and dad, they’ll be getting jobs and moving out. And so to start this, you must have a vision, what to do with business, education, and people and you have to put those three together and so that is my goal.”

His Favorite Thing About St. Louis

“The whole thing is that St. Louis is not a city, it is an overgrown town. It is a patch quilt of communities. You take the 3 communities that make up the 91st district… Shrewsbury, Webster and Crestwood, they're very much alike but they are also different. I live in Crestwood, I’m pastor of a church in Webster, and my brother lives in Shrewsbury. They are all different but they are very much alike, when you go all around St. Louis and have that… that’s really the strength of St. Louis. And we have that in our heritage, as well. You have that in The Hill, the Italian Section, you’ve got Dogtown, the World’s Fair stuff. That’s what I like about St. Louis.”

While Michael likes our patchwork of communities here, he’s comfortable saying that the 91st District takes the cake. “These are the best communities in St. Louis. I’m biased on that, but they are.”

Kaori had lived in St. Louis for years but didn’t know anything about the city. Intending to rectify this and explore the growing startup movement, she quit her job as a change management consultant with Deloitte and began helping small companies for free. What she has learned about her new hometown makes her proud to call STL home.

The bell above the door at Washington Post was tingling consistently, giving us a melodic clue that the store/coffee shop was busy that day. We sat next to the windows looking out on the street, the smell of Kaori’s mango passion tea slowly waking us from our still not-quite-awake stupor. After I dove into a 15 minute long explanation of my work and projects, she excitedly explained her decision to leave her company.


A Realization and Transition

Over 4 years ago, Kaori and her fiance moved to St. Louis from Pittsburgh. He had grown up in the area and still had family here, but she knew very little about her future hometown. At the time, it didn’t really matter to her where she lived, as long as she had an airport nearby, because in her role with Deloitte she was traveling most of the time. This constant traveling was taking a toll. Not only did Kaori have no knowledge of the city, she also admits that for 3 years she didn’t know a single person here.

However, there wasn’t much time for her to be lonely. In addition to constant traveling, she was often beginning her work day at 6am and leaving the office after dark. Despite it all she enjoyed her work, but she didn’t love the types of companies she was consulting for, like big oil companies.

So, when she learned about local schools struggling to maintain accreditation, she decided it was time to get involved somehow. Not long after coming to this realization, Kaori met Jake (coffee #71) of Project IDWIL at a 1 Million Cups event. “That catapulted me into this whole entrepreneur space,” she said thoughtfully drumming her fingers on the table.

Somewhere In The Middle?

While quitting a job is never easy, it was a piece of cake compared to what Kaori was trying to do next. Her goals were defined from the outset: figure out what was going on in St. Louis, determine how she fits into the community, and decide on a new career.

First, figure out what’s happening in St. Louis. After learning about the startup movement and seeing the energy of these companies, she realized this was the answer. Second, determine how she fits into the community. Shortly after leaving Deloitte she began networking and volunteering her time and skills to new companies in the area, making her reflect, “How can I be part of leaving a legacy for St. Louis as it turns into a more entrepreneurial hub?”

The realization that she wanted to be a long-term, integral part of the entrepreneurial community here, was an important one for Kaori. “If you had asked me 4 or 5 years ago if I’d ever live in St. Louis, I would be like, ‘where’s St. Louis again? Somewhere in the middle there?’” But now… “I absolutely love it here. Definitely love being here. All of these little stores… there’s so much character and life in it.”

She continued to volunteer her time to these companies, offering to help with 2 to 3 week projects for free. In the end 10 companies benefited from her expertise and ultimately she even found her next career move with the new Venture Cafe at the CIC! “It’s been a really fun way of learning about organizations and how startups work and learning about the ecosystem with the startup scene.”

A Unique Perspective of the City

When she told me that she enjoys working in the yard, I asked Kaori if she would like the strawberry plants in my garden. Her face lit up as she accepted my offer and told me this was one of the reasons she has come to love our city. “Out of this experience and I’ve never done this in a different city, so I can’t say it’s unique to St. Louis, but I think it is, it’s the willingness of people to help out and even have a conversation. Even you! Offering your strawberries!”

For example, when Kaori first started her project everyone tried to help her find a job. It took some explaining before they understood she wasn’t ready for that, yet. “I’m serious about figuring out what I want to be when I grow up!”

Conclusion

Gathering our cups and belongings we reluctantly prepared to leave the warm, inviting atmosphere of The Washington Post. We continued our conversation out on the sidewalks and then said our goodbyes. However, Kaori’s adopted love of our great city stuck with me throughout the past several months and has turned what was a casual coffee meeting into a burgeoning friendship.