|
May 22, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Bonnie Prigge or Connie Willman, 573-265-2993
Schwartze elected treasurer of MRPC
ST. JAMES – Ray Schwartze, presiding commissioner of Maries County, was elected treasurer of Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) during the group’s May 10 meeting in St. James.
Schwartze succeeds Mary Heywood, who had served a two-year term as treasurer. Schwartze took office as a MRPC board member representing Maries County in January 2007. This is his first officer position on the board.
Other officers elected during the meeting are:
- Chairman Gary Brown, mayor of Salem. Brown had previously served as vice chairman;
- Vice Chairman T.R. Dudley, mayor of Potosi. Dudley had previously served as secretary; and
- Secretary Mary Heywood, at-large board member, representing unemployed. Heywood had previously served as treasurer;
The board also approved at-large board members for three-year terms. They are:
- Russell Scheulen, at-large board member representing farming; replacing Leo Dickey who retired from the board after 14 years;
- Jan Haviland, at-large board member representing industry, re-appointed for a full term;
- Travis Schwarz, at-large board member representing small business; replacing Laura Antolak who retired from the board after 12 years;
- John Casey, at-large board member representing transportation; replacing Donald Dodd who retired after serving five years on the board; and
- Marcus Maggard, at-large representative on the executive board, who was re-appointed for another term.
The MRPC board also approved Brown to serve as an MRPC representative for the Meramec Regional Community Foundation board. He replaced Antolak on that board.
Terms for the newly elected MRPC officers will begin in June.
Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 29, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.
The MRPC board will meet at 7:30 p.m. June 14 at its office at 4 Industrial Drive in St. James. All meetings are open to the public.

Ray Schwartze, left, pictured with MRPC Chairman Russell Scheulen at the 2011 MRPC annual dinner in Vienna, has been elected to serve as treasurer of MRPC.
|