When Brennan Redinger filed the document last year that declared his candidacy for public office in Ballwin, he was looking forward to helping others.
“I was excited because I've always wanted to be in city government,” he said. “I've always wanted to make a name for myself. I believe happiness is found in helping others.”
Redinger’s goal was to initially run for Board of Alderman and two years later, when he was old enough, to run for mayor. However, his hopes were dashed just a few weeks after he filed the proper paperwork. Ballwin Mayor Tim Pogue paid Redinger a visit at his home to deliver the bad news.
“He was wearing a hat, a jacket, some jeans, and some boots,” Redinger said. “It was lunchtime. I wasn't really expecting anybody, so I just kind of thought it must have been the maintenance guy.”
Pogue was there to inform the 25-year-old that he didn’t have the residency to run for office.
Unbeknownst to Redinger, an ordinance states that Aldermen are required to live in the jurisdiction for 12 months before they can be elected. Redinger had only relocated to Ballwin from Cape Girardeau six months prior.
“When I applied for the Board, I filed a packet of documents not just a sheet of paper and I never once saw anything about residency,” Redinger told the St. Louis Record. “I checked online because I know other places have residency requirements and I couldn't find anything. There was nothing in the application about it. So, I thought I was good to go.”
Reluctantly, Redinger went back to the courthouse and filed papers to withdraw his candidacy however the deadline had already passed and a court order was required, which is why a lawsuit reportedly ensued on Feb. 2.
The complaint was allegedly filed by Robert E. Jones and Katherine E. Henry, who work as attorneys at the Curtis, Heinz, Garrett, and O’Keefe law firm, without Redinger’s knowledge or consent
“They illegally obtained my social security number and in a court of law, you can't represent both sides but that's what they did and then for all the work they did, instead of billing me, they billed the city of Ballwin,” he said.
As previously reported in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Jones also is Ballwin’s city attorney.
“The whole situation is just strange,” Redinger said. “If I wasn't eligible, why did my paperwork go through and why didn't they just decline it when I filed it? It's so weird and it's an unfortunate situation.”
As a result of his withdrawal from the race, incumbent Alderman Michael Finley ran unopposed and won.
Redinger has since moved to St. Louis.
“It just happened to me randomly but what if they're also doing this to other people,” he added. “It seemed like they were sweeping things under the rug.”
Qualifications for Alderman include being at least eighteen years of age, a citizen of the United States, an inhabitant and resident of the city for one year next preceding election, and a ward resident at the time of filing, according to Ballwin ordinance Sec. 2-122.
"This is not unique to Ballwin," Jones told the St. Louis Record.