Steve Ehlmann, St. Charles County Executive, is the new chairman for the East-West Gateway Council of Governments Board of Directors.
The board approved Ehlmann’s appointment at its Jan. 29 meeting, and he will serve as the chairman for the remainder of 2020. Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler will serve as vice chairman of the board. Lyda Krewson, mayor of the city of St. Louis, will serve as the second vice chairman.
Ehlmann earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Furman University in Greenville, S.C.; a Master of Arts in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia; and a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis. He was a teacher and coach in public schools for seven years and a practicing attorney for 12 years.
The county executive for St. Charles County since 2007, Ehlmann previously served as the county’s director of administration and has served in all three branches of government. Ehlmann was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1989 to 1993, representing the city of St. Charles’ 19th District; served in the Missouri Senate from 1993 to 2001 in St. Charles County’s 23rd District; and was Associate Circuit Judge and Circuit Judge from 2001 to 2004 in Missouri’s 11th Judicial Circuit.
The East-West Gateway Board of Directors has 24 voting members, including the mayor of the city of St. Louis, and the top elected officials of the surrounding seven counties. There are five non-voting members on the board in addition to the 24 voting members. The East-West Gateway region consists of the city of St. Louis, and Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis counties in Missouri, and Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties in Illinois.
The board meets at 10 a.m. on the last Wednesday of each month at the East-West Gateway offices on the 16th floor of the Gateway Tower, One Memorial Drive in downtown St. Louis.