April/May 2023

Earlier this month, on April 4, the voters elected Scott Shipley as Crestwood’s next Mayor. He will be officially sworn in at the April 25 Board of Aldermen meeting, at which time he will assume the role and duties of Crestwood Mayor.

While the City normally shares a Mayor’s message each April, this issue of the newsletter will be focused on formally introducing the community to Crestwood’s Mayor-elect Shipley:

Former Alderman Shipley began his Crestwood public service career in 2019 when he was first elected as Ward 3 Alderman and was subsequently re-elected in 2021. He also served as President of the Board of Aldermen from 2020-2021 and as aldermanic representative on most of the City’s boards and commissions.

Looking forward to this new challenge, Mayor-elect Shipley stated, “I proudly stand with Crestwood’s City staff, the Board of Aldermen, and all the dedicated volunteers who serve on our City’s boards and commissions. Together, we share a commitment to making Crestwood a great place to call home.”

While first elected in 2019, Mayor-elect Shipley’s ties to the Crestwood community are much deeper. Back in 1989, he and his wife Amy chose to start a family and establish roots here in Crestwood. They soon became active members of Our Lady of Providence church and raised four children.  Together as a family, they developed a strong sense of faith and a commitment to serving others.

Shipley earned a master’s degree in Telecommunications & Information Management from Washington University and went on to enjoy a successful 30-year career with Southwestern Bell and AT&T, where he worked in IT and sales. In 2014, he was blessed with the opportunity to retire early.

Embracing this new chapter, he decided to start a small business and devote more time to giving back to his community through various service projects with his church, the Boy Scouts, and other local organizations. Since then, Shipley has been able to pursue his passions to hopefully make an impact to those in our community.

As Crestwood’s future Mayor, Shipley plans to focus heavily on community engagement, park improvements, and long-term planning for city infrastructure and services.  

“As a result of many years of careful planning and disciplined spending, our City enjoys a strong financial footing,’’ Shipley noted. ‘‘We hope to leverage that position going forward to accomplish exciting new improvements for our parks and facilities.’’

However, recent dramatic price increases and shortages of new-hire applicants highlight the need for a long-term roadmap of the city’s financial future, Shipley added.

‘‘While our streets are repaired each year, about 30% have issues hidden below the surface that will require their full replacement in the coming decades.  We will need to identify these significant future costs, plan for them, and do what’s needed to ensure that we address this challenge.”

In the end, Mayor-elect Shipley wants to emphasize his willingness to be there for the community he loves. 

“Our residents deserve a hometown that strives to provide personal safety, a healthy and sustainable environment, excellent schools, attractive neighborhoods, exceptional outdoor spaces, dependable infrastructures, well-planned commercial amenities, and engaging activities for all,” Mayor-elect Shipley said. “Realizing this vision will require building strong community support, as well as fostering a government workplace that prioritizes integrity, continuous improvement, and extraordinary service. By working together with residents, we can ensure that their needs and priorities are reflected in everything we do.”

“Feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or to just talk about our community and how we can improve it.  As mayor, I represent you and your neighbors and will strive to make Crestwood a great place to live for all of us.  I look forward to meeting you.”

Scott Shipley
Mayor