Power Profile: Representative Del Taylor
Representative Del Taylor, D-St. Louis, discusses legislation during a committee hearing in the Missouri House of Representatives. Photo courtesy of House Communications.
Del Taylor is new to his role as a state representative, but after a 24-year career in engineering and international business consulting, he’s no stranger to tackling large, complex problems. Despite a successful business career, Del has always been drawn to public service.
“At eight years old, I was in Cub Scouts. I still remember the Scout’s Oath, ‘On my honor, I pledge to do my best to do my duty to serve God and my country and to obey the scout's law.’ The pledge is part of me,” said Del. “And after retiring from consulting, I pondered what next? How can I best serve and put some of these talents and skills from engineering and consulting to use?”
He grew up in St. Louis, about a mile north of Forest Park, and went to St. Louis University High School. The Jesuit-taught private school is in the top 10% in the nation and, while he credits their science programs with helping him get a start in engineering and chemistry, it was not easy.
“I didn't always have enough bus fare so I would walk frequently. In maybe an hour, I could walk the three miles to school. I also worked at the school to pay for my tuition. From the time I was 13, working to pay for my education instilled a level of responsibility and accountability that I have carried through my career,” said Del.
He then went to Washington University where he earned a degree in chemical engineering. After graduating, he spent a year at Southwestern Bell Telephone and three years building wastewater treatment equipment in St. Louis. Next, he attended the prestigious Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and went into consulting, where he worked with numerous multinational companies.
During one assignment for a global insurance corporation, Del and his team were tasked with consolidating the company's online accounting systems, including many locations overseas.
After several months of analysis and evaluation, they discovered the price tag to fix the problem was going to be a billion dollars. When his business partner presented the cost, it gave him a new perspective on a billion-dollar problem.
“The opening salvo was, what is a billion dollars? Can you count it? If someone said they could, would you even believe them? A billion dollars is really more a concept,” said Del. “The Legislature works with budgets of a similar size. There are a lot of moving parts. There's a lot of big pieces. At least when you break it down, you can now start to measure and track the timelines and evaluate the pieces.”
Through his previous work in wastewater treatment and at Southwestern Bell, he has a unique perspective on utilities.
“I recognize the infrastructure. I know what a Keptel is. I know what distribution is. I know the difference between transmission and distribution. I understand intimately the challenges in repairing, maintaining and upgrading outside facilities," said Del. “My experiences and background have equipped me to understand the operational challenges that Ameren and other utility companies face.”
From his perspective, some of St. Louis’s most pressing utility challenges involve updating old infrastructure.
“St. Louis City is over 250 years old. We have some very, very old infrastructure. We have old telephone poles and power poles, and we have older substations. Some areas of the city are growing, and we need substations upgraded while some areas are declining, and we need to put together strategies to maintain them. And Ameren has new technologies like smart meters that they're rolling out that I am excited to see,” said Del.
But more than anything, Del says he is motivated by a sense of responsibility to the people of Missouri and rebuilding public trust for the people of St. Louis.
“I believe in integrity and transparency. Being focused on doing the right thing and ensuring that there is transparency that others can see,” said Del. “It’s a very, very important role being a state legislator. I touch the lives of six million Missourians. Even my smallest decisions touch millions of Missourians' lives. I take my job very seriously, there's a lot for me to learn and my integrity is very important. I want people to know that I am doing this for the right reasons, and I am weighing the issues.”
To learn more about Del and his responsibilities in the Missouri House of Representatives, please visit his official webpage at house.mo.gov.