Power Profile: Dennis Hancock

Dennis Hancock represents the 3rd District on the St. Louis County Council.

St. Louis County Councilman Dennis Hancock has a simple philosophy that has served him well in his more than 30 years in politics and business.

“Someone told me a long time ago that if you stay on the side of the angels, you'll come out ahead,” said Hancock. “And in my experience, as long as we keep the constituents in mind and be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money, it becomes pretty easy to make the right decisions.”

Before his career in politics, Hancock worked at Verizon for 27 years in a variety of positions, from his start as a temporary telephone operator to regional manager of community and economic development. According to Hancock, his business background has helped shape his political career.

“There are a lot of transferable skills between the private sector and government. In government, you must be able to solve problems, build teams and do everything that managers and leaders do every day in the non-government sector. It gives you perspective on exploring new approaches and how to be innovative.” said Hancock.

Hancock long had an interest in politics, but in 2001, after encouragement from a friend, Hancock dove in and ran for mayor of Fenton. He won and served as mayor of the city for 12 years. During that time, he helped Fenton earn the distinction of having more full-time jobs per resident than any city in Missouri. Economic development is still a main focus for Hancock in his position as councilman, and it’s a dedication he shares with Ameren.

“I have a keen interest in economic development. I know Ameren does as well. If you have good jobs in the community and you bring good jobs to the community, everything else flows from that. I look forward to working with Ameren and all the utilities in the region, on their economic development efforts and helping them to be successful, which in turn helps us to be successful.” said Hancock.

On top of growing the economy of St. Louis County, Hancock is also looking to tackle the county’s budget.

“The first thing we have to do is solve the budget problem that St. Louis County has. We were looking at a structural deficit of over $40 million that's been ignored over the years, and now it's catching up with us. Finding a solution to that is a No. 1 priority,” said Hancock. “Everything comes back to helping constituents and helping them find their way through what can be a very challenging maze of government entities to get the problem solved.”