Power Profile – Steve Ehlmann

Steve Ehlmann currently serves as the county executive for St. Charles County. Photo courtesy of St. Charles County.

Steve Ehlmann’s career has taken him from the classroom to the courtroom to county government, but the common thread has been the same: finding where he could make the greatest difference.

St. Charles County has always been home for Ehlmann. He was born at a hospital just one block from his current office, and even after leaving Missouri on a basketball scholarship to Furman University in South Carolina, he imagined he would eventually return to the community where he grew up.

At Furman, Ehlmann gravitated toward history and originally envisioned a future in academics. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Missouri and started work toward a doctorate before realizing he was drawn less to research than to working directly with students.

That led him into the classroom, where he spent seven years teaching and coaching, including a stint as head basketball coach at Lafayette High School in St. Louis County.

“If I had had more success, I’d probably still be coaching,” Ehlmann said.

Instead, he began considering a different path. At 32, he took the LSAT and enrolled in law school at Washington University in St. Louis. After graduating, he returned to St. Charles County to practice law.

One of his early legal experiences gave him a firsthand look at the connection between infrastructure, local communities and private-sector partners. In 1986, Ehlmann was representing a levee district near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers when flooding damaged the levee system. At the time, the federal government would cover 80% of the repair costs, leaving the district to raise the rest.

“We asked each landowner $2 per acre,” Ehlmann said.

Two major employers in the district, Boeing and Ameren Missouri, stepped forward to help. Ehlmann said that support made a major difference for the residents, farms and businesses protected by the levees.

“Both Boeing and Ameren were very, very generous,” he said. “I’m not sure how we could have got those levees fixed without their help.”

That experience came early in a career that would eventually take Ehlmann through all three branches of government. He served in the Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate, including time as the Republican floor leader in the upper chamber, then served as an associate circuit judge and circuit judge before moving into county government. First elected St. Charles County executive in 2007, Ehlmann is now serving his fifth term.

For Ehlmann, each role offered a different way to work on problems affecting families and communities. He said he first entered teaching with an idealistic view of changing lives but came to believe some challenges extended beyond what could be addressed in the classroom alone.

“I actually went into politics thinking that I could make a difference beyond what I was making as a teacher and then even as a lawyer,” he said.

As county executive, Ehlmann has focused much of his attention on growth, public safety and infrastructure. He said St. Charles County has benefited from being able to study the path of nearby St. Louis County, including both its successes and challenges.

“We are in the process and have been, at least since I’ve been in county government, of duplicating St. Louis County successes and avoiding their failures,” Ehlmann said. “We don’t want to make the same mistakes that they made.”

Ehlmann said St. Charles County’s growth has depended on the qualities that make people want to build a life there. County government plays a direct role in public safety, while also supporting school safety, truancy efforts and school resource officers. 

“Our growth in the past has been two things: safe neighborhoods and good schools,” he said.

Transportation also has been central to the county’s ability to grow. Ehlmann said residents and businesses have continued investing in St. Charles County despite periods of congestion because they know local government will continue expanding infrastructure to meet demand.

“We’re going to do everything we can to get them up to where they need to be,” he said.

That same balance applies to utilities and other infrastructure partners serving fast-growing communities. Ehlmann said reliable service is essential for residents and businesses alike, especially as communities work to attract investment and maintain quality of life.

Outside of work, Ehlmann’s longtime passion has been basketball. He played for years, including on a Jefferson City basketball team made up of state lawmakers known as the Capital Domes. Eventually, he said, his knees forced him off the court. 

“I couldn’t play basketball anymore, so I’ve been searching for a hobby ever since,” Ehlmann said.

He remains loyal to the St. Louis Cardinals, but the interests that have most consistently shaped his life are family, history and St. Charles County. Ehlmann and his wife, Jean, have two grown sons, and his interest in local history has remained part of his public life. He has authored a history of St. Charles County and continues to speak to community organizations about local history and government.

After decades in public service, Ehlmann still points to the relationships as the most rewarding part of the work.

“The best part about being in politics is the people you meet,” he said.

To learn more about St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, please visit his official webpage at sccmo.org/553/Executive.