Jason Eslinger retains City Council District 2 seat, focuses on South Side representation and beautification
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Jason Eslinger, current District 2 representative for St. Joseph's City Council, remains on his seat this election cycle, and wants to use his platform to shine more of a spotlight on St. Joseph's South Side.
When he first took his seat on the St. Joseph City Council two years ago, he walked into a situation many newcomers face: budget season, with little time to get up to speed.
"It was definitely a learning curve," Eslinger said. "Jumping into that when all the other eight people are seasoned and know what's going on, and being the only one without a clue was a little rough."
Eslinger wasn't elected to the District 2 seat.
He was appointed in 2024 following the resignation of Taylor Crouse, beating out four other applicants for the role.
Now, with no opponents on the ballot this April, he's looking to retain the seat and continue representing the South Side neighborhood where he's spent most of his life.
A Benton High School graduate, Eslinger briefly left St. Joseph before returning to raise his family.
That personal connection to the south side drives much of his approach to the job.
"South End is just kind of a tight-knit people," he said. "I think you saw that with the school board issues and things like that. I mean, kind of go to bat for each other down there. I just feel like sometimes the south side doesn't get what it's due."
During his two-year tenure, Eslinger has witnessed significant strides in public safety.
Both the police and fire departments are now fully staffed, a milestone he credits in part to the work of the council and city leadership.
The police department has even assigned a dedicated homeless liaison officer to work alongside local organizations addressing homelessness, a move Eslinger said reflects the city's commitment to tackling the issue with both enforcement and compassion.
"That officer actually works with them, and ultimately all the other organizations that deal with homelessness are helping the problem as well," he said. "I think it's going pretty well for public safety."
On the parks front, Eslinger points to a wave of improvements funded by voter-approved measures.
The splash park at Hyde Park, which opened years ago, is set to be joined by a new splash park near Krug Park in the next year or two.
A shallow-depth pool is also planned for the south side, developed in partnership with the YMCA, with groundbreaking expected within the month.
Pickleball enthusiasts have reason to celebrate as well.
New courts installed near the Bode Ice Arena a couple years ago have proven popular, and additional courts at North 22nd Street are nearing completion once weather permits.
Phil Welch Stadium is receiving a long-overdue refurbishment, while Krug Park is undergoing its most significant overhaul in years, finishing projects that had lingered incomplete and transforming the space into what Eslinger hopes will be a premier destination for families.
"You know, the parks are huge," he said. "Those are the beautiful things in town that people want to see."
But Eslinger acknowledges there's work left to do.
At the top of his list: cleaning up the city.
That includes addressing unhoused individuals, which Eslinger views as both a quality-of-life issue and an economic one.
"It's a deterrent when these companies come in and they see a lot of homeless out and about," he said. "They don't want to invest their money in our community. So we're just trying to deter the homeless, help them out as much as we can, and really just clean up the area."
He also points to dilapidated homes and property maintenance as ongoing concerns, noting that enforcement responsibilities have recently shifted to the police department with promising early results.
On the relationship between the city and the school district, Eslinger draws a clear line.
"I believe that we should work with the school district in things that we can contribute to as a city, but I do not believe that ultimately the city council should get involved in school business things," he said. "Money is obviously different. There's city money, there's school district money."
Despite the learning curve he faced coming into the role, Eslinger said he's grown comfortable in the position and wants to keep building on the work already underway.
"I think going forward, just focusing on what we've been doing, and ultimately hearing those people that are contacting us to see what those concerns are and helping alleviate those concerns," he said.
For Eslinger, the motivation remains personal.
"I chose to come back because I wanted to give my kids the same childhood that I had here, which was growing up in a small town," he said. "I would like to give other people that same opportunity."
CITY COUNCIL COVERAGE 2026
