Empty storefronts and buildings in Maryland Heights are a significant issue for the city, said one incumbent city council member hoping for a second term.

Chuck Caverly told Maryland Heights Patch that he is ready to run for office a second time. Caverly has spent the last two years representing Ward 3 on the Maryland Heights City Council.

Caverly said the city has a lot of space that’s available for rent or lease for both businesses and people looking for homes. The biggest issue the city faces, he said, is how it maintains the quality of homes, businesses and everything that goes along with that.

Caverly isn’t a stranger to home and business quality consideration. Before being elected to the Ward 3 city council spot, he served on the city’s planning and zoning commission for 12 years.

During the controversial Maryland Pointe project, many of the issues people were concerned with were addressed in the comprehensive plan. Caverly’s time on the planning and zoning commission helped him understand some of the processes the city already had in place, he said.

As of Dec. 13, Caverly was the only person to file to run for the Ward 3 city council spot. But if a challenger appears before filing closes, he hopes residents will vote for him because they know him and his family.

Caverly looks at potential competition as healthy for Maryland Heights.

“If I have competition, I think that’s a positive thing for the city,” he said.

The last day to file for election is Jan. 17. Election day is April 3.