There will be two candidates vying for the Ward 1 seat in Maryland Heights City Council this election season. Ken Gold filed to run back in December, and John Minton filed on Jan. 11.

Minton told Maryland Heights Patch that he’s lived in the city for 45 years and owned an auto repair shop and used car lot in the city from 1980 to 1998.

Don’t expect to see any campaign signs for Minton; he called them an "eye sore." And Minton said he will not accept any campaign contributions because he’s "running to be running."

He does plan to launch a website for his campaign.

A man with a past

Minton is not shy about his past, including three arrests: once for assault and twice for unlawful use of a weapon.

He was never convicted, he said.

A search on Missouri’s CaseNet system shows only one criminal case where Minton was a defendant; a "Miscellaneous Parking Violation" in 1998 to which he pleaded guilty and faced a $200 fine.

Minton said he has no political experience, but said he went to the "school of hard knocks." He wants better communication between Maryland Heights residents and the city’s elected leaders.

Minton's concerns

Minton said also that he’s tired of eminent domain, condemnation and Tax Increment Financing (TIF). He cited the lawsuit between the city and siblings Robert Heitz and Loretta Tucker.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that a jury awarded Heitz and Tucker $1.8 million from the city after it took land they owned for a road.

• Read more about the Heitz and Tucker case against Maryland Heights.

City spending is also a concern for Minton. He said if elected he will not take a salary, and instead donate the money to the Alzheimer’s Association. He selected the organization for a personal reason.

"[My] father had it," he said. "I don’t want the salary, I just want to help people."