Mayor Stephen Thompson

09/01/2026

♟️ 🚀 September 1st has a little bit of everything in the history books.

On this date in 1972, Bobby Fischer (American chess prodigy) defeated Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (holding the title from 1969 to 1972) to become world chess champion (it was a highly visible Cold War contest then; ending Soviet dominance). In 1979, NASA’s Pioneer 11 made the first spacecraft flyby of Saturn. And in 1985, the wreckage of the Titanic was located in the North Atlantic.

🎸 Here in Cottleville, we’ll mark the evening with the final summer concert at Legacy Park’s CWS Rotary Amphitheater. CLUless will perform from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

🎶 https://www.facebook.com/share/19MV7GdZbM/

🌅 Come enjoy the final concert of the summer—and it’s free! See you all this evening!

Pic: with St. Joseph Parish Music Ministry's one and only Kyle Huelsing and Dr. Matthew Bauer, Bauer Orthodontics. I learn something new during every ad hoc catch-up!

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08/31/2026

Happy birthday to Ed Callison, Pink Houses USA! Wishing you a fantastic day filled with good times, great memories and plenty of reasons to celebrate. Have a wonderful birthday, Ed!

🎸 Pink Houses USA will be live at the Family Arena, on September 25th at 7 p.m.

🎟️ I have a limited number of free tickets to give away. If you’d like to attend, send a message.

🔗 Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster: https://www.ticketmaster.com/nine-lives:-a-tribute-to-reo-speedwagon-tickets/artist/4505949

08/30/2026

🇺🇸 The St. Charles County Daughters of the American Revolution Monument was dedicated at City Hall in a ceremony honoring the courage, service and commitment of those who helped shape our nation.

🙏 Thanks to our generous sponsors, more than $9,500 was raised through monetary and in-kind donations. Special appreciation goes to Carrie and Terry Hogan of Buchheit Supply for contributing more than half of the project costs.

👏 Thank you to all of our sponsors for helping make this lasting tribute possible.

08/30/2026

What a great turnout; clearly making a difference! Best wishes 👍

08/29/2026

🌎 Service Beyond a Title
Outside my responsibilities in Cottleville, I stay involved in issues that reach beyond city limits: legal immigration reform, Purple Heart and veterans-benefits reform, Missouri University Extension programs, data-center policy, student-loan reform, and many more community-service efforts.

To clarify, this is not a plan to become a career politician or run for a larger office. I do it because I have the time, energy, experience and passion to contribute where I can.

🇺🇸 Legal immigration is personal to me.
America’s immigration system can be slow, expensive and difficult to navigate. At the same time, it provides a lawful path for people who are willing to follow the process, work hard and become part of their communities.

My own journey—from legal immigrant to mayor of a small Missouri town—is one example of what can happen when that path works. It may not be a story that receives national attention, but it reflects something real: immigrants can become neighbors, business owners, public servants and community leaders.

📰 More Than Headlines
News coverage often centers on conflict: ICE operations, illegal immigration, violence, war, division and political outrage. Those are serious subjects and should not be ignored. But they are not the whole story! ⚖️ Accountability matters. 🌟 So does telling the truth about progress and the people making a positive contribution.

🗣️ A Personal Commitment
I will continue working on legal immigration and other community issues where I believe a practical voice can help. I will do that with or without another title.

My future speaking engagements will focus on legal immigration, civic participation and what personal experience can teach us about improving a system without tearing people down.

Pic: I was grateful for the opportunity to spend time with Chief Chris T. Clem, retired U.S. Border Patrol chief and a nationally recognized speaker. Chief Clem advocates for secure borders while also supporting humane and orderly legal immigration. I appreciate learning from his experience and perspective.

🌎 Did you know?
I am honored to be the first Tamil American elected mayor in the history of the United States; a distinction I recognize with humility and gratitude. FYI, Tamil is one of the world’s oldest living languages, with a history spanning more than 2,000 years. I am deeply grateful for the trust Cottleville residents and friends have placed in me. I will continue working hard every day to serve our community with integrity, dedication and respect. 🙏🏽 Thank you for believing in me.

08/28/2026

A friendly reminder: when you see a No Entry sign (or speed limit), please follow it; whether you are driving a car or golf cart.

It can be tempting to take a quick shortcut, but traffic signs are there for a reason. The everyday choices we make help shape our visitor's impression of Cottleville.

Let’s be reasonable, respect the rules and do our part to reflect the courtesy and community spirit. This is simply a friendly reminder; nothing more and nothing less.

Pic: selfie with Brian and Johnny Chase—always good to catch up with friends and share a few laughs.

08/28/2026

Don’t forget to look up tonight! 🌕🌘

A deep partial lunar eclipse will be visible from our area, with the Moon beginning to noticeably slip into Earth’s shadow around 9:33 p.m. and reaching its darkest point around 11:12 p.m. Nearly 96% of the Moon will be covered—so it may look like the sky took a big bite out of it.

Enjoy the view!

08/27/2026

Wishing the entire team a smooth transition and much success as Raphael’s Gathering Place takes shape. Looking forward to seeing this new chapter come to life! 🍝✨

As we continue the exciting transition from Liliana’s Italian Kitchen to Raphael’s Gathering Place, we’re temporarily putting our Thursday and Friday lunch service on hold.

There is a lot happening behind the scenes as our chef and team work on the new added menu items, recipes, training and everything that will bring the Raphael’s Gathering Place vision to life. Rather than rush it, we want to give our team the time to get it right.

Our regular Happy Hour and dinner service will continue as usual, and we can’t wait to start sharing more of what’s coming as we get closer to the official transition.

Same heart. New chapter. And we think you’re going to love where we’re headed.

Thank you for continuing to support us through the journey. ❤️

08/26/2026

It was a joy to spend even a brief time with Cleo and Carmen Mannino. We do not often have the chance to see one another, and they may not know how much I value their example. Mentors come in many forms and it is up to each of us to recognize their wisdom and receive it with an open heart.

Anyway, they after learning about a (ongoing) negative experience I had to go through, Carmen offered a simple response: “Just pray for them". His words reflected grace, restraint and faith, reminding me that we can choose dignity over bitterness.

Well-wishers often ask how I manage the responsibility of serving as mayor with grace and sincerity (amid anonymous online and social media noise). The answer is found in people like Cleo and Carmen, along with many mentors I have been blessed to know. I surround myself with people of character, faith, experience and kindness.... AND I listen. Occasionally, I’m smart enough to listen to my wife too :)

My thought is simple: listen to your mentors, especially your elders. Their guidance may come quietly, even in just a few words, but it will help lead you in the right direction.

Sending good vibes for rest of your week!

08/26/2026