Accountant enters 1st Ward race

Fred Schmidt, owner of Accounting Cycle, said he will seek the 1st Ward seat on the Columbia City Council. He is the first candidate who has publicly announced plans to run for the seat being vacated by Paul Sturtz.
Schmidt, 51, held a signature-gathering event Dec. 4 at his home on West Ash Street. The deadline for collecting 50 valid signatures and filing with the city clerk is Jan. 11, and the election will be in April.
The only other candidate who has filed for City Council is Attorney Glen Ehrhardt, who filed for the Fifth Ward seat being vacated by Laura Nauser. City Clerk Sheela Amin said both Ehrhardt and Schmidt’s filings have been determined valid. About five other people have picked up the documents needed to file for council candidacy, but she does not keep an official count, Amin said.
“It’s very difficult for a small-business owner to do this, but with a couple of employees at the office, I think I can make a go,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt is the treasurer of the Columbia Locally Owned Retail and Services board and the Missouri Bicycle Federation and is on the city Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission. He’s also a member of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
Schmidt was assistant treasurer for Judy Baker’s successful state house races and her unsuccessful bid for the 9th District congressional seat two years ago and was assistant treasurer for Karl Skala’s unsuccessful reelection campaign for the 3rd Ward seat on City Council in April.
Although the Chamber backed Skala’s opponent, Gary Kespohl, Schmidt pointed out that he’s an active member of the organization and would be an attractive candidate for the business community.
Schmidt said he believes the City Council could benefit from his understanding of accounting, economics and finance during what he called “a tough time financially for the city.” He indicated the city will have a difficult time next year balancing the budget and solidifying the pension system and pointed out that the departures of the city manager and finance director will heighten the challenge.
Schmidt’s accounting business, which opened in 2005, is on Broadway downtown, next to Poppy. The son of a physics professor at MU, Schmidt was born and raised on Garth Street in the 4th Ward. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics at Vassar College in New York and worked as a research assistant for the Federal Reserve Bank and in the investment business in Los Angeles, Tokyo and New York before returning to Columbia in 2004.
“Like so many people, I had to see the world before realizing that Columbia is the best place to live,” Schmidt said.