Tim Brinker has joined forces with County Executives from the St. Louis region to address crime, jobs, transportation, and other critical issues. “Franklin County is in the St. Louis Region, but St Louis (County and City) can’t seem to get out of its own way at times. We have been working together behind the scenes to find solutions that will allow the whole region to succeed.”
Brinker was first elected to the Franklin County Missouri Commission as the First District Commissioner in 2013. Missouri Governor Mike Parson appointed Brinker to the Presiding Commissioners position in August of 2018 and he was then elected Presiding Commissioner in November of 2018.
Brinker worked to secure funding for law enforcement officers in Franklin County by working for the passage of Prop P and implementation which has provided competitive wages for law enforcement personnel, secured an institution to contain criminals, and funded a
modern communications center to help law enforcement have quicker response time.
“There will never be any defunding of Police in Franklin County as long as I serve in Government. Crime is a regional problem. Failure in the urban core to combat crime leads to increases of crime in our community. We must be prepared to fight crime, especially when others fail to do so puts our families and communities at greater risk”, stated Brinker.
Brinker believes that protecting Franklin County citizens extends beyond the County borders. “Everyday Franklin County citizens travel to St. Louis for work, medical care, shop, go to the zoo or a Cards game. This year a young man from our county was murdered while working in St. Louis. We must work with regional leaders to improve safety for our families.”
Brinker is currently the President of the County Commissioners Association through 2022. His colleagues, both in the organization and in the region, introduce him as the “Commissioner from Freedom Loving Franklin County”. Brinker explains, “When I first got elected, I would introduce myself as the Commissioner from Freedom Loving Franklin County—and it stuck. I have always felt people in this county value their freedom, have fought for their freedom and
have succeeded because of those freedoms. As an elected official, we need to remember that every day and do our job to protect those freedoms”.
One of Brinker’s top priorities is safe and better roads. He is working to see Hwy 47 widened to four lanes from Washington, through Union, all the way to I-44 in St. Clair. “Safe roads save lives and help lead the way for job creation and economic growth. This project is critical to our county’s future”, believes Brinker.
Brinker sees too many Counties cutting services while raising taxes. “I believe in holding the government accountable by holding taxes down and providing greater service through better management”. Brinker pointed out the County has adopted several cost saving measures to save taxpayer dollars, including holding employee’s health insurance premiums remaining unchanged for the last 5 consecutive years, resulting in a savings of over $2 million dollars.
Brinker has worked to expand programs for residents to conveniently pay personal and real property taxes from their phone, tablet, or computer via a Franklin County owned application.
Brinker believes that Franklin County Government should be easy to deal with, and there's no easier way for residents to fulfill their obligations than to download the Franklin County App.
Brinker owns a small business Brinker Promotions LLC and is married to his wife of over 30 years, Betsy (Dill) Brinker, reside in Washington, MO and have four children, Ryan, Holly, Beau, and Scarlett.