Council At-Large
Jeff Schomburg is a current At-Large City Councilmember in St. Joseph, Missouri, first elected in April 2022, and is seeking re-election for a second term in the April 7, 2026, municipal election. Born and raised in St. Joseph, he graduated from Central High School and earned a degree from Missouri State University. He is co-owner of Kruse’s Auto Center and has been actively involved in the community as a past president of Pony Express Boys Baseball and the current chairman of Delta Waterfowl. Schomburg is a husband, father, and grandfather who emphasizes giving back to the city that raised him.
Vision
Schomburg aims to strengthen St. Joseph through responsible fiscal management, support for public safety, and strategic investment in infrastructure. He advocates for efficient, effective city services and long-term economic growth, emphasizing leadership guided by integrity and common sense. Through his experience in business and local government, he seeks to balance the city’s budget while ensuring neighborhoods and families thrive.
Boards
- President of Pony Express Boys Baseball (2010-2013)
- Chairman of Delta Waterfowl (Current)
The Issues
Schomburg’s campaign focuses on economic growth, maintaining a balanced city budget, and prioritizing public safety and infrastructure improvements. During his first term, he highlighted targeted use of federal ARPA funds for police equipment and street repairs, and the creation of a General Services Department to improve city efficiency. He emphasizes leveraging his business experience to promote fiscal responsibility and neighborhood improvements across St. Joseph.
Contact
Email: jschomburg@stjosephmo.gov
Our Candidate Summary
Socially Conservative
Fiscal Conservative
These assessments are based on the answers or lack of answers supplied by the candidates. Jeff’s responses indicate a socially conservative and fiscally conservative position.
Jeff on the Issues
Do you support competition in Buchanan County’s healthcare?
I believe health care needs more competition. In other sectors of business, competition improves quality and efficiency, spurs innovation, and drives down costs. Health care should be no exception.
How do you feel the mask mandate went in St. Joseph?
Wearing a mask should not be mandated by the government. It is an individual’s choice to wear or not wear a mask.
If faced with a budget deficit, would you support or oppose cutting spending rather than increasing taxes?
Support cutting spending or find more efficient ways to spend the money.
If the council were given $1M to use to fund projects in St. Joseph, what would you fund?
Spend the money according to what the needs are for the city at the time the money is given to us. Form a committee of citizens and business leaders to come up with an action plan to spend the money wisely.
How does St. Joseph compare to Kansas City? What lessons can each city learn from each other?
Comparing the two city’s are like apples and oranges. Kansas City has approximately 500,000 people and St. Joseph has approximately 70,000. I would like to see St. Joseph have more economic growth like Kansas City but still have that small-town feel. St. Joseph should not follow everything that Kansas City does, we should make decisions on what it best for our city.
Merrick Garland stated that the greatest threat comes from racially or ethnically motivated violence, “specifically those who advocated for the superiority of the white race”. Do you agree or disagree?
I cannot answer this question due to the way it was asked. Your question is just a portion of the statement that Merrick Garland had stated. “In the FBI’s view, the top domestic violent extremist threat comes from racially or ethnically motivates violent extremists, specifically those who advocated for the superiority of the white race,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a speech on Tuesday, June 15th 2021 (1)
Quote Reference
- the Grio (thegrio.com) AG Merrick Garland: ‘top domestic violent extremist threat’ is white supremacy article written by Associated Press