David Kater
David Kater has been a lifelong resident of St. Francois County. He graduated from North County High School and went on to attend Mineral Area College. He received his EMT certification which he utilized as a volunteer firefighter in the communities of Terre Du Lac and Desloge. He served in the capacity of Lieutenant and Captain during his time in Desloge.
David was employed by Midwest Land Company for several years assisting in creating topographical maps, finding corners and surveying land in the greater Southeast Missouri region. He went on to work for Brockmiller Constuction for thirteen years as a yard supervisor and laborer. He was responsible for maintaining their vehicle fleet, order and delivery of construction materials, maintenance and upkeep of properties owned by Brockmiller, assisting in the bid and payment process of large scale construction projects and numerous other duties as needed. During his time at the construction company, he also served as an adjunct instructor at Mineral Area College in the Fire Academy. He taught Firefighter I and II, HAZWOPER and Hazmat classes and numerous other fire service courses for the fire services degree.
He left Brockmiller Construction Company to begin a career with Union Pacific Railroad in DeSoto. David was employed as a Union Laborer and Carman for the railroad for nine years. He attended trainings in Omaha, Nebraska; Chicago, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri. During his time at Union Pacific, he taught multiple Hazmat and train the trainer courses. He later completed the Foreman in Training Program for Union Pacific in Denver, Colorado. He subsequently filled in as a foreman in DeSoto as needed. He held a Lead carman positon and was the DeSoto Union Pacific REDBLOCK and Peer Support Specialist. The REDBLOCK program addresses substance abuse in the workplace. As a Peer Support Specialist, he provided a listening ear to fellow employees for home and work related stressors.
In 2001 David was elected as Desloge City Alderman for Ward 3 where he served until 2005 when he was elected Desloge City Mayor. He served as the Mayor for the City until resigning in December 2020 due to his election as your St. Francois County Associate Commissioner for District 2. David is currently the longest serving Mayor in Desloge history. During his time as Mayor, he served as a Board member for the Missouri Municipal League for five years. He assisted in and led the city in numerous large projects including the Desloge waterworks system, completion of the Eastern Outer Road and Bridge project, replacing the VoTech bridge at the outer edge of Desloge and the Desloge Drive project which installed sidewalks and lighting to the downtown area. The Eastern Outer Road project was a joint project utilizing Federal, State and City funds. The VoTech bridge project was a combination of State, County and City funds.
David has served as a board member for St. Francois County Ambulance District for over 15 years. He is currently serving as the President of the Board. He has also been a member of the Desloge Chamber of Commerce and spent many years coaching Raider Jr. Football, basketball, baseball and soccer. He most recently returned to coach his granddaughter’s Tball team. David and his wife Tina reside in Desloge. Together they enjoy traveling, hiking and time spent enjoying the outdoors. They have six children who have all attended North County High School. David is an avid sports fan, especially of his beloved St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. In his spare time, he enjoys disc golf with his sons.