Richard Ross Makes His Pitch To Be Osage Beach Mayor

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — Municipal elections are April 7, and in Osage Beach, Aldermen Richard Ross is making the case for his candidacy in the three-way race for mayor.

Ross served as aldermen from 2017 to 2025, representing Ward III.

His campaign announcement and vision is republished, below:

Veteran Osage Beach alderman Richard Ross is running for mayor with an eye to putting the city on a path to better planned growth more attention to infrastructure and responsible fiscal management to City Government. As well, he brings a level of integrity to the Mayor position that is long overdue.
Ross served four terms on the Board of Aldermen and five years as board president. Now retired, he has a strong background with 32 years in major corporate management at Pepsico and Taco Bell. He and his wife have made their home in Osage Beach for 25 years.
“I want to help the city create a reasonable plan for the future,” Ross said. “For too long the city has been reactive, not proactive. With a vision, a plan and intentional leadership Osage Beach can grow to benefit our citizens while maintaining the atmosphere that we all love.”
In laying out his vision for Osage Beach, Ross says the ongoing problems with the sewer need to be addressed and fixed. “For too long we have put a bandaid on the smell problem that recurs constantly. There is a solution and we will find it,” Ross said.
Ross strongly supports the redevelopment mall and wants to ensure the project comes to fruition. While the outlet mall is a perfect example of how TIF’s can be a vital tool in community growth, he commits to ensure the taxpayers get a reasonable return from TIF’s in the future. As well developers should not be making exorbitant profits from taxpayer funds. “I will ensure TIF projects are needed and only receive taxpayer dollars to produce a reasonable rate of return.
He is a proponent of a careful takeover of Lee C. Fine Airport. “Osage Beach can benefit from a municipal airport that is welcoming to commercial air traffic, provides facilities for our local pilots and is run in a fiscally responsible way,” Ross said. “After decades of talking, it is time to make this happen”.
Ross emphasized that the city needs to live within its means, pledging to contain rates and taxes while increasing efficiency. “With effective management and oversight, we can do more without asking for more.” He opposes further hikes in utility rates for at least two years.
“I have the integrity, experience, expertise and energy to lead Osage Beach into the future. I love this town, it is our home, and I want to help,” Ross said.