Who is mayoral candidate Pat Nasi ?
- Ronnie Dominique
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
Pat Nasi is a candidate for Mayor of Macon, Missouri, running in the 2026 municipal election. He positions himself as a candidate for "change" and "transparency," drawing on extensive experience in local government administration.
Professional Background
Nasi's campaign highlights over 25 years of civic and professional leadership experience:
City Administration: Served for over 15 years as a city administrator.
Elected Office: Served 3 years as an Alderman and 6 years on a Board of Education.
Board Service: Served 3 years on a college Board of Overseers and various other professional committees.
Campaign Platform
Nasi's platform, detailed on his official campaign website, focuses on addressing "palpable lack of trust" within the community. His key priorities include:
Openness and Transparency: He advocates for making city business and taxpayer allocations readily accessible to the public to restore accountability.
Government Accountability: Nasi contends that city leaders have a duty to share information openly to receive citizen feedback.
Community Growth: He identifies the need for Macon to "face head on" challenges that hinder its prosperity and growth.
Community discussions have linked his candidacy to a desire for reform following local controversies, such as the termination of a previous city administrator.
Pat Nasi’s campaign for mayor emphasizes his broader background rather than a specific list of past projects within Macon itself.
His official Nasi4Mayor campaign site highlights that he has served over 15 years as a city administrator, though it does not explicitly catalog project-by-project results from his previous tenure in that role.
Instead, Nasi frames his past work through the lens of institutional knowledge and community service:
Civic Leadership Experience: Beyond his 15 years as a city administrator, he cites 3 years as an Alderman and 6 years on a Board of Education as evidence of his ability to navigate municipal governance.
Current Positioning: He uses his past administrative background to argue that he is uniquely qualified to fix "chronic problems with city policies and procedures" and a "palpable lack of trust" he currently perceives in Macon's government.
Administrative Insight: His campaign messaging focuses on his understanding of how government conducts public business and allocates taxpayer dollars, promising that if elected mayor, he will apply this administrative expertise to ensure city information is "openly posted and readily accessible".
While specific historical infrastructure or policy milestones from his previous years as administrator are not currently featured in his primary campaign materials, his platform is built on the premise that his 25+ total years of civic engagement provide the necessary experience to "improve and enhance [Macon's] growth and prosperity".
Pat Nasi previously served as the City Administrator for the following cities:
: Nasi served as the City Administrator for O'Fallon during the 1990s.
: He held the position of City Administrator in Annandale in the early 1990s.
In his more recent career, Nasi has worked as a principal with Development Dynamics, a consulting firm based in O'Fallon that specializes in Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) and municipal economic development. This extensive background in municipal administration and consulting forms the foundation of his "change and transparency" platform for the Macon mayoral race.
Pat Nasi’s 2026 mayoral campaign for Macon focuses on five primary "pillar" proposals aimed at professionalizing city government and restoring public trust.
1. Openness and Transparency
Nasi proposes a fundamental shift in how city business is shared with the public.
Accessible Information: He intends to openly post and make all information regarding public business and taxpayer dollar allocations "readily accessible".
Trust Rebuilding: He aims to open the "inner workings" of city government to address what he describes as a "palpable lack of trust" following recent local controversies.
2. Responsiveness (Citizen Action Initiative)
Nasi advocates for a more interactive relationship between City Hall and residents.
Follow-up Systems: He plans to implement a Citizen Action Initiative designed to ensure city staff properly respond to and follow up on concerns raised by residents in an efficient manner.
Two-Way Communication: He wants to establish two-way communication as a "standard operating procedure" for all major decision-making.
3. Infrastructure Modernization
He argues that basic city maintenance is the prerequisite for economic investment.
Core Systems: Nasi proposes meeting potential investors "halfway" by prioritizing the improvement of streets, water, and sewer systems.
Operations: He plans to work directly with city staff to improve the day-to-day maintenance activities of city operations.
4. Balanced Revitalization
Nasi believes Macon has a unique quality of life that can be better leveraged.
Promotional Strategy: He intends to replace current "one-off" revitalization projects with an overall promotional strategy that capitalizes on the community's existing strengths.
Economic Strategy: He proposes a "balanced and healthy" economic development strategy specifically designed to attract new jobs to the area.
5. Experienced Leadership
Leveraging his background, Nasi proposes to "face head on" specific challenges regarding city growth and prosperity that he believes require professional administrative insight.
You can find more detail on these specific proposals at the Nasi4Mayor official website.
Concerns regarding inaccessible government business in Macon, Missouri often center on a perceived lack of transparency in decision-making and administrative actions. Critics and former officials have highlighted several specific examples of these issues:
Delays in Sunshine Law Requests: Following the termination of former city administrator Scott Meszaros in August 2025, reports indicated that city leaders delayed providing records requested under Missouri's Sunshine Law.
Declined Communication Opportunities: During controversial periods, such as the firing of the city administrator, city leaders reportedly declined repeated opportunities to communicate or clarify the reasons behind their actions to the public or media.
Personnel Decisions Without Public Discussion: The termination of Meszaros was characterized as happening without a clear plan or prior discussion. Critics argue that the council often makes significant decisions without notifying the public or conducting a public vote.
Limitations on Public Debate: Citizen concerns have been raised about the City Council's "egregious limitations" on the free and open discussion of controversial topics. For example, the council was criticized for its unwillingness to openly debate the removal of a Board of Public Works member in a public forum.
"Blindsiding" of Elected Officials: Former Mayor Scott Bigham, who resigned in 2022, alleged that he was frequently "sidestepped" and "blindsided" at council meetings, and that he was lied to regarding important decision-making processes.
Centralization of Information: Residents have reported challenges in finding and navigating essential resources, noting that critical information for citizens—such as tenant rights or how to file complaints—is often not centralized and is difficult to access.
AI responses may include mistakes. For legal advice, consult a professional
In Macon, Missouri, the process for a Sunshine Law request follows the standard legal framework established by Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 610. This law requires that public records be made available to citizens to ensure government accountability.
The Typical Process
Identify the Custodian: Every government body must designate a Custodian of Records. In Macon, this is typically the City Clerk.
Submit a Request: While not strictly required to be in writing, it is highly recommended to submit a written request via email or mail to create a paper trail. The request should be as specific as possible, citing the Sunshine Law and detailing the dates and subject matter of the records sought.
The Three-Day Rule: The custodian must respond "as soon as possible" but no later than the end of the third business day after receiving the request. This response must either:
Provide the requested records.
Explain why the records are closed (citing the specific legal exemption).
Provide a detailed explanation for any delay and give the earliest date the records will be available.
Fees: Agencies can charge for the search and duplication of records, often around $0.10 per page plus the hourly wage of the staff member performing the research. Requesters can ask for a fee waiver if the disclosure is in the public interest.
Why Requests Might Be Delayed
Delays are legally permissible only for "reasonable cause". Common reasons for these delays include:
Volume and Complexity: A high volume of requests or the need to search through large amounts of physical or archived data can extend the timeline.
Legal Review/Redaction: If records contain sensitive or protected information (such as personnel files or legal advice), they must be reviewed and redacted by legal counsel before release.
Staffing and Training: A lack of trained staff or a change in personnel (such as a new City Clerk) can lead to procedural bottlenecks.
Intentional Obstruction: In some cases, as seen in recent Macon controversies, delays are criticized as a way to avoid public scrutiny during sensitive periods.
If a request is improperly denied or delayed, citizens can file a Sunshine Law Complaint with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
Would you like to know more about the specific records citizens have recently been seeking from the Macon City Council?
AI responses may include mistakes. For legal advice, consult a professional
In recent months, citizens and media outlets in Macon have specifically targeted records related to the sudden termination of former City Administrator Scott Meszaros in August 2025. These requests seek to uncover the administrative reasoning behind his firing after only five months on the job
.
Key records recently sought include:
Communication Records: Requesters have asked for emails, text messages, and internal memoranda between City Council members, the Mayor, and city staff regarding personnel decisions and public meeting conduct.
Meeting Minutes and Closed Session Votes: There has been high demand for the official minutes and records of the July 24, 2024 and August 2025 council meetings to verify when and how the vote to remove the administrator was actually conducted.
Personnel Justification: Citizens have sought documents that might clarify why the council moved in a "different direction," especially since the official statement initially cited "personnel matters" without further detail.
Public Participation Records: Requests have also targeted instructions given to city staff or security regarding the management of public comments and the "silencing" or removal of speakers during controversial council sessions.
The Macon City Council recently released a signed, two-page letter to address claims of a toxic work culture raised by Meszaros, but this letter notably did not explain why many of these specific Sunshine Law requests have been delayed.
The "lack of trust" that Pat Nasi and other critics frequently reference in Macon isn't based on a single event, but rather a compounding series of leadership changes and perceived "closed-door" decisions over the last few years.
This environment has created a divide between the City Council and a vocal segment of the community. Here are the core factors contributing to this atmosphere:
1. High Turnover in Executive Leadership
Trust is often built on stability, and Macon has seen significant upheaval in its top office:
The 2022 Resignation: Former Mayor Scott Bigham resigned mid-term, citing a toxic relationship with the City Council. His public departure, where he claimed he was being "sidestepped" and "lied to," set a precedent for the current tension.
The Meszaros Termination (2025): The firing of City Administrator Scott Meszaros after only five months—conducted in a way that many felt lacked a clear public explanation—led to accusations that the council was acting without accountability.
2. The "Closed-Door" Perception
A major point of contention is the use of Closed Sessions. While Missouri law allows cities to go into closed sessions for legal or personnel matters, critics in Macon argue the council uses this privilege too broadly to avoid public debate on controversial topics.
The "Different Direction" Defense: When major changes occur, the city often uses the phrase "moving in a different direction." To many residents, this feels like an evasive tactic to avoid disclosing the actual reasoning behind taxpayer-funded decisions.
3. Friction with Public Participation
There have been several documented instances where the relationship between the council and the public became adversarial during meetings:
Limiting Public Comment: Residents have complained about strict or inconsistent enforcement of rules regarding who can speak and for how long.
Dismissal of Board Members: The removal of individuals from local boards (like the Board of Public Works) without what the public deemed "fair hearings" has reinforced the idea that dissenting voices are silenced rather than heard.
4. Delayed Information Flow
The perceived "weaponization" of the Sunshine Law process—where records are legally requested but take weeks or months to be produced—has led to a theory among some residents that the city is "slow-walking" information until public anger dies down.
5. Social Media and the "Digital Divide"
In the absence of frequent, clear updates from City Hall, community members have turned to private Facebook groups (like the one Pat Nasi uses for his campaign). These platforms have become hubs for "citizen journalism," where rumors and facts often mix, further fueling the sense that the official city government is not telling the whole story.
Summary of the Citizens concerns
Perspective of Critics | Perspective of City Council |
Decisions are made in secret before meetings. | Personnel matters must remain private by law. |
Leadership is unstable and reactive. | They are making "tough calls" for the city's future. |
Citizens are being ignored or silenced. | They are following established meeting protocols. |
The upcoming municipal election for the
, is scheduled for April 7, 2026. This election includes the race for Mayor and four City Council seats (one per ward).
Pat Nasi is squaring off in the April 7th 2026 Macon mayoral race with current city councilman/former Macon mayor Talt Holman
Wow!