On April 4, voters in the Mehlville School District made a surprising move by electing a strip club executive to its Board of Education.
Micheal Ocello said he entered the race knowing his business interests would attract attention, and follow him like a dark cloud. He knew the burden of proof would be considerably higher for him than other candidates, yet he said was determined to focus on his issues, and convince voters to judge him based on the merits of his candidacy.
Ocello claims that he benefited from the common perception that his profile departs from the stereotype cast on the adult entertainment industry. In a field that represented a cross section of the district, Ocello's resume compared reasonably to the small business owners, middle managers, and community activists running against him. From the beginning, Ocello said he felt voters would like him if they would only open their minds. The people have spoken, and he was right.
From a slate of six, with two to be elected, Ocello placed second to Tom Diehl with 24.96 % of the votes.
