LOCAL ANGLES: WARD SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT OFF TO GOOD START

If Monday's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting is any indication, the ward system works.

The newly elected members demonstrated, with a no-nonsense approach, they plan to represent their respective wards and make things happen for the good of the entire city.

Perhaps the most serious test came when Richard Eggimann, elected to represent Ward 6, proposed tabling the minimum housing standards issue to allow time for further study.

Tom Neumeyer, who represents Ward 2, joined forces with Melvin Gateley, Ward 5, in suggesting the time to act is now.

J.J. Williamson, representing Ward 1, spurred the drive to come to a decision in the near future by saying he wanted a serious discussion immediately. "The time to act is now," said Williamson with conviction.

The upshot of this was a motion to appoint a commission of fair citywide representation that will include renters, home owners, property owners, landlords, the NAACP, the Downtown Neighborhood Association, a member of the board of appeals and a city staff member.

If a partridge in a pear tree would like to get in on the discussion, so be it. Well, maybe that's going a little too far. It's a start.

Seriously, anyone interested in applying for a spot on such a committee can do so by stopping by the Cape Girardeau City Hall or calling the same place for a summary application sheet. You've got 30 days to throw your name in for consideration.

After the committee is named at the second city council meeting in May, a decision must come forth within a 60-day time frame. At this stage, a deadline is just the tonic to get things moving.

People like Cecilia Sonderman are mad and aren't going to take it any more. Stated Sonderman, "I should remind everyone that this has gone before a board of appeals twice and sent back to the city council. How many times does this have to be studied and sent back and forth?"

Indeed, if low income housing and property standards are as important as they sound, there is no time to waste in coming to some hard decisions.

The new city council members were more vocal in their first meeting than I would have expected. Eggimann was able to get a traffic issue on the agenda for the next city council meeting.

"It's been called to my attention by some friends and others that we've got a problem with an obstruction of vision at Lexington and Sherwood," said Eggimann. "I know that isn't my ward, but it's something that was called to my attention so I checked it out."

Added Eggimann, "I would hope that we don't wait until there's a serious accident before we consider putting in a four-way stop sign there."

Eggimann asked that someone explain what a financial adviser for the city's state "revolving fund sewer system rehabilitation financing" actually was and what it did. Sure, put it in plain English. When it was explained to him, Eggimann was satisfied and voted to pass the issue to make sure Cape Girardeau is able to upgrade its sewer system.

The upcoming city council retreat, April 29-30, will help the new city council members get acquainted with their responsibilities. Probably the most telling sign for now, however, is their attitude.

They want to represent the people who elected them as fairly as possible without doing damage to the city as a whole.

Under its first test, the ward system was productive and efficient. Newly elected mayor Al Spradling III did an excellent job orchestrating the meeting, keeping an even flow by reminding those giving testimony that they were under a five-minute time limit. He made sure the study session wasn't akin to root canal.

Spradling also used good judgment in asking his cohorts to express how they wished to proceed when there was a standstill or lull in the regular session.

So far, it looks like the ward system, with a mayor who is no stranger to difficult negotiations on complex issues, works.

~Bill Heitland is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.