Business owner Rex Meyr joins Cape Girardeau County Commission race

Fruitland-area businessman Rex Meyr, a Republican, has thrown his hat in the ring for the District 1 seat on the Cape Girardeau County Commission.

“My age and my experiences are fitting for that and I want to continue the good work that these commissioners have been doing for our county,” Meyr said.

This is Meyr’s first time running for elected office. He owns the Shawneetown Feed and Seed Company in the northern part of the county.

“For 38 years, I’ve been in business here in Cape (Girardeau) County and we’ve covered the whole entire county from Delta all the way up here to Old Appleton,” he said.

He has lived in both the northern and southern parts of the county and, through his business, has made a number of rural and urban contacts.

“I don’t want to control anything, but I do want to keep a good balance … and have a good relationship between the city and rural,” Meyr said.

He said one of his main focuses would be to improve the county’s roads and bridges, if elected.

Meyr currently serves on the county’s seven-member Industrial Development Authority Board that develops agricultural, commercial, developmental and industrial facilities.

“I think we can help make jobs by getting some training,” Meyr said. “We’ve tried a couple times to get a training facility here to develop good young people so they can stay here and have good jobs …”

The candidate said he thought he would be able to do the most good as a county commissioner instead of running for a different position.

Meyr is the fifth candidate to file for the seat after Stephen Daume, Kody Thompson, Dwayne Kirchhoff and Dave Reiminger. All are running as Republicans.

The primary election for county offices will take place Tuesday, Aug. 6.