Cape council vacancy sparks public interest, draws nine applicants

A Cape Girardeau City Council vacancy has drawn renewed public interest in city government with nine applicants, an unusually large number, seeking to fill the Ward 3 seat.

Mayor Bob Fox said Thursday that he is "thrilled" so many people want to serve on the council.

The applicants are Renita Green, Missy Phegley, Lacy Burnette, Nathaniel Thomas, Ashley Roney, Tom Roy, Elizabeth Lockhart, Christina Mershon and Bradley Tuschhoff.

All of them listed their occupations on the city's application form.

• Green pastors St. James AME Church and was an unsuccessful candidate for a state House seat in 2018.
• Phegley is a professor and director of composition and assessment at Southeast Missouri University.
• Burnette is employed by Cask, a wine and beer establishment.
• Thomas is a physical therapist for Saint Francis Medical Center.
• Roney is a real estate agent with Realty Executives.
• Roy is a medical practice manager for SoutheastHEALTH.
• Lockhart, a former teacher, owns Riverbend Realty.
• Mershon directs Southeast Missouri State University's continuing education program.
• Tuschhoff is a certified public accountant with Begley, Young, Unterreiner & White.

The vacancy was created by the resignation of Victor Gunn, who resigned last month because he and his wife moved to a different ward in the city.

Ward 3 encompasses the central part of the city, from Pacific Street west to Kingshighway and Cape Rock Drive south to Brink Street.

Fox and other city officials have repeatedly urged the public over the past year to participate in city government by running for council seats and serving on city advisory boards.

In the recent past, few people filed for council seats. The last vacancy to be filled was in May 2018 when the council appointed Ryan Essex to fill the Ward 5 vacancy created by the election of Fox as mayor. Essex was one of only two applicants for that position.

The large number of applicants this time is "exciting," Fox said.

Fox said the city's new Citizen Academy, a leadership program designed to educate participating residents about Cape Girardeau's city government, is helping spark public interest.

One of the applicants, Roney, was a graduate of the Citizen Academy.

"I think it is important to have people involved, and the more people that will go through the Citizen Academy, they are going to be better educated about how the city runs," he said.

The city established Citizen Academy last year, holding one session. This year and going forward, the city is holding two, 10-week sessions.

Fox said that having so many applications for the council seat means "it is going to make the process a little longer" for council members to fill the position.

Applicants will be invited to speak at an "introduction and question" session during the city council meeting Monday, city officials said. The council expects to fill the vacancy at its Aug. 19 meeting.

Fox said the appointed person will serve on the council for the remainder of the unexpired term, which ends in April.

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