CITY MANAGER PLEASED WITH CVB APPLICANTS

Cape Girardeau city staff have begun sifting through applications for a director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

City Manager Michael Miller said staff have begun "some preliminary winnowing" of the pool of approximately 30 applicants.

The city is seeking a replacement for Mary Miller, whose resignation from the CVB took effect May 1. She left for personal reasons.

"We're pleased with the quality of the applicants," Michael Miller said.

He hopes to begin interviewing candidates early next month and have a new CVB director on board by July 1.

Members of the Convention and Visitors Bureau advisory board had urged Miller not to rush the search, and to expand it nationally, if necessary.

The CVB post was advertised regionally. "They've come from as far away as Ohio," Miller said.

He doesn't think it will be necessary to expand the search.

"One of the things we did in order to facilitate the search was to advertise more or less in our small region," Miller said. "The intentions all along were to see the kind of applicants we got, and then expand the search, if necessary."

Advertising regionally "will save us time," he said. "If we had not had an adequate pool, we would have expanded the search."

Deadline for applications was May 15. Miller said the city has received "plenty of applications from this local area," but wouldn't comment on specific applicants.

Salary range for the CVB job will be in the neighborhood of $35,000 to $41,000, he said. Mary Miller's salary was approximately $38,000.

A search team of five department heads and Miller are reviewing the applications.

CVB advisory board members have asked to be allowed to meet with finalists. In the past, Miller said, finalists for similar positions have met with employees and advisory commission members in small receptions.

"We'll probably do something like that this time," he said, and advisory board members and city employees will have the opportunity to comment on candidates for the job.

"I take those comments into account when I'm making the decision," Miller said.

Mary Miller came under fire from former employees and members of the CVB advisory board, who alleged she was a difficult supervisor.