Consultant guiding city manager search in Cape; process to ramp up in January

GovHR USA vice president Mark Peterson met virtually this week with the Cape Girardeau City Council, presenting the mayor and six ward council members with the draft of an eight-page recruitment brochure for a new city manager.

Peterson is helping coordinate the search to replace Scott Meyer, who plans to retire in June after 12 years, making him the longest-serving city manager in municipal history.

The council is expected to approve the brochure by the end of the month, perhaps as early as its next scheduled meeting Dec. 21.

A formal position announcement will advertise the opening in trade magazines, social media and other platforms right after the first of the year.

Mayor Bob Fox said the brochure, among other objectives, will tout the quality of life in Missouri’s 17th largest city, according to a 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimate.

“We have a new police headquarters, fire station, plans for a new regional airport terminal, historic sites like Fort D and repeated voter support for taking care of our streets and transportation infrastructure,” said Fox, mayor since 2018.

Fox said the brochure will highlight, both in text and with pictures, the growth of Cape Girardeau and the opportunities available here.

The first term mayor also said the prospectus will aim at honesty about Cape Girardeau’s challenges.

“Just like the rest of America, COVID has hit us and our general revenue is flat,” Fox said.

The tentative timeline calls for an application deadline in late February with possible interviews of candidates to be scheduled in early April.

GovHR USA is the same Northbrook, Illinois-based executive search firm used to secure Travis Hollis as Cape Girardeau’s fire chief in August 2019. By mutual agreement with the city, Hollis departed the position in October after less than 14 months in the post.

Peterson told the Southeast Missourian he was not personally involved in Hollis’ recruitment.

“It was a real coup to get (Peterson) to consult us,” Fox said.

“He was city manager himself of a city (Normal, Illinois) comparable in size to ours,” he added.

Fox said Peterson’s job description included oversight of a “huge” downtown development in Normal. Normal, like Cape Girardeau, is a college town. The central Illinois city is home to Illinois State University.

“(Peterson) knows what we’re looking for,” Fox said.