COUNCILMEN REACT TO TERM LIMITS

Re-elected Councilmen Jack Rickard, Melvin Kasten and Melvin Gateley were sworn in Monday at Cape Girardeau City Hall. The ceremony followed a brief council meeting to accept last week's certified election results.

The three are first on the council to be affected by a charter amendment requiring term limits. The new law states council members may serve only two consecutive four-year terms.

City Attorney Eric Cunningham said Tuesday's passage affects the three re-elected councilmen but none in the middle of their terms, no matter how long they have served.

Kasten and Gateley, both beginning their second terms, said they didn't intend to run again regardless of the amendment.

"I think eight years will be enough," Kasten said. "When it comes down to it, you can be in too long. On the state level, 12 years is enough. Locally, eight is enough."

Gateley said he supported the term limit amendment from the start and predicted Cape Girardeau voters would favor it. The new law will allow more citizens to serve their city, he said.

"We have a number of qualified candidates," Gateley said. "I hope as years go along, people are interested in filing for office."

Gateley's goal is to serve until the year 2000, he said, and winning the second term will allow him to accomplish it.

Rickard won his seat in a special city election in August 1994. He said he didn't plan to seek another term because of his age -- he will be 70 by the end of his current term -- even though other councilmen are older.

Not every city leader has been content to serve two terms. Former Mayor Howard C. Tooke served on the council for 18 years, from 1968-1986. He was mayor for 13 years.

Tooke said he was surprised that the term-limit amendment was so popular.

"I imagine most people could guess how I could feel about it," he said. "It is a way to get rid of a bad councilman, but it seems like a terrible waste to get rid of a good mayor or councilman."

"I actually think the best accomplishments I had when I was mayor was in my third or fourth term," Tooke said. "It takes several years to get used to the job unless you're a professional politician, which I was not."

Councilmen James Williamson Jr., Tom Neumeyer and Richard Eggimann, along with Mayor Al Spradling III, won't be affected by the term-limit law until they run for re-election.