Former mayors lend voices of experience

It's a tough time for a tax increase, Cape Girardeau's former mayors say.

But most said it's clear the city has serious funding needs as it seeks passage of four tax issues on the April 8 ballot.

Mayor Jay Knudtson tried to sell Cape Girardeau's former mayors on the merits of the city's ballot issues during an hourlong private meeting with them at City Hall prior to a ceremony honoring them in the council chambers.

Former mayors J. Ronald Fischer, Ivan Irvin, Howard Tooke, Paul Stehr, Francis "Gene" Rhodes and Al Spradling III, all of Cape Girardeau, attended. Among Cape Girardeau's living ex-mayors, only A. Robert Pierce of Mount Auburn, Mich., was unable to attend. Pierce had a scheduling conflict but sent a letter reflecting on his time in Cape Girardeau.

"Up until now, I was a little bit confused" about the funding issues, Fischer said following the ceremony.

Fischer, who served as mayor from April 1966 to April 1967, said Knudtson's presentation clearly showed the need for more funding and that city officials must continue to educate the voters on the issues.

"Right now, a lot of people are more confused than they are for or against it," Fischer said.

Cape Girardeau's current city administration wants voters to approve a quarter-cent sales tax, a local use tax on catalog and Internet sales over $2,000, a storm-water utility fee and the extension of a 10-cent property tax.

The four measures combined would raise an estimated $4.13 million a year for operating expenses, equipment replacement, storm water drainage projects, replacement of a fire station, expansion of the police station and construction of a water park, city officials said.

Rhodes, who served as mayor from April 1986 to April 1994, questioned the timing of the funding package.

"I think it is coming at the wrong time for the public," said Rhodes, pointing to the struggling economy. "I think it's going to be hard to get passed."

Flooding in 1986

Addressing storm-water needs is the top priority, said Rhodes, who had to deal with serious flooding problems in the Town Plaza area in 1986.

Ivan Irvin, who served as mayor from January 1969 to April 1970, said funding issues are nothing new in city government. City officials, he said, are doing a good job of informing the voters. However, like Rhodes, Irvin thought the timing of the vote isn't good because of the economy.

Stehr said voters have lost confidence in the city over its funding role in a proposed River Campus arts school that Southeast Missouri State University wants to build.

Despite that, "I think they are going to pass some of them," Stehr said.

Spradling, who served as mayor from April 1994 to April 2002, said he hopes voters will pass the funding measures. The city council, he said, has the right priorities. He said city officials properly put the proposed water park at the bottom of the list.

Tooke, who served on the city council for 17 years in the 1970s and 1980s and held the post of mayor 13 of those years, is in frail health.

"I've got so much I'd like to tell you, the only trouble is I can't remember it," he told the crowd of about 60 former council members and other invited guests at city hall.

Knudtson said the city had a lot of firsts while Tooke was mayor, everything from passage of the first city sales tax in 1971 to adoption of the city charter in 1981.

'He was my role model'

Pierce, the former mayor, served as city attorney under Tooke. In his letter, he wrote that Tooke was adept at winning other council members over to his point of view. "He was my role model for getting things done," Pierce wrote.

Stehr remembers serving on the city council with Tooke. "You didn't disagree with Howard. You talked," he said.

Tooke, he said, would keep talking until all the council members agreed.

Tooke wasn't alone in receiving praise.

Knudtson pointed to the successes of all the former mayors.

Fischer, he said, served on the first council under the city manager form of government and saw voters pass a library tax.

Pierce was mayor when the city council adopted a major street plan.

When Irvin was mayor, the council approved a measure allowing bowling on Sunday and eliminated stock car racing in Arena Park.

Stehr was mayor when city hall moved from the Common Pleas Courthouse to Old Lorimier School on Independence in 1978. During his tenure, the area was hit with 24 inches of snow in the blizzard of 1979. Parking meters were removed in the city in 1980.

Under Rhodes, the Show Me Center opened, a new fire station was constructed, a federal flood-control project was launched and a ward system of electing council members was established.

Under Spradling, the city constructed the Osage Community Centre and the Shawnee Park complex, voters approved a transportation sales tax to fund street improvements and city officials held cooperative meetings with their counterparts in Jackson.

"We were fortunate over the last eight years to have tremendous support from the community," Spradling said at the ceremony.

He said he was proud of the cooperation that has occurred between Cape Girardeau and Jackson city officials in recent years.

Jackson Mayor Paul Sander was on hand for Monday's ceremony.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123