FOUR APPLY FOR NEW ETHICS COMMISSION

With the deadline over, four people -- one short of a quorum -- have applied for membership on what is supposed to be a seven-member Cape Girardeau Ethics Commission.

"We'll start with those and probably re-advertise the positions," said City Manager Michael G. Miller.

Applications for membership must be postmarked by March 1.

Deputy City Clerk Gayle Conrad said the mail is sometimes slow, so it is possible that another application could come in the mail.

If no applications arrive, city officials face the problem of figuring out how to uphold the will of the majority of voters who approved setting up the commission last April.

The four applicants are William Donnelly, a semi-retired insurance marketer; John Egbuka, a cook; Bo Shantz, a State Farm agent; and Stephen Stigers, an anesthesiologist.

Shantz and Donnelly both said they applied because they heard no one else did and they wanted the ethics commission to work.

"It just seemed like the right thing to do," Donnelly said. "It was something I voted for, and I read in the paper that nobody came out. I have no ax to grind."

Donnelly is the only one who said he has served in public office before -- president of a water district board in Miami County, Kan., about 10 years ago.

Shantz said he would step aside "if seven other people would step forward." He said he has never held public office.

"A lot of times you do things you really don't want to do, but if it's what's needed to help your community, you do it," Shantz said.

Egbuka said he signed up because he thought it would be a challenge "outside of what I do every day."

He said he is not politically involved, but he often attends city council meetings "just to be in the audience."

Stigers said he was looking for a way to serve the community outside of his medical profession. "I see this as an avenue for providing moral leadership to the community," he said.

None of the applicants said they had a particular ax to grind or thought the current city leadership had significant ethical problems.

Everyone seemed to meet the qualifications for the office, Conrad said.

According to city ordinance, the members may not be state or local government employees, employed as a lobbyist, members of any other government board, officers of any political organization, participants in any political campaign or be convicted felons. After the council appoints the members, the ordinance calls for them to submit financial disclosure forms within 30 days.

The city charter gives the ethics commission broad powers to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by members of all city boards, the city manager, chief purchasing officer and judge. It would recommend actions to the city council, which has final authority to act.

Members will work without pay.