Haskin introduced as Cape's incoming city manager

Kenneth Haskin took the podium in the Cape Girardeau City Council chambers Thursday and said he is glad to become the ninth manager of Missouri's 16th largest municipality.

"This is a great day personally and professionally and I am humbled and deeply grateful (to the City Council) for choosing me," Haskin said before a crowd of nearly 100 spectators.

"Leadership is not easy and leadership comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility and accountability -- and I'm here to embrace both," Haskin said, adding as an ex-college football linebacker, he likes "to create energy and synergy."

Haskin, 52, praised Scott Meyer, his soon-to-be predecessor, as having done "an amazing job."

At 12 years of service, Meyer is the longest manager in Cape Girardeau's history since the municipality went to a city manager form of governance in 1966.

Kenneth Haskin, who will become city manager in June, speaks about how he looks forward to the position during Thursday's news conference in the chambers of the Cape Girardeau City Council in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel

Haskin noted he was a recent finalist for two city manager jobs, including Cape Girardeau.

Haskin responded to a series of questions posed by the Southeast Missourian after his introduction by Mayor Bob Fox.

Why did you resign the city manager role in Texarkana, Arkansas, in late March?

I can't go into everything that happened in executive session but I can say the Texarkana community is wonderful and the people there supported me a great deal.

I was there for close to 15 years and this was just a good time for me to move on.

I'd considered resigning for months.

You were the first person of color to be city manager in Texarkana and now you're the first in Cape Girardeau, too. How does it feel to be a pioneer?

It's wonderful. The community (here) has embraced me a great deal.

I look at this as an opportunity to perform at a high level.

No matter where you come from, how much money you have or what you look like, opportunities exist for people who work hard every single day to prove themselves.

Chief Wes Blair has been trying to diversify Cape Girardeau's police force in a very difficult climate right now for law enforcement. Do you think your hiring will encourage people of color to make application to the department?

I certainly hope so. I've met with the chief and he has vigorously been pursuing officers, trying to diversify.

Incoming city manager Kenneth Haskin speaks at Thursday's news conference while the outgoing manager, Scott Meyer, back left, watches in the chambers of the Cape Girardeau City Council in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel

I think a lot of it has to do with making sure from an administrative standpoint, that we support police because officers have been demonized, quite frankly, all over the country.

This is not to say that bad apples aren't out there but not every police officer is out to do harm.

My job is to support our chief and his officers to make sure we build a cohesive message so we can go out and recruit high-character people to represent the people of Cape Girardeau.

That's first and foremost -- for the police department and for the city as a whole.

The City of Cape, according to the National League of Cities, is expected to receive $7.47 million from the American Rescue Plan, approved by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. You're not on the job yet so I'm asking a hypothetical question now. If the Cape Girardeau School Board would approach the City Council and ask for a portion of the funding, do you imagine the city, under your administration, would be open to that idea?

I think the challenge, quite frankly, for cities across the country is to make sure we have a clear understanding how we can actually spend these dollars.

There is some confusion right now about this.

I think it's going to take education early on to make sure these funds are spent properly.

That would be my thinking, initially.

Incoming city manager, Kenneth Haskin, hugs mayor Bob Fox after making a speech at Thursday's news conference in the chambers of the Cape Girardeau City Council in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel

Several big projects are in the pipeline as you arrive in Cape Girardeau this June. Two of them are the $12.5 million new City Hall project, slated to be complete by Oct. 1, and a new passenger terminal for city-owned Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

It's all exciting. I'm also impressed about the confidence the citizens have in the mayor and council because they've endorsed the council's initiatives over and over again.

I want to be one piece of that pie to continue to move Cape Girardeau forward.

Any other comments you'd like to make?

Downtown Cape is one of the reasons I was impressed with the city but also the proactive attitude and approach of the mayor and the rest of city council: providing good services, supporting the staff and advancing the city.

A lot of cities have walked away from their downtowns because it seems everybody wants to be out near the interstate.

A focus on downtown is so critical and I've been very much impressed with what I've seen so far in Cape.

Do you know when you will take the reins at City Hall?

My hope is to start June 1 if I'm able to find residency before then but residential property is going pretty quickly.

What is the tip of spear, so to speak, convincing you to come to Cape Girardeau?

When I conducted my research, it appeared to me the culture within the staff and organization was a perfect match for me. This is what I was looking for.