Poplar Bluff city manager settles in

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Heath Kaplan, Poplar Bluff's new city manager, likes the area, the climate, good barbecue, the city's growth and its potential.

"Poplar Bluff is in a very beautiful area. It is the Gateway to the Ozarks," Kaplan said. "We were attracted to Poplar Bluff because the nice, mature trees and rolling hills remind us of Michigan."

He and his wife, Shannon, have a daughter, Syndey, 9, and a son, Scott, 7. Both are students at O'Neal School.

They are renting a house outside city limits until they sell their home in Muskegon, Michigan, and find a house in Poplar Bluff.

"The council gave us a six-month waiver on the requirement to live within the city limits," Kaplan said.

Kaplan was born in Belleville, Illinois, on Aug. 18, 1973, but has lived most of his life in Michigan, where his parents are.

With winters being so cold in his previous home, Kaplan said, "I was ready for a change."

He described this part of the country as being in the "Goldilocks zone."

"It is not too hot, and it is not too cold," he said.

After seeing the Poplar Bluff ad on the International City Manager Association's website, Kaplan researched information about Poplar Bluff.

"I looked at the schools, the tax base and the budget. Then I talked with my wife and applied," Kaplan said.

After visiting Poplar Bluff, the Kaplans were impressed with "the overwhelming amount of hospitality."

"The people have been very warm and welcoming," Kaplan said.

He wants Poplar Bluff residents to know he has an open-door policy.

"Residents can email me at hkaplan@pbutilities.com, call 785-7474 or make an appointment to share ideas, concerns and challenges for me," Kaplan said. "I want people to know I am here for them."