Rediger cites city's growth in campaign for re-election as Cape Girardeau mayor

Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger announced Monday that he will seek a second term.

Rediger, first elected in 2010 after former mayor Jay Knudtson was forced out by term limits, said at an afternoon news conference that he's decided to seek the seat again in the April election. Rediger will have to collect 50 signatures on a petition to get his name on the ballot. If two or more other candidates join the race, a primary will be needed to winnow the field to two before April's election.

Rediger has extensive experience in city government predating his term as mayor, with 20 years on the Planning and Zoning Commission. He also was chair of the Saint Francis Medical Center Board of Directors from 1997 to 2007 and served on several other volunteer boards.

In 2010, Rediger took the seat with 63 percent of the vote over councilman Matt Hopkins.

During the news conference, Rediger reflected on major projects taken on during his term, including a successful campaign to land an Isle of Capri casino in Cape Girardeau. He also oversaw a revamp of much of Broadway in last year's Broadway Corridor Project, and has presided over the funding and start of construction of a new wastewater treatment plant to stop the discharge of sewage into the Mississippi River.

"It's been a very positive three and a half years," Rediger said.

He spoke of the master plan for improvements to Capaha Park and the future of the business park at Interstate 55 and LaSalle Avenue purchased in December from Southeast Missouri University Foundation, which is "critical" for the development of jobs in the area, he said.

Rediger's goals, should he be re-elected, remain the same as they were at the beginning of his first term as mayor, he said.

"I want to grow our regional status," he said. "I want to grow jobs; I want to grow economic development."

Rediger said he wants to "manage our resources that we have within the city so that can continue to expand on our unfunded capital needs," the top three capital needs being a new police station, transfer station and, after tackling the first two priorities, replacing city hall. He said the building is not accessible for people with disabilities and not functional for employees.

"I would anticipate that over the next year or two, we will address both of the first two of those major needs," Rediger said.

Rediger said the particulars of the police station's needs, costs and funding will be known by spring 2014.

Continued job growth and the expansion of Cape Girardeau's medical community and Southeast work together to cement the city's "regional hub status," Rediger said.

"[I'm] really looking toward continuing to grow our regional base," he said.

City council seats in wards 1, 2 and 6 also will open for re-election.

Ward 2 Councilwoman Meg Davis will not run for re-election because she will be relocating out of her ward, she said.

Ward 6 Councilman Wayne Bowen said he will have an announcement regarding re-election ready in the next few days.

Ward 1 Councilman John Voss couldn't be reached late Monday.

If needed, a primary election will be Feb. 4, with a general election April 8.

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Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO