Two on Cape council not running again

The Cape Girardeau City Council will have at least two new faces and possibly as many as four next year.

Ward 1 Councilman Joe Uzoaru said Monday he will not seek re-election to a second four-year term.

Newly appointed Ward 6 Councilman Danny Essner said he will not run for the seat in the April 2018 election.

Ward 2 Councilwoman Shelly Moore said she will seek a second term.

Mayor Harry Rediger is term-limited. Ward 5 Councilman Bob Fox announced several months ago he will run for mayor.

Danny Essner

If Fox is elected mayor, the council would appoint someone to fill the vacant Ward 5 seat until an election could be held in August or November 2018, deputy city clerk Bruce Taylor said.

If a primary election is needed, it would be held in August, and the general election would be in November, he said.

People wishing to run for the Ward 1, 2 and 6 council seats and the mayor's seat may pick up nominating petitions at city hall, officials said.

City residents must turn in petitions bearing the signatures of at least 50 registered voters in their wards, or citywide in the case of mayor, to qualify as candidates.

The filing period begins at 8 a.m. Oct. 24 and closes at 5 p.m. Nov. 21, deputy city clerk Bruce Taylor said.

Moore, who was elected in April 2014 to represent a ward on the city's south side, said she is running again because "there are so many unfinished things" she would like to see completed in the community.

Moore said she wants to see improvements to her ward, which is home to many low-income and minority residents.

"I think it is time for that," she said.

Among other things, she hopes to see economic development in her ward.

She said she is pleased to see more minority residents showing up at council meetings and becoming active in neighborhood groups.

"They see they do have a voice here," she added.

According to Moore, the area is showing signs of renewal. She said she feels there is "a pulse" again in her ward.

Uzoaru, who represents the northeast part of Cape Girardeau, said he decided not to run again because of family and business commitments. He said he has three young children, which played into his decision.

Uzoaru said he has enjoyed serving on the council, adding he would not rule out a future run for the council.

Essner, a retired Cape Girardeau banker, was appointed in late August to fill the unexpired Ward 6 term of Wayne Bowen, who resigned to take a job at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Essner said he decided not to seek election to a four-year term because he has been spending a lot of time dealing with his parents' health problems.

As a councilman, Essner said, "There is lots of information to digest. It takes a lot of time."

Essner said he doesn't feel he will be able to devote the time to the council position that would be needed over the next four years.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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