Editorial: Stacy Kinder will be next mayor of Cape Girardeau

Cape Girardeau has elected a new mayor in Stacy Kinder.

The city councilwoman defeated incumbent Mayor Bob Fox in a municipal election that saw a stronger than normal voter turnout.

Fox held an early lead on election night, but as returns came in, Kinder took the lead and ultimately won with a 23-vote margin.

Kinder won 10 of the city's precincts to the four carried by Fox. Fox's wins came from the west side of the city and the 4C precinct in the north-central part of Cape. Kinder's, meanwhile, came in the north, east and south sides of Cape.

A positive from this election is there were real discussions about issues at forums, in Southeast Missourian stories and elsewhere along the campaign. That's a benefit of having a contested race.

Kinder's election is historic for Cape Girardeau. Though she did not tout this as part of her campaign or election victory, she is the first woman to become mayor of the City of Cape Girardeau.

Kinder ran her campaign heavily on transparency. She touted the importance of transparency while on the city council and in her public appearances. It was an issue that resonated with voters. She also encouraged open dialogue about issues and expanding the number of voices in local government.

We congratulate Mayor Bob Fox on running a valiant re-election campaign and for his years of service as mayor. Fox not only had to navigate the daily challenges of the office, but he did so during a pandemic. We appreciated the frankness of which he spoke, both publicly and to this newspaper on important issues.

Serving as mayor of Cape Girardeau -- or any similarly-sized community -- is a thankless job. It's certainly not about the money ($150/month). And there are other ways to serve with fewer complaints and hassle. But those who serve do so because they want to improve their community. They want to make it a better place to work, live and raise a family. We're thankful those individuals exist. And specifically, we thank both Mayor Fox and Mayor-elect Kinder for putting their names up for consideration, sharing their visions for Cape Girardeau and campaigning on the issues important to voters.

The mayoral race wasn't the only contest on the April 5 ballot. Some communities had ballot issues to be decided. Across the area there were contests for city council, alderman, school board and health board. These contests can help surface issues that need to be discussed. This is important. Done respectfully, this can make our schools and communities stronger.

To all those who put their names on the ballot, if you won or lost, thank you. There's so much important work that gets done at the local level, and it's vital that we have solid individuals step up to the plate and serve.