New county commissioner, treasurer attend first meeting

There were a few new faces at the first Cape Girardeau County Commission meeting of 2025 on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Stephen Daume sat at his first meeting as the new District 1 associate commissioner, representing all of Cape Girardeau County outside of the City of Cape Girardeau.

“It’s exciting. Everybody has been asking me if I’m ready and the answer is no, I’m not ready, right? But I’ll learn as much as fast as I can and I’m ready to serve. I’m looking forward to it,” Daume said.

Having been elected in November, Daume took over the role from four-term Commissioner Paul Koeper, who chose not to run for reelection.

County Treasurer Ronnie Maxwell also attended his first meeting in the role. Roger Hudson, the previous treasurer, had decided not to run after serving in that capacity for 20 years.

“I’m very excited. I told my wife, ‘It’s going to be like drinking from a fire hose for a while, but it’s very cool’. I’m ready to take office and ready and willing to serve,” Maxwell said.

Established county personnel also were recognized at the meeting. Emergency management director Sam Herndon and assistant parks superintendent Mike Evans received certificates from the Missouri Association of Counties (MAC) marking five years of working for the county. Parks superintendent Bryan Sander was celebrated by the MAC for 20 years of employment.

“It’s been a good 20 years. You won’t find a better place to work than Cape County, I’ll tell you that,” Sander said.

The commissioners had just a few items to discuss on their agenda, chief among them approving a pay request to Penzel Construction of Jackson for the ongoing 1908 Courthouse renovation. They approved the pay request in the amount of $334,808.02 from the county’s capital improvement fund.