Stances differ on parks post in Cape Girardeau County Commission race

The two men who want Jay Purcell's job agree -- there are better ways for the 2nd District Cape Girardeau County commissioner to spend his time than overseeing the daily operations of the county's parks system.

Both pledged that, if one of them manages to unseat the incumbent in the Aug. 7 GOP primary, he would disassemble the plan that Purcell put in place last year to permanently take over as parks superintendent. In separate interviews, challengers Charlie Herbst and Moe Sandfort said that not only were they not interested in micromanaging the parks system, they thought it wasn't the best use of a commissioner's time.

"I would not be interested in being the parks superintendent," Herbst said. "As a commissioner, I would have a duty to plan for capital improvements, economic development, recruitment and overseeing. But I can't see myself every day at the parks department running the parks department."

Purcell, a two-term incumbent, took over permanently in May 2011, a few months following the departure of Bruce Watkins. At the time, Purcell touted it as a way to reduce costs and maximize manpower. While it was among Purcell's duties to oversee the parks, he wasn't involved daily until after he became superintendent.

On Wednesday, Purcell said the realignment of duties has been a success and he took his opponents to task for their criticisms. He noted that the county's four parks -- Cape County Park North, Cape County Park South, Klaus Park and Courthouse Park -- are in better shape than ever. Under his direction over the past 18 months, a new disc golf course has been installed, new shelters have been put in and old ones have been updated, he said.

Purcell has been known to join in with parks department crews with some of the manual aspects of the work, too. He accidentally cut himself in the leg last year when he was using a chain saw to cut down a tree. This week, Purcell suffered from yellow jacket stings when he tried to remove nests from one of the parks.

Purcell remains undaunted.

"If my opponents want to make a bad thing out of a guy working, I invite them to try and make that case to citizens," Purcell said. "The fact is working people have accidents. I'll challenge anybody else in the workforce, including my two opponents: If they were cut by a chain saw, would they have been back at their desk two hours later and not claimed workman's comp?"

But the biggest benefit, Purcell maintains, is the money he's saved. By not replacing the parks superintendent and taking over his duties, Purcell says he's saved county residents almost $50,000. According to records provided by the county, the former superintendent was making $42,031 after working full time for 17 years. Purcell, who is making $70,504 this year, did not see a bump in pay.

But his opponents questioned whether Purcell is best qualified to be parks superintendent and wondered if other, more pressing county needs are being neglected.

A commissioner, Sandfort said, should be looking to increase economic development opportunities and the like, not just focusing on parks on a day-to-day basis. If elected, Sandfort said he would consult the other commissioners about hiring a new parks superintendent and he would focus on other issues -- while making sure the parks are being maintained. Herbst made similar comments.

Purcell, however, maintains he has the best attendance record on the commission and his other duties have not suffered. He did move his office to the county park facility. But, with the help of technology, he doesn't miss faxes, phone calls or emails.

"I do my job," Purcell said. "But I also am able to do the parks superintendent's job. To be quite honest, I believe that the three county commissioners could all do more. You would think that most people would be in support of it -- I know most of my constituents are."

The three candidates filed campaign finance reports this week, showing varying degrees of fundraising. Sandfort raised more money than either of his opponents. For the quarter that runs from April to June, Sandfort raised $6,520 to bring his total receipts for the election to $14,751. As of June 30, Sandfort had $2,577 cash on hand.

The 68-year-old retired banker also seemed to have the support of prominent business people in Cape Girardeau, with donations coming from Rust Communications chairman Gary Rust ($1,000), SoutheastHEALTH president and CEO Wayne Smith ($250) and Drury Development Co.'s Charles Drury ($200).

Herbst, a former Cape Girardeau City Council member and police officer, reported contributions of $2,470 for total receipts of $2,600 and about $1,400 cash on hand. Herbst received money from dentist Robert Fox ($200), retired police officer Dan Niswonger ($100) and local physician Anthony Keele ($250).

While Purcell has raised money for campaigns in the past, Purcell has filed a statement of limited activity. According to the Missouri Ethics Commission, candidates or committees must not have received contributions nor made expenditures totaling more than $550 and no single contributor can give more than $300 during the reporting period.

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