Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson on Tuesday promised a national search to replace retiring city manager Doug Leslie and named Councilman John Voss the leader of the search.

When Leslie was promoted from director of public works to city manager in 2003, he was one of 61 applicants for the job. Assistant city manager Ken Eftink will take Cape Girardeau's reins after March 1 as interim city manager; he said he's interested in landing the job permanently.

And with Eftink in place to provide continuity, Voss said, the first step is to create a framework for the search, something he intends to complete with 30 days.

Voss said he took the first steps in the task by discussing with fellow council members what they want in a replacement for Leslie during the regular closed portion of Monday's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting. Asked whether such discussions should be held in public rather than private, Voss said he would consult with city attorney Eric Cunningham.

Eftink, who returned to Cape Girardeau last fall to take the job of development services director, for seven years held the job of city administrator in Ashland, Mo. The expectation that Leslie would be announcing his retirement soon was part of the reason he returned to Cape Girardeau, Eftink said.

He also cited the need for he and his wife to be near their octogenarian mothers.

"I had worked with Doug before, but it was not the principal reason to return to Cape Girardeau," he said.

In each of the past two years, the city council has offered Leslie a raise of $10,000, in part, Knudtson said, to bring the manager's pay to a competitive position for the next person hired. Leslie accepted the raise in 2007, but in 2008 he declined $5,200, deferring the raise because of poor city finances. Leslie is currently receiving $124,800 annually.

Whether the pay would be increased again during the search process is an open question, Knudtson said. "We are interested in seeing the quality of the candidates we get," he said.

The city does not need outside help for a successful search, Knudtson said. "Anything that has to do with a consultant is a nasty word," he said. "We believe we are equipped to do a search and it will be less costly."

rkeller@semissourian.com

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