Cape councilman Bob Fox to run for mayor

Cape Girardeau Ward 5 Councilman Bob Fox will run for mayor in 2018.

Fox announced his candidacy Thursday. He is seeking to replace Mayor Harry Rediger, who no longer can serve because of term limits.

Rediger is finishing his second, four-year term as mayor, having first been elected to that post in 2010.

Fox is the first to announce his candidacy for mayor.

“I want to give something back to the community,” Fox said of his decision to run.

Fox said “a lot of things have gone right” in city government, and he wants to continue the progress that has been made in the city.

The Cape Girardeau dentist said he never thought of running for mayor when he ran and was elected to the city council in 2016.

“It never crossed my mind,” he said.

But Fox said three or four months ago, “I got to thinking what would happen” when Rediger is no longer mayor.

“Harry has been a great leader,” Fox said.

“I have got the time and desire to lead the council, and I think it is the right time to do it,” Fox added.

Fox said he consulted with Rediger and former mayor Al Spradling III before deciding to run. Spradling has agreed to serve as campaign treasurer, Fox said.

He said each mayor operates differently.

“I have my own way of doing things,” Fox said.

The councilman said he is not one who speaks up all the time.

“I am not going to be super outgoing” as was the case with former mayor Jay Knudtson, he said.

By the April 2018 election, Fox will have served two years of his four-year council term.

Fox said that experience and his previous tenure on the Cape Girardeau School Board will have prepared him for the job of mayor.

Fox served nine years on the school board, ending in 2003. He served as board president for four years. He also has served as president of the Missouri Dental Association. He opened Fox Family Dentistry in 1975 in Cape Girardeau.

Fox said he recognizes he could face competition for mayor. He said it “doesn’t bother me” if other candidates enter the race.

If elected, Fox said he wants to help bring the Purpose Built Communities model to fruition in Cape Girardeau to revitalize the south part of the city.

“I think that part of the city needs help and development,” Fox said. “I hope that is a go. I think we have some philanthropic people that will help.”

City officials are exploring the concept, which was developed in Atlanta.

The program has three main components: mixed-income housing, a cradle-to-career education system and programs and facilities that promote healthy living and productive lives.

Cape Girardeau has revitalized its downtown, Fox said.

“Our downtown redevelopment is fantastic,” he said.

Fox said he is not looking to make major changes to city government. But, he added, “I think with time, changes will occur here and there.”

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.