Cape council appoints Danny Essner to fill unexpired term

The Cape Girardeau City Council appointed retired banker Danny Essner on Monday to fill a vacant council seat.

Council members unanimously chose Essner from among four applicants to fill the Ward 6 unexpired term.

The other applicants were contractor Ed Thompson; Audiology Associates office manager and part-time Cape Girardeau police officer Darin Hickey; and consultant Teresa Wilke.

The council discussed reasons for selecting Essner at a study session before the regular meeting where the formal appointment was made.

Council members praised all four applicants. Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard said, “It is refreshing to see very qualified candidates.”

But he and others said they favored Essner because of his previous experience, serving on city and chamber of commerce committees.

Among other things, Essner has served on the parks and recreation advisory board.

The council heard from the applicants at its meeting two weeks ago.

At that time, Essner told the council, “I have always enjoyed serving the community.”

He said he felt he has “been trained for this” through his community service experience.

Ward 1 Councilman Joseph Uzoaru said, “Mr. Essner has the most familiarity with the council and the organizations that we work with.”

Uzoaru added Essner’s “working knowledge” of city government is important when the council is looking to fill an unexpired term.

The term expires in April 2018. The seat became vacant upon the recent resignation of Wayne Bowen, who resigned to take a job at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Mayor Harry Rediger said the council has “so much in the hopper,” it was crucial to fill the temporary position with someone who has “immediate experience.”

Several council members including Ward 3 Councilman Victor Gunn encouraged all applicants to consider running for the council seat next year.

At the regular meeting, Essner was sworn into office after a formal vote. He immediately took his seat on the council.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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