Mike McDowell would like to spend more time learning about the city of Cape Girardeau, but the city manager candidate already has learned there is plenty of potential.

"This is a larger city than where I'm at, and the scope of operations is broader," said the 43-year-old McDowell, who has been the chief administrative officer of Creve Coeur near St. Louis since 1988.

"One of the things I would want to do is make sure ongoing projects are carried out in a consistent and measured way," said McDowell, a native of Jackson, Tenn.

Another strength is developing a rapport with the community. "I think the city manager needs to go out and find out what is on the minds of the people," he said Tuesday while interviewing for the job opening created by the recent retirement of J. Ronald Fischer.

He is the third of five candidates to interview for the position.

"Not only does a city manager have to get to know the city staff and learn every phase of the operation, but he should know how the community is affected," he said.

Mindful that he was interviewing for the job on the day the city voted on a one-half-cent transportation sales tax, McDowell said he favored the tax. Voters approved the tax Tuesday.

"Cities are going to that more and more to get street projects done," he said. "If you state specifically what is involved in each project and designate how much money is going to be spent on it, people seem willing to vote for it."

One of McDowell's greatest accomplishments as city administrator in Creve Coeur was helping execute the annexation of 4,500 residents into the city.

"That process was going on for almost 20 years and is so complicated it would take me hours to completely explain," he said. "I'm proud of having successfully moved that into a reality."

A husband and father of three children, McDowell said he is interested in a city's parks and recreation system. "That is a very vital part of any community," he said.

McDowell said another important commodity is the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. "It's an economic development tool that I am very interested in," he said. "Not only would I be concerned with bringing in new business, but I would want to make sure that the companies in and around the airport have the opportunity for further growth."

Prior to taking over as chief administrative officer in Creve Coeur, McDowell served as city manager of College Park, Ga., from 1985 until 1988. College Park is a suburban community of 22,000 in the Atlanta area. He was responsible for oversight and direction of all of the city's activities including water, sewer and electric utilities.

"One of the things that made me want to apply for the job here is the fact that Cape delivers more services than Creve Coeur," he said.

Prior to working in College Park, McDowell was chief executive officer of Camden, Ark., a town of 16,000 in south central Arkansas.

He was also chief administrative officer of Collierville, Tenn., a town of 9,000. The town grew from 5,100 to its current population during McDowell's tenure.

McDowell received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Memphis in 1973. He earned his master's degree in public administration from the same school in 1975.