"Keeps me awake at night"

Shortly after leaving the mayor's office in 2010 I was asked the following question: As you leave office, what will keep you awake at night regarding the future of Cape Girardeau? To which I quickly responded there were two things that I worried about for future leaders of Cape Girardeau:

#1. Public safety.

If you don't have a safe community all bets are off. Providing the resources and ensuring a strong police and fire presence is paramount to a thriving and vibrant community.

#2. Retail sales dependency.

Cape Girardeau's economic engine is dangerously dependent on retail sales, and if those cash registers should ever slow there will be immediate and punitive repercussions.

While these concerns were my concerns over 10 years ago, they have now proven to have escalated today but for reasons no one could have properly predicted -- at least not me. Our police are being attacked both on the streets and off in ways that were unfathomable 10 years ago. Both our police and fire are losing great quality folks every day and our ability to replace is greatly compromised. As a result, the future of public safety is in serious jeopardy.

Online sales are now 15% of all retail sales.

Online sales now represent 15% of the total retail sales, and these percentages are climbing every day. Failure to capture this 15% of online sales that has been shifted from our local retailers will result in a decrease in collected revenues and the net result will be a major hit to public safety and all the great services and people that support this wonderful community.

Missouri is last state to collect this "use tax".

Yes, that's correct, Missouri is the last state to have local municipalities not collecting a tax on online purchases and that's just flat wrong. This is not a new tax but rather an accounting adjustment that corrects a shift in consumer purchases from "in-store" purchases to "online" purchases

It's time to vote yes.

This is not a new tax but rather the approval of a new collection method to include online sales. The citizens of Cape Girardeau have proven time and time again that when there is solid and just initiative put forth, they stand strong in support!

I encourage you to vote "yes" on Nov. 2!

Jay B. Knudtson was mayor of Cape Girardeau from 2002-2010.