Mehner accepts town administrator position in Tennessee

Cape Girardeau deputy city manager Molly Mehner has accepted an offer to become the new town administrator for Collierville, Tennessee.

She will be officially named to the position pending a vote from the town’s mayor and board of aldermen Wednesday.

“Cape Girardeau has been a fabulous community, and the City of Cape is blessed to have some of the best public servants,” Mehner said. “It’s going to be hard to leave so many good folks behind, but I’m also very thrilled to take my public service career to the next level and have an opportunity to make a difference in Tennessee.”

Mehner has been in Cape Girardeau for around nine years, first as assistant city manager and development director before being named deputy city manager in 2015.

She’s proud of many things during her tenure, she said. Mehner named the recent City Hall project, which was completed last year, as one of the accomplishments “near and dear” to her heart. The $12.5 million undertaking merged the Common Pleas Courthouse and adjacent Annex with a new structure, creating office space for numerous city employees while preserving historic buildings.

“I will always remember it as a phenomenal project,” Mehner said.

Mehner said she was attracted to the Collierville position, in some ways, because of the town’s similarities to Cape Girardeau. The town located just east of Memphis, Tennessee, boasts a population around 50,000 and has a historic downtown region.

“It’s a community of choice for residents and businesses alike in the Memphis area, and it’s something I want to be a part of,” Mehner said.

It’s a place with a lot of growth, she said.

Mehner will stay in Cape Girardeau until around the first week of November, when she will head two hours south to take up her new position.

“I want the people of Cape to know that I absolutely love this community. I’m not going to be that far away,” Mehner said.

She said she plans to come up to Cape Girardeau to visit her friends and family in the area, after the move to Tennessee.

“This is a great opportunity that I just can’t pass up,” Mehner said.