Life is all about expectations, setting goals and keeping focused, but the city's mayor admits his priorities were a little off kilter during the campaign season.

One week after he was elected to the city's top post, Jay Knudtson spoke to about 25 clergy who attended the noon meeting of the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance on Tuesday.

An election campaign "is so self-consuming and selfish," Knudtson said. "I struggled with that because everything was about Jay Knudtson."

With signs and his picture plastered all over town, Knudtson said even he tired of seeing the advertisements.

"If I got tired of seeing the signs, surely you did," he said. But his wife, Cindy, and their son helped encourage him, as did his friends and church family. He is a member of La Croix United Methodist Church.

But the political system makes the candidates the focus of any campaign.

"At some point it should have been about God," he said. "I failed in that effort because of the role the system takes on and I was uncomfortable with that role."

Knudtson said he was uncomfortable being in the limelight and now that he's mayor things aren't likely to slow down.

First day as mayor

He outlined his first day's activities as mayor of Cape Girardeau. The day included early morning meetings, some business at Bank of America where Knudtson is a senior vice president, and meetings at city hall before welcoming the Rev. Jerry Falwell and speakers for the Hope for America crusade at the Show Me Center.

Knudtson said he has plenty of work to do and the top priority is "keeping in focus the best I know how."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126