Cape Girardeau has a new city manager in Kenneth Haskin, a veteran city administrator with experience in economic development and senior level management for local municipalities.

1. Who is Kenny Haskin, Cape
Girardeau’s new city manager?

3. Cape Girardeau has a new city manager in Kenneth Haskin, a veteran
city administrator with experience in economic development and
senior level management for local municipalities.
Haskin follows Scott Meyer, who retired in June after 12 years at the
helm making him the longest serving city manager in Cape
Girardeau’s history.
B Magazine spoke with Haskin about his background, what made the
Cape Girardeau job attractive and some of his goals for the future as
city manager.
Seminary to government
Haskin grew up in a small town just outside Jonesboro, Arkansas, the
son of an educator and entrepreneur. His family modeled a strong
work ethic. Work hard and good things will follow was a lesson he
took away from his parents.

4. If it were up to his father, though, Haskin might be serving
Cape Girardeau as a priest as opposed to city manager.
“That was his goal for me,” Haskin said with a laugh. “He
finally gave up on it 10 years ago when I got married. But
that was his goal in life. He sent me to graduate school
twice, hoping that would trigger. The last time he sent me
to graduate school was to one in seminary school, and I
majored in organizational administration. Dad was hoping
that I would just major in Biblical Studies and become a
priest. Now I have to tell you, that was probably the most
enlightening experience in my entire career. I wouldn’t
change it for the world.”

5. Haskin received his undergraduate degree from Henderson
State University where he played football and earned all-conference
honors as a linebacker. He has a master’s in public administration
from Webster University and a PhD from St Mary’s Seminary &
University in Baltimore, Maryland.
While Haskin didn’t enter the ministry, he said the lessons he
learned from his parents have served him well. And he continues in
the Catholic faith today, attending St. Mary’s Cathedral in Cape
Girardeau.
A coach’s perspective
Prior to being hired for the position in Cape Girardeau, Haskin was
the city manager at Texarkana, Arkansas. He was also being
considered for another position at the time he was hired in Cape
Girardeau but ultimately chose Southeast Missouri.

6. Affable. Smart. Hopeful. Haskin uses football analogies when
referencing how he looks at the job. Much like a college football coach
gets his orders from an athletic director or university president, Haskin
says his marching orders come from the mayor and city council,
filtered through the lens of an active and engaged citizenry.
In the hour-plus interview with B Magazine, he was clearly on
message regarding the use tax that will be on the ballot later this year.
Haskin not only sees the use tax as an issue of fairness for local
retailers competing with the Amazons of the world, but he’s adamant
that it’s preventing other businesses from having a physical presence
in Cape Girardeau.

7. He also noted that the city has funds passed for capital projects, but
if it doesn’t have the workforce to get the jobs done these projects
will be delayed.
It’s a similar challenge with law enforcement, he said.
Haskin and Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox have been talking about
raising the compensation for police with revenue generated from
the use tax, connecting the community’s overwhelming love for law
enforcement to the need to pass the tax.
Haskin said the city continues to see officers leave the force, in part
because of the national challenges facing law enforcement and in
part due to higher compensation for police work in other area
municipalities. Over the previous four years, more than 40 officers
have left Cape PD.

8. “That’s not acceptable,” he said. “And it’s going to be very
difficult to sustain that loss if we cannot start
compensating.”
What happens if voters don’t pass the use tax?
“Then we run the risk of, potentially, projects that we
have in place right now will be delayed because it’s going
to be hard to hire people to complete those projects.
Secondly, it could start impacting our response times
from a law enforcement standpoint, which, in my
opinion, is unacceptable.”

10. The first 90 days
Haskin shared with B Magazine his written plan for the first 90 days on the job. Much
of the six-page document focuses on communication, internally among city
employees in all departments but also in the community and with regional
government entities.
A portion of the document focused on evaluating the city’s financial situation,
assessing its long-term financial condition, budget and capital needs, including how
the pandemic has impacted city finances. And maybe most interesting: “We should
also establish a Business Retention & Expansion Plan (BRE) and, more importantly,
start cultivating commercial/industrial sites for potential development.”
He also shared some of the intangibles he looks for in making hires: Temperament,
ability to take direction, ability to deal with adversity, customer service, ability to work
with others, citizen response and execution. “These are character traits you have to
have in order to be successful in this organization,” Haskin wrote in the document.

11. One of Haskin’s career highlights includes being named the
State of Arkansas City Manager of the Year in 2020. He also
helped the city establish its first Capital Improvement Plan
focused on water, sewer and drainage infrastructure
replacement and street reconstruction. And among other
accomplishments, he helped negotiate a multimillion-dollar
package to keep Cooper Tire from moving to Mexico.
It’s still very early for Haskin, but his resume and apparent
skillset of working with various stakeholders indicate a
record of high success.