The personnel merry-go-round in
De Soto city government spun in opposite directions last week with the appointment of a new city manager and the resignation of Mayor Rich McCane.
McCane announced both moves in a written statement sent to the Leader on Aug. 30.
“I am proud to announce that the city has hired Todd Melkus as city manager,” McCane said. “Todd is well liked and has had success in Pevely as city administrator. He is a perfect fit for De Soto.”
Melkus, 35, will not begin his new job until Oct. 1. He said his contract with Pevely requires him to give 30 days’ notice of departure, which he did on Aug. 29.
He will be paid $85,000 a year as the De Soto city manager, a $20,000 raise from his compensation at Pevely.
McCane resigns
McCane said in his Aug. 30 letter that his resignation as mayor and from the City Council, which elected him mayor in April, was effective immediately. The 39-year-old, who owns and operates a construction business, had served on the council since 2010.
He said outside pressures had a lot to do with his decision.
“I have supported an environment of transparency and accountability because I believe that with that foundation, our newly hired leaders will have the best chance for success,” he said, also referring to the city’s recent hiring of Police Chief Jeff McCreary. “Unfortunately, that transparency and accountability has led to outside investigations which have upset some involved with government.
“During my tenure I have received mailings, threats and false allegations directed at me and my family, intended to intimidate me and undermine my reputation. Those things in combination with my workload have been a burden.”
McCane said Lane would serve as mayor while the council determines its next steps. City Clerk Ann Baker said the council probably will address the vacant seat at its next regular meeting on Sept. 17.
“Hopefully at this next meeting we’ll figure out what to do with that vacancy,” Baker said. “I’m not sure whether it will be on the agenda or not, but it will be an open discussion.”
Melkus
The City Council voted 5-0 in an Aug. 27 closed meeting to hire Melkus, who is filling the vacancy left after former De Soto City Manager David Dews, currently the executive director of the Economic Development Corporation of Jefferson County, was fired for unspecified reasons in October 2017 after more than 18 years in the job.
Baker has served as interim De Soto city manager, in addition to her clerk duties, since last November. Dews’ salary at the time of his dismissal was just over $111,000.
Baker, who said she was offered the city manager post on a permanent basis earlier this year and turned it down, added that she was “very excited to get back to doing what I love to do. It’s been a challenging 11 months, almost.”
She also extolled Melkus’ qualifications as the best of the 15 applicants for the city manager post.
“I think he’s going to be amazing,” she said. “He knows how to do the budgets; he’s got a lot of great ideas. You’ve seen what he did with Pevely. I think he’s just going to be a huge asset for De Soto.
“I’m just looking forward as city clerk to working really closely with Todd and help him know the city and move this city forward. I think this is our last big challenge.”
Melkus said he couldn’t pass up the chance to take on bigger responsibilities in a job he’s had his eye on for a long time.
“A lot of it is the opportunity to work in a neighborhood that you grew up in,” he said. “Not many people get the chance to do that, especially in this type of work. That’s why it took me a while to even get in this field. I went to college and got my degree in public administration, so my goal was to (get) a city administrator type of position.
“Unfortunately, I’m also a local guy (who) didn’t want to leave the area. There weren’t a lot of opportunities when I was getting out of school. So then things happened and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to come here to Pevely and get some experience.
“I never expected it to move this fast, or even ever, but obviously there was always a little bit of a goal to try to become the city manager of De Soto. The previous manager was there for a long time and I’m hoping I can continue that trend down there.”
Melkus lives outside Hillsboro with his wife, Jennifer. Unlike his predecessors in the job, he’s not required to reside within the city limits; the city council recently voted to remove that restriction.
He will manage a city employee group that numbers between 48 and 52, about eight to 10 more than he is supervising in Pevely. Reflecting the greater authority of a city manager compared to a city administrator, he’ll oversee De Soto’s Police Department.
Melkus said he knows he’ll have to hit the ground running on Oct. 1.
“The budget (for 2018-2019) has to be finalized by Nov. 1,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of my time at the very beginning is going to be getting a budget ironed out for the next year.
“Other than that, (I) want to get familiar with all the staff – sit down with all of them and ask them what their needs and wants are. You just take a look at all the personnel and the policies. You don’t want to go anywhere like this and try to reinvent the wheel. That’s not the point. But anytime someone comes in with a fresh perspective, they might be able to find some things that could be improved.”
Melkus has served as Pevely’s city administrator since May 31, 2017. A native of rural De Soto, he previously worked for more than a decade in the Jefferson County Assessor’s Office and ran unsuccessfully for county assessor in 2016.
He is a Jefferson College graduate and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.