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Bailey retires from City of Sikeston after 44 years
SIKESTON — A lot has changed since Karen Bailey started working for the City of Sikeston 44 years ago. Now Bailey will see yet another change as she began her retirement on Friday, Aug. 4.
Bailey began with the City of Sikeston on June 4, 1979, and in her 44-plus years held several different positions.
“I kind of worked everywhere and it has helped me a lot in my career,” Bailey said.
Starting as an account clerk, Bailey then moved to dispatcher at the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, a job she said she thoroughly enjoyed.
“You are busy from the time you sit down until the time you leave,” Bailey said. “You came to work, and worked as a team, non-stop until you went home.”
It had the downside of being shift work and with a husband and daughter at home, Bailey decided to become the court clerk and then a public relations specialist.
She also served as the administrative assistant to the public works director before becoming city treasurer in 2005.
“I maintained that title and took on human resources in addition to treasurer and stayed in that until 2020 when I assumed the function of finance director,” Bailey said.
And while Bailey saw her job duties change several times in her career, she also saw plenty of other changes. One of the biggest changes is technology.
“The first summer I worked with the city, the tax books were typed, by hand, on a manual typewriter,” Bailey said, adding that they would copy the budget and collate it themselves because copy machines didn’t do that in 1979.
There were no computers when Bailey started, and city staff used a computer at the hospital to process payroll.
“Now everything is computerized,” Bailey said.
When Bailey started, employees weren’t allowed to get personal calls at work but everyone has cell phones.
“Who knew they could be tools for work,” Bailey said. “Twenty-four-hour communication with employees or how much time people could spend on them (not work related).”
Dress codes have also changed dramatically.
“Women didn’t wear sandals in the summertime,” Bailey said. “You wore hose with your dress and men wore suits. It’s a much more casual work environment.
“People used to be much more independent to take care of things,” Bailey added. “Now, citizens rely on government to do that for them. People used to tell their neighbors if they had a problem with something in their yard. Now they call City Hall because they don’t want to tell their neighbors.”
She added people used to mow their lawn and if there was a median in front of their house or ditches at the back of their lot, they’d mow that as well. Now they want the city to do it.
“Citizens look for the city to do more for them on a daily basis,” Bailey said.
She has seen the role of Sikeston DPS grow and how they fight crime, as well as many park system improvements.
“When I started to work and you got a job with the City of Sikeston it was like ‘wow, you knew somebody,’” Bailey said, laughing that she didn’t know anyone at the time. “Before you placed an ad for a job opening and they’d flock to you. Now you have to beg people to not only apply but to show up for the interview. The number of people willing to work has changed dramatically over the years. Just a different attitude about work.”
While she has seen many changes in Sikeston, she has also seen many highs and lows within the city including the tornado of 1986 and the ice storm of 2009.
“Being on the inside and seeing how the city prepares for those events, I’ve enjoyed that a lot,” Bailey said. “The ice storm was horrible. Carroll Couch and I came in on Saturday and hand wrote business licenses so contractors could get out and help remove debris.”
Bailey has served under six city managers in her time with the city. She speaks highly of all the city managers, with each bringing something different to the city.
From learning how to serve the citizens of Sikeston from Bob Knabel or handle policy and procedures from Dan Ward or even just how to treat fellow employees from Doug Friend, Bailey took a lot from each city manager, including current city manager Jonathan Douglass.
“He is the best man that’s ever held that position,” Bailey said, adding he is also the most technically skilled city manager in her tenure. “He is all about transparency with the public. He’s very honest with the citizens.”
Bailey also praised the city councils and mayors she worked with over the years.
“I wish the citizens understood how hard the city council works with city staff,” Bailey said. “They make $1 a year and spend a lot of their personal time on city business.”
She said the city council is made up of good people trying to do good for the community.
“And they’re doing a great job,” Bailey said. “Look at our downtown and the industrial parks. So much is going on and that doesn’t happen by accident. Somebody is working to make that happen.”
Bailey said if you know someone who is working on the city council, take a moment to thank them for their time.
“They’re shaping our future whether you realize it or not,” she said. “If you’re complaining about leadership in Sikeston, then get involved yourself.”
Working with good leaders, Bailey said she always had opportunities to advance, which is one of the reasons she stayed with the city for over 44 years.
“As I increased my skillsets by taking computer programming classes or accounting classes, the city allowed me more opportunity,” Bailey said. “I think it is important to have the opportunity to grow with your employer.”
She said the city also has excellent benefits like their retirement plan and gave her the ability to work with others to make a difference in the workplace and community.
Now, another change is coming and instead of coming to work, Bailey can do whatever she wants. She said she plans to travel some, including taking a train ride along the northeast coast when the leaves change colors. She said she’ll also sleep late or sit out back and drink coffee in the mornings while she watches her birds. And she’ll take her dog on long walks, where she can think of her many fond memories working with the city.
“I have truly been blessed,” Bailey said.