MARCH 20-26, 2023 NEWS Mayor, 3 council seats up for grabs on April 4 Public safety and development are leading issues for the eight candidates MELANIE BACH Melanie Bach was employed as a records clerk in the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for six years, leaving the post in January to devote her time to her candidacy. She has a Juris Doctor and a bachelor’s in criminal justice from the University of Memphis, and in 2022 she led the Galloway Village Neighborhood Association in a referendum to defeat a development project there. KEN MCCLURE Ken McClure is seeking a fourth and final term as mayor, per city charter term limits. He is retired from Missouri State University, having served as vice president for administrative and information services, and he was previously chief of staff for Gov. Matt Blunt. He has a master’s in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor’s in history from MSU, and he attained the rank of captain in the U.S. Army Reserves. BRANDON JENSON Brandon Jenson is program manager for Missouri’s Community Development Block Grant program and previously worked for the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments. He has a bachelor’s in city/urban, community and regional planning from MSU and is a former city planner in the Denver area. DAVID NOKES David Nokes was a police officer for 28 years, including 23 years in the Springfield Police Department, from which he retired at the rank of major. He is past president of the Chesterfield Village Homeowners Association board and a former member of the Springfield-Greene County Environmental Advisory Board. READ MORE SBJ.net/Election2023 by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net The office of mayor and three Springfield City Council seats are contested races in the April 4 election, with two candidates filing for each seat. Only one incumbent, three-term Mayor Ken McClure, is contested in a reelection bid. His challenger is Melanie Bach. Running for the Zone 3 seat, to be vacated by Councilmember Mike Schilling, are Brandon Jenson and David Nokes. Running for General Seat C, to be vacated by Councilmember Andrew Lear, are Callie Carroll and Jeremy Dean. Running for General Seat D, to be vacated by Councilmember Richard Ollis, are Bruce Adib-Yazdi and Derek Lee. The mayor serves a two-year term, while council members serve for four years, according to the city’s charter. All candidates completed a questionnaire provided by Springfield Business Journal. Their full responses are available at SBJ.net/Election2023, and a selection of questions and responses are included here. Candidates were asked to limit themselves to 100 words per response. What is the most urgent issue that drew you into the race, and where do you stand on it? MELANIE BACH (MAYOR): I decided to run for mayor after experiencing firsthand the marginalization of our neighborhoods and the deep disconnect that currently exists between our city government and its citizens. Fresh, new perspectives on Springfield’s City Council will help effectively implement the new Forward SGF plan, encourage responsible preparation for future anticipated growth and ensure Springfield’s history and identity are preserved. KEN MCCLURE (MAYOR): [Editor’s note: Answer edited for length.] Springfield’s mayor is limited to serving four two-year terms, and my primary motivation in seeking this final term is fighting and reducing crime. To make meaningful long-term progress on this goal, we must have a fully staffed, well-trained Police Department. We’ve taken some steps in that direction, but there is much more work to do. Talent recruitment and retention is also a challenge for our Fire Department. Council has an important role to play in ensuring there are well-designed plans and resources in place to attract, retain and train the public safety professionals we need. BRANDON JENSON (ZONE 3): Rebuilding trust and credibility with residents and business owners/developers within the city is paramount to our future. The city’s development process is not working in today’s climate. It doesn’t encourage meaningful and actionable feedback early in the process from residents, it doesn’t provide predictable outcomes for developers who are putting capital on the line, and it doesn’t work for the city, as demonstrated by the number of high-profile development cases that have occurred recently. Figuring out how to ensure everyone has an equal seat at the table will allow for the best possible development that is community supported and financially feasible. DAVID NOKES (ZONE 3): Public safety and crime prevention. I am uniquely qualified to address these issues, which have shown up as a top priority on multiple community surveys. My stance is to provide our great Police Department the resources they need and the support they deserve. CALLIE CARROLL (SEAT C): The most important issue to me is public safety. If Springfield residents don’t feel safe in their homes, neighborhoods and businesses, then we will struggle in all other areas. It is critical that our police and firefighters have fully staffed forces. We must focus on hiring and retaining the best talent when it comes to our public safety. Our officers need to have the right technology and training to adequately support them in their jobs. We need to continue to increase communication between public safety officers and Springfield’s citizens. JEREMY DEAN (SEAT C): Keeping our tax dollars local and maintaining a healthy business environment within Springfield. I believe that we should invest into programs to encourage use of local resources, services and businesses. Favoring Springfield businesses when forming commercial contracts will allow us to keep our tax dollars local, increase job opportunities, allows for development to be done faster and more efficiently, and gives us the pride of knowing that we built this city. BRUCE ADIB-YAZDI (SEAT D): The most important issue for me is the planning and execution of Forward SGF. There are several items in the hands of council now that will inform the execution plan, such as adopting a new zoning code, downtown parking study, housing study and the study of Lake Springfield. We need to generate a vision that takes all those things into account and that will lead to developing a city that young, diverse people would want to live in. Generating a vision and executing that plan will help solve many of the issues we are facing today, such as housing, crime, poverty and homeownership. DEREK LEE (SEAT D): Urgent issues did not draw me into the race. I have considered running for council for years. My family and I have a heart for service and have served mostly through our church and the schools the entire time we have lived in Springfield. While serving at my church, I was in a children’s school camp where I ended up helping with the face-painting team. I discovered that I am not good at face painting. I decided to serve the community in an area that more aligns with my skill set of working with small businesses. Workforce struggles continue for America’s businesses, and Springfield’s as well. The city’s unemployment rate stood at 1.9% in December 2022, the most recent figure at the time of this questionnaire. As just one example, the co-owner of 19 Springfield-area McDonald’s restaurants, Teresa McGeehan, told Springfield Business Journal she is down 10-20 workers per store. Do you have a specific idea for council action that could attract workers or otherwise to alleviate the workforce problem in the city? MCCLURE (MAYOR): [Editor’s note: Answer edited for length.] Council’s leadership in prioritizing economic vitality has enhanced our strategic approach to strengthening the ecosystem that fuels a vibrant local economy and grows our working population. Efforts also include more access to workforce training/education/apprenticeships, and investment in infrastructure/quality of place assets like Grant Avenue Parkway and Hammons Field. Springfield was No. 1 in a recent Wall Street Journal study that identified what remote workers value in a place to live. Strengthening these attributes, like access to broadband, outdoor amenities and housing, make a city a place people want to live. Studying and impacting housing issues is also certainly a current focus. BACH (MAYOR): The city’s Workforce Development office could be asked to target potential youth workers in cooperation with Springfield Public Schools and area private schools to bring more high schoolers into the workforce. Springfield could even explore partnering with local companies by matching small sign-on bonuses that would become available after continued employment for a specified period. As the parent of three employed children between the ages of 16 and 20, I have witnessed my children gain tremendous independence by working part time while in school. Working teens could potentially help Springfield’s poverty level by easing their parents’ overall household financial burdens. MAYOR ZONE 3 24 · SBJ.NET
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