More than half of Springfield’s nine City Council seats will be on the April 7 municipal ballot, and the issues successful candidates will face often have far-reaching implications for the business community. In recent years, ordinances dealing with the city’s adoption of federal employment-verification software, smoking in public places, blight and tax incentives, as well as protections against discrimination, have all taken center stage at Springfield City Council meetings.
Here is a snapshot of the candidates.
MayorCandidates: Steven Reed and incumbent Bob Stephens
Steven Reed is a former bagger at Dillon’s who said he currently is serving as a part-time political consultant. His civic involvement includes serving as a member of the Vision 20/20 committee. Key issues for Reed involve the development of a technology park, saving the U.S. Postal Service mail processing facility in Springfield and reducing crime.
“Delays of important mail, like utility bills and medications, could put people’s well being and even lives on the line,” Reed said, noting he’d lobby for a proclamation demonstrating support for a local sorting facility.
On crime: “The main issue we have is not enough high-paying jobs, [which] leads to domestic violence.” Reed suggests forums between police officers and citizens to address the issues.
As someone who has spoken with residents door-to-door on volunteer projects for over 20 years, Reed said he believes he’s ready to serve as mayor. “I have a good pulse on the city and say, ‘The best is yet to come.’”
Bob Stephens was selected for the post in 2012 after serving as mayor pro-tem. Stephens, who owns human resources firm Cascade Management Systems Inc., was elected to a two-year term in 2013.
“I have always felt that people who live in a community and do well should give something back,” said Stephens, a council member since 2008 who has served stints on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, Springfield Art Museum and YMCA.
Safety, infrastructure and economic development are his top three issues, and he supports tax incentives for developers in blighted areas.
“I have voted for just about all of them,” he said of the tax abatement plans he’s seen on council.
Stephens said the city’s track record shows it’s a good steward of taxpayer money, pointing to the Aa1 credit rating from Moody’s and a string of Finance Department awards.
City Council General Seat CCandidates: Len Eagleburger and Kristi Fulnecky (vacated by Doug Burlison)
Len Eagleburger: Social issues and city zoning matters are keys for the retired real estate broker. Eagleburger also worked over 30 years in the local motion picture industry. “I am a life member of the Civil War Round Table of the Ozarks and member of the Greene County Historical Society,” he said.
To support businesses, Eagleburger said he would work closely with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and local tourism officials.
On what distinguishes him: “I have a sense of the history of Springfield which relates to the present and the future.”
Kristi Fulnecky is an attorney, who owns construction management firm Fulnecky Enterprises LLC.
“I’ve worked as a consultant with the U.S. Navy and as an attorney for the U.S. Department of the Interior, so I have a lot of government experience. But I’m also a small-business owner,” she said.
She said her motive for running is to support business development and job creation.
“I know how to create jobs, and that’s what we really need,” said Fulnecky, a Native American who served on Missouri State University’s diversity advisory committee. Fulnecky also has served on the Mercy Health Foundation and Springfield symphony boards.
City Council General Seat DCandidate: Ken McClure (vacated by Mike Carroll)
As the sole candidate, MSU Vice President for Administrative and Information Services Ken McClure said he’ll be focused on education, public safety, transportation, tourism and job creation.
“It is a very good time in my career to give back,” he said.
City Council Zone 3 (SW Springfield)Candidates: incumbent Jerry Compton and Mike Schilling
Jerry Compton has been a fixture on Springfield City Council for six years, since his appointment to fill the spot vacated by Ralph Manley. Compton, owner and principal architect of JWC Architecture, was elected to a four-year term in 2011.
“When I originally applied, I felt a calling to pay back the community that’s my hometown,” said Compton, who also has six years of experience on the Planning & Zoning Commission and has served as chairman. “I’ve come to realize that I really enjoy being a part of the policymaking.”
Compton’s also worked on the city’s personnel board, been a board member for the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and he was a member of his church’s vestry for nine years.
At council, Compton voted in favor of the E-Verify ordinance, before later voting to repeal it. He has supported the city’s smoking ban, and cast an affirmative vote for Wal-Mart’s controversial rezoning at Campbell Avenue and Grand Street. Also, he was one of three to vote against expanding the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance.
Key issues: development, safety and strong neighborhoods.
Former state Rep. Mike Schilling said he felt the call to pursue the seat after seeing how council handled the Wal-Mart zoning issue at Grand and Campbell.
Schilling spoke against Wal-Mart’s plans during the early 2013 public hearing before his Zone 3 opponent, Compton, was one of five to narrowly approve the retailer’s request.
“I thought I could bring some more thoughtfulness to decision-making,” said Schilling, also a former journalist and currently an American government and politics instructor at OTC.
Protecting the environment and promoting tax fairness are among his key issues. He said tax abatements for developers are occasionally warranted, but the city has gone too far in making the incentives accessible.
“We used to have a saying in the legislature … ‘Socialize the costs and privatize the profits,’” Schilling said. “A lot of people don’t like to hear that, but it’s a kind of corporate welfare.”
Schilling said he’d support education and workforce development, as well as fostering a welcoming attitude through efforts such as the expansion of the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance.
City Council Zone 2 (NE Springfield)Candidates: Justin Burnett, Josh Mareschal and Buckley “Buck” Van Hooser (vacated by Cindy Rushefsky)
Justin Burnett has worked as a department head for Mardel Christian & Educational Supply Inc. for seven years, as well as an officer on the board for his family’s small business, Ray’s Repair Shop, aka Midwest Lustre Craft Ltd.
“I believe it is time for Springfield to focus on its core responsibilities by providing a safe community that rewards entrepreneurs with a small-business friendly environment and efficient city services,” he said.
Burnett, who was home-schooled before studying criminal justice at Ozarks Technical Community College, supports tax incentives for developers in blighted areas. “Since developers are taking compounded risk by choosing an area that is less than desirable, it is only appropriate to reward that risk,” he said.
Key initiatives: eliminating excessive regulation and taxation, and an increased police presence on the streets.
Civil litigation attorney and Rountree PTA President Josh Mareschal aims to more closely examine how City Council manages growth and protects neighborhoods.
He said not all projects should be viewed from the same lens, and the needs of neighbors ought to be considered when council weighs in on development plans or signs off on incentives. He said it seems crime has picked up in the Rountree area.
“I want to try to change these things,” said Mareschal, an attorney with McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips PC.
On abatements in blighted areas, he said, “It has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis.”
Also, workforce development is key for business growth in the Queen City.
Buck Van Hooser, a veteran salesman currently serving as account executive with Journal Broadcast Group, has a long history of civic involvement. He is a past-chairman of the North Springfield Betterment Association.
“Most organizations I’ve been involved with, I’ve ended up being chair or president,” he said.
Van Hooser supports tax incentives for developers in blighted areas because he believes they create local jobs. He said public safety also is a key issue.
