A week into city manager job, Cameron points to goals for Springfield

A week into his tenure, newly sworn-in City Manager David Cameron outlined his early goals in an interview yesterday with Springfield Business Journal Executive Editor Christine Temple.

Cameron spoke as part of SBJ's 12 People You Need to Know live interview series, held at The Backlot, Alamo Drafthouse Springfield's restaurant and bar.

"Really, my priorities are about the employees," Cameron said, pointing to the 1,900-plus people who work at the municipality. "It’s really about the team you work with, that you're trying to accomplish a shared mission, vision and values. Making sure that is communicated well and that your team knows who you are – that you’re available to them, that they see you – that’s a major priority for me."

Cameron said he's currently working to get in front of employees and listen for ways to improve processes for the municipality that has a half-billion-dollar budget and serves some 170,000 residents.

"My priorities come from that perspective, because the execution of city priorities will come from those employees, not from one person," Cameron said. "Empowering them to make decisions is important."

He referenced "The Trust Edge," a leadership book by David Horsager.

"My favorite pillar is clarity – people trust the clear and distrust the ambiguous or the overly complex," Cameron said.

While Cameron is still early in assessing internal processes, he described Springfield as a city with strong assets, including its airport, health care institutions and higher education infrastructure. And he said momentum is building.

“We’re sitting on a powder keg of opportunity,” he said. “We just have to unleash it.”

He also spoke about the importance of regional collaboration, especially in building trust with neighboring cities.

“Springfield has been the driver, but the other cities didn’t really have a seat in the car,” Cameron said. “I hope coming from a smaller city to a larger city that I can help bridge the gap.”

When asked what success might look like after a year in office, Cameron said it wouldn’t necessarily come down to projects completed, but rather to how the organization is functioning.

“I want to still be going a hundred miles an hour,” he said, “and I want to have a team that’s working like a machine to accomplish the goals and objectives the council has set.”

At the end of the event yesterday, SBJ announced Show Me Chuy owners Chuy García and Judith Martínez-García would be the Aug. 19 guests for the 12 People You Need to Know series.