Updated: Jason Gage to resign as city manager

Last edited 3:52 p.m., Oct. 11, 2024 [Editor’s note: Comments from City Manager Jason Gage and Mayor Ken McClure have been added, as have additional details about Gage’s tenure and exit.]

Springfield City Manager Jason Gage is stepping down from his role.

The city issued a news release this morning stating that Gage has tendered his resignation, effective Jan. 11, 2025.

Reached by Springfield Business Journal this afternoon, Gage said he does not have another job lined up after he exits his role at the municipality. Retirement is not currently on the table, said Gage, 55.

“I’m starting to look at what those possibilities might be,” Gage said, noting he’s also unsure if he’ll remain in Springfield.

In a news conference this afternoon, Mayor Ken McClure described Gage’s resignation as a “mutual agreement with City Council.” When asked what prompted the separation agreement, McClure declined to answer. McClure was the sole city official at the impromptu news conference, along with city spokespeople.

In his resignation letter, a copy of which was provided by the city, Gage pointed to the April 2025 election that would elect a new mayor and possibly new council members.

"Serving alongside Mayor McClure and the City Council has been truly rewarding. However, with a new council may come shifted community priorities," Gage said in the letter. "Recognizing when it is time to embrace new challenges is often as crucial as celebrating past accomplishments, and I believe that time is now.

"Stepping away at this moment is a difficult choice but the right one."

In the interview with SBJ, Gage said his decision is unrelated to specific candidates who are running next year but noted that the election could be a “potential watershed moment” for Springfield.

The city provided a copy of the municipality's separation agreement with Gage, who earns an annual salary of nearly $268,000. The agreement states that in exchange for waiving any rights to file litigation against the city and for cooperating through Jan. 11, 2026, to reasonably be available to answer questions related to city matters while he was city manager, among other provisions, Gage will be eligible for severance pay in the lump sum of $316,313. This includes a payment equal to a year’s compensation and benefits, as well as a vacation and executive leave payout. The severance agreement additionally points to $30,500 in deferred compensation and $68,792 of earned sick leave pay, bringing the total to $415,605.

Council voted 8-1 during closed session on Oct. 8 to approve Gage's separation agreement, according to city officials. Council member Craig Hosmer voted in opposition.

McClure said Gage has agreed to provide consulting services for a year following his resignation date at no additional cost beyond his severance pay.

At the news conference, McClure praised Gage as an outstanding leader whose contributions have made Springfield a better place.

“I’ve found him to be a consummate professional, unswayed by political winds, always trying to maintain his moral compass and high ethics,” McClure said. “He tries to balance everyone’s issues, and that’s not always easy, especially as we deal with some issues and matters which don’t seem to have any common ground.”

McClure said that he and council have not yet had an opportunity to meet and discuss next steps on filling Gage’s position.

McClure declined to comment when questioned about criticisms that have been levied against Gage. As an example, in previous SBJ reporting, Hosmer said Gage was not always forthcoming with information, adding, “If we only get the information he wants to give us, that’s sort of a control issue.”

Additionally, business consultant Don Harkey addressed City Council in February with concerns about a climate that does not support growth and where communication is often stymied.

McClure said he would not comment on the specific criticisms. He noted, however, that the public sector can be uniquely stressful. Gage, too, declined to comment on specific criticisms, but he said “strong collaboration” would be needed as the city moves forward.

“You can’t sit in that role for any length of time without having somebody disagree about positions,” McClure said. “It’s a lightning rod. The key is to determine what is a valid point and a valid criticism and what is not.”

McClure praised Gage’s high level of understanding of municipal matters.

“I have found no one that has a broader or more thorough understanding or grasp of municipal law or policies than Jason does,” McClure said.

He cited as an example Gage’s recommendation to extend the terms of two city taxes, the eighth-cent transportation tax and the quarter-cent capital improvement tax. At Gage’s suggestion, following research into voting trends throughout the region, the terms of the taxes were extended to each have a 20-year sunset, and both still received broad voter support.

“That was a game-changer,” McClure said. “We’re able to I think get better funding arrangements for necessary transportation and capital improvements because of it.”

In the release, Gage called his tenure as city manager “an honor and a privilege.”

"I'm proud to have served alongside city employees who are not only highly qualified but also uphold the highest ethical standards. They are relentlessly committed to delivering essential services daily,” Gage said in the release

Gage recently was among four finalists for the city manager position in Manhattan, Kansas. However, he exited from the running for that role before a selection was made.

“After weighing all factors, leaving Springfield just didn’t feel right," Gage told SBJ in July.

The release from the city cites several Springfield accomplishments during Gage's tenure, including the additions of Costco and Buc-ee's; securing more than $43 million in direct appropriations from the Missouri General Assembly over the past three; implementing the Forward SGF comprehensive plan; the acquisition of Hammons Field and securing the Springfield Cardinals through a 15-year agreement; and projects such as the Grant Avenue Parkway and Renew Jordan Creek.

Gage, with 25-plus years of experience, has been city manager of Springfield since 2018. He manages a $507 million budget and oversees a staff of more than 2,100. Previously, he was city manager of Salina, Kansas, from 2005-18 and of Stillwater, Oklahoma, from 2003-05.

As his tenure comes to an end early next year, Gage said there’s plenty left to tackle.

“I’d like to make as much progress as I can,” he said.