Springfield City Council members last night selected Jeff Seifried, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce manager of regional development, to replace Nick Ibarra as the city’s Zone 1 representative. He was chosen by a 5-2 vote.
Seifried, who is expected to be sworn in at the Feb. 27 council meeting, is filling the vacant seat through the rest of Ibarra’s term, which ends April 2013.
At last night’s meeting, three finalists for the seat were brought before the council one-by-one to answer a series of four questions related to skills and experience; notable issues in Zone 1; state economic development tools; and the perception of council by Zone 1 residents.
Several council members commented favorably on Seifried’s knowledge of economic development tools and experience in work force development.
“It’s about jobs, jobs and more jobs,” Councilman Robert Stephens said, adding that he thought Seifried would bring a skill set to council that could forward the city’s economic development efforts.
Seifried said aside from bringing jobs to the district, he has come to the belief through talking with neighbors and meeting with groups, such as the North Springfield Betterment Association, that safety is a top issue for residents.
“Whether its buying a house or fixing a sidewalk, it all comes back to safety,” Seifried said. “It’s the issue that echoes through everything in Zone 1.”
It took two votes for Seifried to be approved for the post. With Councilman Tom Bieker absent due to illness, the seven remaining council members first split their votes with four in favor of Seifried and three selecting Crystal Quade, field representative for Community Blood Center of the Ozarks. With five votes needed to name the new member, council voted again, and Mayor Jim O’Neal changed his mind.
Arthur Hodge Sr., a substitute teacher who is retired from the U.S. Army and from work as a school police officer, did not receive any votes.
Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky and Councilman Scott Bailes voted for Quade, saying they wanted to see another woman join the group, and each felt her knowledge of public and private resources would well serve her constituents. Before a second vote, Rushefsky said she thought Quade would be a better choice as a zone representative and Seifried should wait and try to fill a general council seat, but Seifried said he felt he was in tune with north-side needs.
The seat became available after Nick Ibarra resigned from council on Jan. 4. Ibarra was charged with a Class D felony by the Greene County prosecutor for unlawful use of a weapon after a domestic disturbance at his home Jan. 1. A court hearing has been set for March.
A total of nine people applied for the post before the field was narrowed Feb. 8 to three finalists, according to
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