Council names finalists for vacant seat

Springfield City Council selected three finalists to vie for its open seat after evaluating nine candidates at the June 5 council luncheon.

Michael Carroll, Jan Fisk and Arthur Hodge will be considered for General Seat A after they answer a set of questions at a special council session, expected to take place prior to the regular June 18 meeting, according to a news release from the city. 

The seat, which is open to residents living anywhere within city limits, was vacated after former mayor pro tem and General Seat A Councilman Bob Stephens was sworn in as mayor May 8. Stephens replaced Jim O’Neal, who resigned the post at the end of the May 7 council meeting, citing business and personal reasons.

Carroll is controller at Springfield-based Andy’s Frozen Custard and has been a Springfield resident for seven years, according to the release. He earned a law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is a former member of the Greene County Board of Equalization and Leadership Springfield.

Fisk is co-owner of J. Howard Fisk Limousines, where she serves as chief financial officer, and she has been a Springfield resident for 37 years. She is a graduate of Missouri State University and has been involved with several organizations such as the Junior League of Springfield, Boys and Girls Club and the American Cancer Society.

Hodge is retired from the U.S. Army and Springfield Public Schools, where he worked in security and as an attendance adviser. He currently works as a substitute teacher in Springfield and has been a resident of the city for 23 years.

Following the special session with candidate interviews, council will make vote on who will fill the open seat. The candidate who garners the most votes will be sworn in as a member of council and will fulfill Stephens’ council term, which expires in 2013.

This will be the second time this year council has managed the process of filling an open seat. In February, Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Seifried was selected to replace Nick Ibarra, who resigned Jan. 4. Hodge, who lives in the Zone 1 district, was also a finalist to fill Ibarra’s seat.