Springfield Mayor Bob Stephens yesterday made no changes to a City Council committee’s recommendation of adding seven members to the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Task Force. Eight members had previously been selected and approved by council.
“Having reviewed the application forms and resumes of the nominees I didn’t already know personally, I can see that the Public Involvement Committee did its usual excellent job of matching skills and diversity to the needs at hand. I concur with their choices,” Stephens said in a city news release.
The full slate of 15 individuals, including nonvoting member Judge Miles Sweeney, and two alternates will go before council for final approval Dec. 17, the release said.
The latest members selected – out of a pool of 48 applicants – represent a cross section of businesspeople and academics:
- Jeff Houghton, a copywriter for the Marlin Network Deep and a comedian/actor;
- Rick McLain, president of electrical contractor Redico LLC, a 24-year member of the Missouri Army National Guard and an advisory board member of Cherry Mountain youth camp through Cherry Street Baptist Church;
- Gary Whitaker, owner and publisher of 417 Magazine, whose organizational involvement includes the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Rotary and the City and Regional Magazine Association;
- Ginger Holczer, a self-employed clinical psychologist, who co-founded Neighbors Helping Neighbors of Christian County and has served as chairwoman of the Christian County Democrats Club;
- Pam Sailors, a philosophy professor and associate dean at Missouri State University, who has served on various ethics and health care committees;
- Sarah Smith, an MSU student, who has worked with various community and campus organizations; and
- Steve Gardner, a retired instructional designer who serves on various city boards including the Traffic Advisory Board.
The two recommended alternates are Cindy Lear, owner of Associates in Sign Language LLC, who has been involved in several faith-based organizations; and Angela Filbeck, an administrative assistant at Trust Company of the Ozarks, who has served on the board of Teach to Inspire Yoga Education Center.
In August, council members tabled a proposal to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories in the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance in favor of establishing a citizen-led task force – similar to the Police-Fire Pension Task Force – to further discuss the issue and make a recommendation to council. The ordinance, designed to prevent discrimination in the areas of employment, public housing and accommodations, created a controversy at City Hall as proponents sought to protect members of Springfield’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, while opponents feared the changes would infringe on the rights of business owners and landlords.
The task force is expected to begin meeting in early January and has until June 30 to submit its report and recommendations to City Council.
The city has laid out three duties:
- Research and investigate the level of discrimination in Springfield because of sexual orientation or transgender issues and the level of urgency to resolve any identified problem. Also, research and investigate the appropriate level for solution if any problems are identified, whether that level be local, county, state or federal.
- Meet with a variety of stakeholders to collect input and hear various perspectives, including but not limited to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members, not-for-profit advocacy groups, private businesses, the medical community, the business community, the faith-based community, the academic community and any other group with which the committee desires to meet.
- Provide written recommendations to the mayor and city manager, ranking the one or more recommended options that should be considered, recognizing that City Council must ultimately approve any proposal. In addition to ranking the task force’s recommendations, the report should indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each option considered from the perspective of the residents of Springfield.
