Mayor urges collaboration, optimism in annual address

Springfield Mayor Jeff Schrag hit on themes of collaboration and self-image in his State of the City report, while also highlighting specific challenges of growth and housing. 

The June 4 speech, presented as part of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Good Morning, Springfield series, avoided the topic that dominated the news cycle since Schrag’s first address as mayor one year ago: the failed effort to pass a lodging tax to fund a downtown convention and events center. However, clad in a denim shirt instead of a suit, Schrag illustrated the idea that Springfieldians need to roll up their sleeves and get to work together on shared priorities and problems. 

Schrag began with the idea that people outside of Springfield are starting to see potential that many residents overlook. He cited innovation, outdoor culture, entrepreneurship and family life as some of the city’s positives. 

He also highlighted cooperation, noting when storms hit the city, people don’t just hear sirens; they hear chainsaws of volunteers cleaning debris as neighbors check on neighbors. 

It’s a spirit that matters, Schrag said, because it reminds people of who they are. 

“It is the same spirit that will continue moving Springfield forward,” he said. 

“We have spent way too much time asking, ‘Can Springfield do this?’ instead of asking, ‘Why not Springfield, Missouri?” he said. 

Schrag said Springfieldians need to learn to talk about themselves differently – not with arrogance, he said, but with honesty, confidence and perspective. 

“Hope is one of the most powerful economic development tools any city anywhere can possess,” he said. 

Challenges of growth 
This year, the Springfield metro area broke through the tape in the marathon toward 500,000 in population. 

In an address that mostly took a 50,000-foot view tinged by optimism, Schrag drilled down on some of the challenges of growth. 

An example of a factor that will play a critical role in the city’s future is housing. 

Schrag said that to welcome young professionals, families and business investment, the city must continue expanding housing opportunities across the community. 

“What does that mean? That means responsible development and creating housing choices at every single price point,” he said. “Growth done thoughtfully. Growth done responsibly.” 

Investments like the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge rehabilitation, the Grant Avenue Parkway project, the daylighting of Jordan Creek and land development code modernization position the city for more predictable development, he said. 

“None of these projects define Springfield, but together they tell a bigger story of a city choosing to invest – to invest in itself,” he said. 

Schrag said the city’s Forward SGF comprehensive plan, built with broad public input during the COVID-19 epidemic, envisions a city that is connected, walkable, vibrant and economically competitive, but it does so while anticipating challenges of funding or cooperation. 

Schrag said there will be difficult decisions about what to implement, and how, when it comes to the comprehensive plan, and that will require community members to work together and make tradeoffs. 

“Implementation is the ugly sibling of vision,” he said. “You can dream, but at some point you have to get up and actually do. And the hard work is not in the dreaming; the hard work is in the doing.” 

Schrag said people will sometimes disagree about development, density and investment priorities, but he noted that great cities are not built by avoiding hard choices. 

“The question is not whether difficult conversations will happen,” he said. “The question is how will we handle them.” 

Springfield is capable of rising to that challenge, Schrag said. 

“I personally would much rather be a city wrestling with opportunity than a city that has accepted the status quo,” he said, to a round of applause from the audience. 

He said growth requires vision, but also execution. 

“Our neighborhoods can flourish alongside new investment and greater density,” he said. “We can preserve history while welcoming innovation. We can maintain affordability while pursuing growth.” 

Schrag also addressed concerns about public safety. 

“It’s about trust. It’s about stability. It’s about ensuring a family feels safe in their neighborhood and hopeful about their future,” he said. 

Schrag highlighted council’s priorities, which council members approved to guide the body’s actions this year: operational excellence, public safety transformation, economic vitality, housing and the development process. 

“These are not just policy categories, but they reflect the kind of city Springfield is becoming: safe and secure. Responsive. Competitive for growth and investment. Connected across neighborhoods and in services.” 

He thanked council members for their service and noted a cooperative spirit that guides its actions. 

“No mayor builds a stronger city alone,” he said. “No council member does, either.” 

He added that the city’s best days are ahead. 

Crowd reactions 
Don Harkey, founder and CEO of People Centric Consulting Group, described the mayor’s comments as inspiration and on point. 

“Springfield works best when it isn’t a spectator sport,” he said. “It works when citizens get involved, not to ask for things or to complain, but to work together to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities.” 

Richard Ollis, a former Springfield City Council member and CEO of Ollis/Akers/Arney, also applauded Schrag’s collaborative message. 

“Let’s get behind our growth and move forward,” he said. “We’ve had, obviously, a few setbacks here, but let’s put that behind us and move forward.” 

Ollis cited the ballot-box failure of a tax to fund a downtown hotel and convention center as one of the more notable setbacks of the year, predicated by the fact that the city had to move quickly to take advantage of state dollars that were on the table. 

“There are a lot of other positive things going on, and we just need to focus on those,” he said. 

Drury University President Jeff Frederick characterized the address as future-forward and honest. 

Springfield does have the potential to become a center of outdoor recreation and to expand in size, Frederick said, noting its assets of educational and healthcare institutions. 

“The ingredients are in place,” he said. 

He said the mayor also highlighted some challenges in the way residents collaborate. 

“Part of his message was the difference between vision and implementation,” he said. “The vision part is funner and more creative and easier. Implementation requires another level of engagement.”