McClure: No timeline set for city manager hire 

Last edited 10:14 a.m., April 3, 2025 [Editor's note: The swearing-in date for new council members has been corrected.]

No timeline has been set for hiring a new Springfield city manager, according to a news release issued yesterday on behalf of Mayor Ken McClure.

The application deadline was Feb. 2 for the position vacated in early January by Jason Gage, who spent nearly six years in the role.

In the statement, McClure said the city is continuing its search process with a review of more than 70 applicants. More specifically, the city’s Human Resources Department director, Darla Morrison, said on March 19 via email to Springfield Business Journal that the city received 75 applications for the position by deadline. She did not respond to a follow-up question requesting a timeline for the hire.

City officials were mum on hiring details in the weeks leading up to the mayor’s news release. SBJ emailed and phoned multiple city officials and officeholders requesting the timeline for a hire over a period of two weeks, and the mayor’s public statement was the first response to the query. City spokesperson Cora Scott, who fields media questions about most city matters, directed questions about the city manager hire to the mayor and council members, who are responsible for the action.

The initial timeline set by the city and its recruitment firm called for on-site interviews of finalists in March or April, according to past SBJ reporting, suggesting hiring would be completed by the current mayor and City Council. 

However, a new mayor will be elected April 8, and four of the eight regular council positions are also on the ballot, two of them in contested races. The new council will be sworn in April 21.

Asked for an update on the hiring timeline at an SBJ event Wednesday, Councilmember Callie Carroll said it was up in the air but was confident that not even the on-site interview could be completed within the next two weeks.

The mayor’s statement verifies that the city does not have a timeline for the hire, which is for the key unelected position in city government. In the council-manager form of government that the city operates under, the city manager oversees day-to-day operations of city offices and personnel.

“There is no specific timeline, as we are taking the time we need to fully consider all applications and evaluate those interested in an efficient, yet comprehensive way,” McClure said in the release. “We will continue to update the public on our progress. We are not constrained by a specific timeline, as we are committed to taking the time necessary to do the best job possible for the citizens of Springfield.”

According to the job description posted by Keller, Texas-based recruiting firm Strategic Government Resources, the city manager’s salary will start at $350,000, approximately 31% more than Gage made at the time of his departure. It’s a figure that is described in the job description as negotiable. 

Multiple SBJ requests to elected officials for an explanation to the public of the higher salary either went unanswered or were declined.

Gage earned $268,000 at the time of his separation from the city. When he was hired in 2018, his salary was set at $220,000, according to past SBJ reporting. That makes the advertised salary a 59% hike in pay for the job in seven years.

Gage was hired as city manager of the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, Tennessee, in early March at a base salary of $267,500. 

The Springfield city manager position also includes a pension, a 457(b) deferred compensation retirement savings plan, and life and health insurance with family and dental coverage options. A car allowance, cellphone allowance and wellness program are also available. 

The post requires a bachelor’s degree plus 10 years of management experience, though a master’s degree in public administration with seven years of experience will also be considered, according to the job description. 

“The city manager shall be chosen by the City Council based on executive, leadership and administrative qualifications with special preference to experience in and knowledge of municipal administration or similar organizations with elected legislative boards or commissions,” the description states. 

The city manager also must establish residency in the city limits within six months of employment. 

The job description states the city manager is responsible for the administration of all city affairs and for the execution of all policies and programs authorized by City Council and outlined in the charter. 

The city manager supervises and directs the city’s leadership team, including department directors. The role also serves as the primary source of city-related information to the media and the public, according to the job description. 

The city manager also prepares and oversees the city’s budget – currently set at $507 million – and has hiring and firing power for most of its approximately 2,450 employees. The person in that role also implements the city’s strategic plan.  

SBJ last month queried McClure and every member of council asking what qualities would be ideal in a city manager and for an assessment of the former city manager’s performance. McClure responded at the time by referring SBJ to the job description, and he added, “The question regarding former City Manager Jason Gage is neither appropriate nor relevant and I will not comment.”

In the public statement yesterday, McClure answered what the city is looking for in its new leader.

“We have been asked what we are looking for in Springfield’s next leader,” McClure said in the release. “As the city is the most functionally diverse organization in the community, it is a pretty tall order.”

He listed the desired attributes as follows:

• A big-picture view for the community

• A willingness to have tough conversations and mentor staff to have tough conversations, without becoming defensive

• Knowledge in public administration and complex public policy issues; intergovernmental relations; municipal financial management and fiscal policies; organizational development; labor relations; and media relations

• Ability to review and analyze a wide variety of information and multitask and manage multiple projects concurrently

• Discretion and sound, independent judgment; problem-solving skills; logic and reasoning experience to deal with complex, confidential and sensitive topics; and ability to manage, organize and direct the work of others

• Ability to prepare and mentor managers to assume broader leadership roles

• Desire to foster an organizational climate that attracts, retains and develops talent at all levels

• Skills in modeling and promoting acceptance and respect for differences among employees and citizens

• Ability to effectively communicate with City Council; keep them appropriately informed on current issues; and remain up to date on significant issues and initiatives within all city departmental areas and the broader community

• Skills in serving as an effective member of the city leadership team, especially as it relates to carrying out the city’s stated mission and philosophy

Three key priorities were identified by council for the next city manager, the mayor states: fostering economic growth by creating good-paying jobs to retain younger residents, working strategically to diversify city revenue sources and expanding the local job portfolio to reflect a more diverse economy.