No. 2: Springfield gets new leadership in mayor, city manager positions

Two key shifts in leadership in the Queen City were eyed with interest by many in the business community.

In April, voters elected a new mayor, businessperson Jeff Schrag, the founder of Mother’s Brewing Co. and owner of The Daily Events legal publication. Then in June, the mayor and council selected a new city manager in former Republic City Administrator David Cameron. Both pledged enhanced efficiency in their roles.

In the announcement of his candidacy in September 2024, Schrag said a key goal was efficiency in government, including how the city works with businesses.

“Someone needing to get a permit or starting a business, are we doing everything we can do to solve problems?” Schrag said at the time.

He posited the question of whether the government was acting as a problem-solver, helping people meet their needs while respecting the needs of the community as a whole.

“If I can do anything to make things more efficient, I would consider that to be a huge success,” he said.

Efficiency was also a theme for Cameron, who was approved by a narrow 5-4 City Council vote despite being widely credited with streamlining the development process in the city of Republic and earning vocal support from members of the business community in a public hearing before council.

Councilmember Craig Hosmer, who voted against Cameron, said prior to his vote that Springfield faces more complex problems than the smaller city of Republic.

“To get the issue right on development is a relatively easy solution, but to get the issues right on poverty, on homelessness, on mental health, on drug and alcohol, on crime – those are hard,” he said, adding that those issues would impact the Queen City whether or not it is open for business.

Cameron frequently describes himself as a disruptor, and in an interview with Springfield Business Journal, he said he aims to toss out government practices that have passed their best-before date.

“Change has outpaced the pace of bureaucracy,” he said. “You’re disrupting an old process that’s no longer useful.”

Schrag, who said he plans to serve just one four-year term, was interviewed by SBJ in May, a little over a month into his term, regarding his vision for the mayoral post.

“As cities get big, they tend toward bureaucracy,” he said. “There are examples of cities that are both big and still entrepreneurial – cities that still don’t have a ton of red tape. I very much want Springfield to be one of those.”

Schrag replaced term-limited former Mayor Ken McClure, and Cameron’s role was previously held by Jason Gage for just over six years.