Republic leader tapped for Springfield city manager

Republic City Administrator David Cameron has been chosen to serve as the Queen City’s 14th city manager.

Cameron, 52, told Springfield Business Journal in an interview following the May 14 announcement that he is excited to begin.

“It’s been crazy, but I thrive in the crazy,” he said.

Although it’s been seven months since former City Manager Jason Gage announced his plans to resign, the hiring process is not done yet. Springfield city code dictates a public hearing and vote by Springfield City Council to hire a city manager. The measure is scheduled to be introduced at the May 19 meeting with a planned vote at a subsequent meeting, according to a news release from the city. A simple majority is all that is needed for the hire.

Upon passage of the hiring ordinance, Cameron’s start date would be July 7.

Cameron was chosen from among three finalists, the others being Brian Weiler, aviation director of Springfield-Branson National Airport and an inside candidate for the job, and Bob Cowell, former city manager of Roanoke, Virginia. The trio had a site visit and meetings with stakeholders last month after rising out of a pool of 75 applicants.

Cameron has served in his Republic role since July 2016.

Springfield Mayor Jeff Schrag called Cameron the right person for a city that is on the rise.

“We are excited to have him join our leadership team and help us build on the foundation of this great city – the Springfield we have always imagined,” Schrag said in the release.

Asked by SBJ to identify the difference-maker for his candidacy for the job, Cameron credited his willingness and ability to seize opportunity, as evidenced by the siting of an Amazon fulfillment center in the city. The land deal was finalized in November 2020, and the 1.3 million-square-foot center opened nine months later.

“We capitalized on that opportunity, and I think the council recognized that,” he said.

Under his leadership, according to the release, the city of Republic has delivered $1.4 billion in capital investments and created 3,000 new jobs. In his previous role as city administrator in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, Cameron successfully negotiated the sale of a city-owned hospital, resulting in a $10.6 million benefit to the community.

Cameron said his ability to build relationships is the main strength he brings to the position, having worked with five mayors over a span of nine years in Republic.

“You have to find some level of common ground, courtesy and statesmanship to achieve those objectives,” he said. “We’ve lost the art of statesmanship. We argue for the sake of arguing, and it makes us look like we’re mad at someone. But debate is good and healthy for the direction of the community.”

Cameron does maintain a focus on regionalism, which is a common theme among local leaders.

“Economic development does not see city limits signs; they see southwest Missouri,” he said. “Yes, I’m with the city of Springfield, but I also want to be a regional leader and a spokesperson for what’s in the best interest of growing this area. Springfield is a catalyst, without a doubt.”

Cameron is poised to succeed Gage, who exited the city manager position in January. Deputy City Manager Collin Quigley has led the city in the interim. Cameron’s salary, if his contract is approved, will be $350,000, whereas Gage was earning $268,000 at the time of his separation.

Cameron noted his last official day in Republic is July 5, though his last day in office will be June 13. He said he always uses the in-between time each year to stop and recharge.

“This year will be no different,” he said. “I’m preparing for great things, but the mind and body need rest first.”

Community reaction
Matt Morrow, president and CEO of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, has been vocal about the importance of the city manager role. In a January column in SBJ, Morrow said the right candidate would have an intentional board management strategy, a partnership mindset, excellent customer service and a drive to empower staff and build accountability.

Asked after the announcement for his thoughts on the selection of Cameron, Morrow said, “Grand-slam home run – an absolutely great pick.”

He said council had multiple good options, but in Cameron, they found a true collaborative leader who understands the importance of partnership. That offers the best chance of success for the city and for everyone who lives here, Morrow said.

“Springfield is the beating heart of a thriving region,” he said. “If you are passionate about the region rising and thriving together, it’s exciting for him to be at the heart of it.”

Business leader Jack Stack, president and CEO of SRC Holdings Corp., said all three finalists for the role were solid, but he is encouraged by the selection of Cameron.

“He’s very optimistic, and there’s nothing wrong with being optimistic,” Stack said. “This is a deal where you need optimism, and occasionally it can be contagious.”

He said certain wheels are moving in the right direction for Springfield to take its position as the hub of a regional identity.

He added that people think of Springfield as a city of 170,000.

“Springfield, Missouri, is bigger than 170,000 people,” he said, noting there are 600,000 in the region, and that’s a number that’s attractive to businesses looking to locate here.

“We’ve got to start linking up these communities and see if we can play in the same sandbox,” Stack said.

Stack also said the city manager is in a good position to work on the not-in-my-backyard attitude that can permeate thinking.

“Someone’s got to referee that rumble and bring everyone together,” he said. “If not here, where? If not now, when? I think we’re finally getting somewhere.”

Macy Mitchell, executive director of the Republic Area Chamber of Commerce, said Springfield has found someone special in Cameron.

“He took the town of Republic and led and reorganized things that brought a lot of prosperity to the area, and in turn it helped out the business community,” Mitchell said.

He added that the Republic chamber plans to carry on with the positive trajectory.

“Our economy is booming locally,” he said. “We’re confident in the future.”

Mitchell said he is thankful for Cameron’s contributions.

“He’s surely put his whole heart into Republic,” he said. “He always seemed to have every gap filled, whether it was water, waste management, infrastructure or helping to broker another new deal of another business coming in. He led the way by cutting red tape and helping Republic grow.”

For his part, Cameron said he is still pulling for Republic and believes the city will continue to grow and prosper.

“I want to get across to the business community, Republic will be just fine for those who have invested there,” he said.

Lee McLean III, senior adviser with SVN Rankin Co. LLC, the company that brokered the deal to bring Amazon to Republic, said he is excited for the impact Cameron can have in Springfield.

“He seemed to take a very pragmatic approach to the business expansion and development that we’ve seen in Republic,” McLean said via email. “There are pieces of the development landscape in Springfield that have been needing that kind of approach for some time.”

He added that some regulations are always needed. However, he said, “We need to be able to move through them in a more efficient manner than what we’ve seen in Springfield.”

Push toward efficiency
Schrag did not know how many meetings had been held to consider the city manager hire since the close of applications and the beginning of the review process on Feb. 2, but the three finalists were interviewed seven times. Schrag, as a newcomer to the mayor’s post after last month’s election, was in only four of those.

In one of the interviews, he said, Cameron spoke about the importance of streamlined processes.

“In that one, he did talk about his push toward efficiency, his push toward removing barriers for staff, so then staff can remove barriers from people,” he said. “That was very exciting to me.”

He noted Cameron also believes in building up staff and in caring for staff members’ mental health needs, and that was attractive to council.

Schrag said he received feedback from the business community that they were looking to expand but were waiting to make the decision based on whether Cameron would be chosen as city manager.

Schrag said the leaders told him if Springfield wasn’t going to get Cameron, they would look at expanding in or moving to Republic because of the value that city places on development. He did not specify which leaders he was referring to.

He added that Forward SGF is built on the entire community rising together, which means there’s room for listening to neighborhoods as well as listening to developers.

“We’ve got spaces where we can put things like larger employers – so all those things can happen in Springfield consistent with the plan, because everything needs jobs; everything needs successful businesses,” he said.

One of the key roles of the city manager is to keep the city’s 20-year comprehensive plan, Forward SGF, on track.

Schrag said Springfield has a robust infrastructure that is already built, whereas in Republic, city officials have outgrown their sewer system and their major byways. “Springfield has all that stuff,” he said. “Forward SGF really values taking our positive aspects and moving those forward.”

Schrag said his job as mayor will be to get Cameron up and running upon his arrival, mainly by introducing him to stakeholders.

“It’s very important for this council to not overlook what the neighborhoods have to say, so making sure that meaningful conversations – not just an email introduction – happens between the new manager and the neighborhoods, to make sure that we’re ensuring good initial communication,” he said.

He added that council can help some with internal work, and having worked in multiple cities, Cameron can carry that work through and organize his thoughts around the organization he is inheriting.

Schrag said council has not taken an official vote on Cameron’s candidacy yet. Asked if it is important to have unanimity in the vote, he replied that he does not.

“I believe we live in divided times, and I believe that my job is to get us to five,” he said. “If I can get us to seven, that’s great; if I can get us to eight, that’s great.”

Cameron’s goals
Asked if he had immediate or long-term plans for the role, Cameron said his first goal would be to educate himself.

“Before I can talk about the long-term side of it, I want to get in the short-term piece – getting in and connecting with people,” he said.

He wants to get to know newly elected Mayor Jeff Schrag and the other members of City Council, but he also wants to build relationship with staff and stakeholders.

“I want to hear people out as much as I can and take in as much information as I can,” he said. “The most important thing is to listen and learn instead of assume. I won’t do that with a bias coming in; I want to evaluate the lay of the land.”

In other words, he said, ask him in 90 days what his goals are.

“I’d like to hear what the staff’s goals are and what they would like to see and improve on,” he said. “It’s critical to build and grow relationships, even with the ones who are skeptical or pessimistic or not in agreement.”