Voters head to polls to weigh in on SOGI ordinance, council members

Springfield voters head to the polls today to determine whether the city’s expanded nondiscrimination ordinance will stand and who will lead the city.

The polls close at 7 p.m. for the general municipal election.

SOGI
Question 1 on the ballot asks voters to weigh in on an initiative petition calling for the repeal of the controversial ordinance expanding the city’s nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. The ordinance is said to pit business owners’ rights to exercise religious freedoms against pleas for fairness in public dealings.

In August 2012, the issue of extending the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance to residents based on sexual orientation and gender identity was introduced at City Council. The measure was tabled following heated debate before council members took it up again last fall and voted 6-3 on Oct. 13 to approve one of two proposed SOGI ordinances. The initiative petition to repeal followed.

Council
Springfield City Council, the city’s governing body, has five seats on the ballot today, for which there are 10 candidates.

The seats and candidates are:

• Mayor: incumbent Bob Stephens and Steven Reed;
• General Seat C: Len Eagleburger and Kristi Fulnecky;
• General Seat D: Ken McClure;
• Zone 3: incumbent Jerry Compton and Mike Schilling; and
• Zone 2: Justin Burnett, Josh Mareschal and Buckley “Buck” Van Hooser.

Check out a full election guide on the council candidates in Springfield Business Journal’s article, “10 candidates vie for five seats April 7.”

School board
Voters today will choose three directors to serve on the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education.

There are five candidates:

• Swayne Benson Loftis;
• Francine Pratt;
• Jill Patterson;
• Bruce Renner; and
• Patty Ingold.