Winning mayor, council candidates to be sworn in later this month

Voters yesterday approved the candidacies of two new members of Springfield City Council, with three others retaining their seats on the municipal governing board.

The new council members, with an effective start date of April 21, are Mayor Jeff Schrag and Bruce Adib-Yazdi, who is taking on the Zone 4 seat. Incumbents Heather Hardinger, Monica Horton and Craig Hosmer kept their seats.

Schrag, a businessperson who is perhaps best known as founder of Mother’s Brewing Co., won the mayoral seat with 61.5% of the vote tally, according to the unofficial election results from Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller's office. Schrag secured 8,702 votes, with challenger and Commercial Street advocate and business owner Mary Collette receiving 5,447, or 38.5%.

Greene County’s voter turnout totaled 14.2%, said Schoeller, who noted the average is 13%-15% in local April election.

At an election watch party held last night at Mother’s Brewing Co., Schrag spoke about his new role and the race with Collette.

"We raised the second most money in the last decade of any successful candidate for mayor of Springfield, but we spent the second least amount. That's because we watch every dime; I watch it like it's my own money, and I'm going to watch your tax dollars the same way," Schrag said. "The thing that I'm proudest of is both I and Mary Collette ran positive campaigns, showing that you can do this in a very positive manner."

In an interview before the first results were reported, Collette said she was pleased with the grassroots race she ran.

“I did not raise a bunch of money – that’s not what my campaign was about,” she said. “My campaign was resting on my laurels a little bit and making sure people remembered the experience I have and the work that I’ve done, and that if they want me to continue that, they’re going to have to vote for me and put me in office.”

Immediately after the final precinct totals came in, Schrag said in an interview that his top goal is the hiring of a city manager. The position has been without a permanent leader for three months.

“The No. 1 thing is the hiring of the manager, making sure not only that we get a great manager, but that we’re onboarding correctly, setting goals – that’s No. 1,” he said.

For council’s Zone 4 seat that covers a portion of southeast Springfield, challenger Adib-Yazdi defeated incumbent Matthew Simpson, with voting tallies reported at 57% and 43%, respectively. The Greene County election results show 3,389 votes for Adib-Yazdi and 2,540 for Simpson.

Adib-Yazdi, an architect and vice president of development with The Vecino Group LLC, thanked his predecessor for his service to the city since he was first appointed to his role in 2018. Simpson additionally works as chief research and planning officer for Ozarks Technical Community College.

In an email exchange with SBJ, Adib-Yazdi addressed his top priorities for his term.

“My first focus will be looking at what it will take to generate neighborhood plans and convening a group of engaged young citizens to start a conversation about what it will take to keep them here in Springfield – how we can build a city they want to call home,” he said.

Simpson said in an interview that he was proud of all council was able to accomplish in his time in office, which included service chairing the committee that decided on the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“I’m very proud of what we got to do, the relationships we built, but I’ve got the chance now to spend some more time with my kids in the present, and I’m excited about that,” he said.

A hallmark of Simpson’s service was his frequent statements of gratitude in public forums, including council meetings and luncheons. He often thanked staff members, community members and volunteers, and fellow council members for their service. Simpson said service is not about the individual, but about the team.

“My colleagues on council, the staff that I got to work with, everyone is passionate about Springfield,” he said. “The good things that happen are because of that, so I don’t think you can ever say thank you enough – so I’ll take any chance I can get to recognize the work that everyone else does.”

Hardinger, director of consumer experience for CoxHealth, defended her General Seat A position on council from challenger Eric Pauly, a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission who worked in the information technology field for 37 years.

Hardinger won 60% of the election tally to Pauly's 40%, with 8,077 and 5,480 votes, respectively.

Asked to define the key to her successful campaign, Hardinger said, “Talking to people – getting to know their needs. That’s something that’s really important to me.”

She said she was looking forward to continuing council’s work.

“It’s been a very interesting and challenging four years, but I look forward to the years ahead as well,” she said.

Hardinger said her top priority remains affordable housing.

“Affordable housing is an issue that’s not just important to me, but it’s certainly important to the people,” she said. “I look forward to working on that.”

Pauly thanked his supporters in a post on his campaign's Facebook page.

"It's very humbling to hear so many friends and neighbors offering encouragement and support," he said. "Forty percent of the vote for a newcomer facing an incumbent is something we should all be proud of."

Zone 1 incumbent Horton and General Seat B incumbent Hosmer were on the April 8 ballot but ran unopposed and kept their seats.

Not on the ballot yesterday were council members Callie Carroll of General Seat C, Derek Lee of General Seat D, Abe McGull of Zone 2 and Brandon Jenson of Zone 3.

Springfield’s next mayor
Schrag will be sworn in, along with other council members, at the April 21 meeting of City Council. He will serve a four-year term succeeding Ken McClure.

Ahead of the election, Schrag said the strengths he’d bring to the role as mayor is a diversified background in all areas of the city.

“I’ve lived or owned property in all four zones of the city; I’ve built and rehabbed buildings; I’ve built businesses and bought businesses,” he said. “The notion that I could be mayor for all of Springfield and that I come with an understanding of lots of different disciplines, I believe, is the greatest strength I bring to the table.”

He said a goal in the role will be listening to residents on the developments they want in neighborhoods and helping streamline communication and timelines for developers.

Asked what more the city could do to attract business and industry, Schrag said it must be made easier in the city of Springfield to get a building permit and a certificate of occupancy.

“If I can do something to affect those two things in a positive manner, I will consider myself a huge success as mayor,” he said.

When asked if the city should pursue any specific industries, Schrag said not necessarily.

“I’m a small businessperson, so I believe that chasing large businesses isn’t necessarily the best thing you can do,” he said. “Taking care of your homegrown businesses, that’s where the job growth is – that’s where the job creation is.”

Helping a business to stay and grow in Springfield is preferable to luring big companies from the outside with tax incentives, he said.

Schrag added that livable neighborhoods are also a crucial part of the economic development mix.

“Businesses are comprised of people, and people liking where they live, liking their neighborhood – that really helps, too,” he said.

He added one issue that is very important to him is the three-quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters in November and going into effect this month.

He said he would like to emulate the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Projects capital improvement program to upgrade the city without incurring debt. That program gets vast resident input for the use of tax funds, he said.

Public safety is another big issue for Schrag, and a necessary one for the city to become an employer of choice.

“If people don’t feel safe, nothing else works,” he said.