Springfield Mayor Ken McClure and four City Councilmen will retain their seats following the April 2 election, and one new member will replace outgoing Zone 2 Councilman Tom Prater.
Those maintaining their seats include: Andrew Lear, General Seat C; Richard Ollis, General Seat D; Mike Schilling, Zone 3; and Matt Simpson, Zone 4. Abe McGull was elected as Zone 2 Councilman, filling the seat vacated by Tom Prater. The Mayor is elected to a two-year term, while council seats are four-year terms.
“I would like to thank all candidates who ran for office, and congratulate Councilmen Andy Lear, Mike Schilling, Matt Simpson and Richard Ollis on successful campaigns, and officially welcome Abe McGull to City Council. We are very pleased to have him join the team,” said Mayor McClure.
“My sincere gratitude goes out to Tom Prater for his service to both Council and the community. He has been a valued voice on City Council and we appreciate his work.”
The City’s 1/4-cent capital improvement sales tax was renewed, with 77.4 percent voting to support the 30-plus-year program.
“I thank the community for once again supporting this effort and pledge the City’s continued commitment to fulfilling its promises to our citizens,” McClure said.
Springfield Public Schools’ Proposition S $168 million bond proposal passed with a 60 percent approval rate.
SPS released the following note to Springfield voters April 3:
“Yesterday, Springfield and Greene County voters stepped forward to address safety and security, equity and accessibility, quality facility upgrades, and a historic expansion of preschool. Today, we celebrate on behalf of our 25,000 students, 4,000 staff and the Springfield community. We celebrate an outpouring of support for dedicated teachers, eager learners, and strong schools that help prepare the workforce of today and tomorrow. We celebrate that our community recognizes that quality schools help retain and recruit residents and businesses to our city and region, providing a strong reason to support SPS, whether or not you have a child enrolled in public school.
Over the past few months, many community volunteers have rallied around our schools to help educate others about Proposition S and advocate on behalf of our students and staff. We deeply appreciate the Community Task Force on Facilities, the Friends of SPS campaign and our Board of Education for all they have done to make this possible. We also want to express our ongoing respect and appreciation to our teachers and support staff, who work with our students each day.
Thank you, Springfield, for embracing our schools as the heart of our community – for affirming that our schools represent and reflect you, support and advocate for you, and inspire and serve you. Our schools are able to achieve those lofty goals only because they are comprised of great educators, support staff and students, and are surrounded by neighborhoods that value public education.While our schools are so much more than brick and mortar, we understand that the students we serve deserve the best learning environments that we can provide. That commitment to quality must be true for all – no matter where a student is from or where a teacher chooses to serve. Proposition S is a big step forward in our effort to achieve that equity in regard to security and quality environments for all.
Today, our work continues to deliver on our promises, and we will provide regular updates to you and the community regarding progress along the way. We enthusiastically embrace this important work on behalf of all those we are honored to serve. We are dedicated to completing the 39 high-priority projects on time and within budget.”
