There are 14 candidates running for mayor and four open seats on the Springfield City Council.
Two of the open council seats represent the entire city, while one open position represents Zone 1 in Springfield s northwest quadrant and the other represents Zone 4 in the southeast.
Here s an overview of who is running in the order they will appear on the ballot. For more in-depth information about the candidates and their policies, go online to news-leader.com.
Mayor
Ken McClure (Incumbent)
Background: McClure, 70, has been mayor of Springfield since 2017. He grew up in Springfield and lived here much of his life. For 25 years, he left for Jefferson City where he served in several roles, including chief of staff and transition director for Republican Gov. Matt Blunt and chair of the Missouri Public Service Commission. McClure returned to Springfield and worked at Missouri State University as a vice president before retiring in 2015.
City Utilities customers could soon be seeing higher natural gas bills following a winter storm that froze gas wells and forced rolling blackouts throughout the region.
On Monday, representatives from CU presented a plan to city council to spread out the cost of purchasing a portion of its gas at heavily inflated prices during the February freeze over a maximum 24-month period.
That cost, which will be roughly $375 for an average customer, will be recovered by increasing the price of natural gas by roughly 20 percent for the vast majority of commercial and residential customers.
If the entire 24-month period is used, that increase would amount to roughly $16 per month for an average user. By comparison, it would add roughly $63 per month if only spread out over six months.