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.
Letters for March 28
Earth cannot sustain global human population
Estimates for a sustainable global population based on resource needs for a comfortable modern lifestyle come in at about 2.5 billion, beyond which our resource base begins to deteriorate due to over-exploitation. We exceeded this after about 1950 and are now 7.8 billion. The consequences are evident in the form of shortages, biodiversity loss, excess migration, global warming, etc. Yet, discussing this topic has been a virtual taboo since the 1970s, as politicians and economists willfully ignore it despite a rapidly rising chaos that is leading to the same kind of social disorder and collapse that occurs in a rat colony allowed to breed freely in a limited enclosure.
Meet the candidates for Springfield City Council General Seat B news-leader.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news-leader.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Candidates for Springfield’s General Seat A are hoping to take one of the five seats on council, including the mayor, representing the entire city.
The four candidates are hoping to fill the seat vacated by Councilwoman Jan Fisk, who is not running for another term.
The News-Leader interviewed all the candidates about why they’re running, which issues are important to them and where they stand on various problems facing the city. Here’s what they said in the order they will appear on the ballot:
Alexander Aton
Alexander Aton, 28, said he decided to run primarily after seeing the city’s response to the pandemic, though he also said he disagreed with the current council’s stances on growth.